This evening, for the first time in about two years, I entered my Unity Woods yoga studio to take a class. I was so nervous that I misread the time and arrived nearly an hour early. I shyly introduced myself to the teacher, notably the same person I had two years ago, who asked, "Are you certain Level II is ok for you?". Not wanting to admit maybe I was a tad rusty, I quickly replied yes. I am rarely one who back down from a challenge anyway.
I entered the dressing room where piece by piece I took off the strippings of corporate life. I replaced my hair piece and jewelry for an unadorned ponytail, my skirt and blouse for a simple T-shirt and shorts, and my heels for bare, slightly chipped painted toenails and feet. As I walked into the studio, I breathed deeply, feeling incredibly grounded and connected to the world around me as my feet softly padded through the dimly lit space.
"Om!"...the words escaped my lips as the memory of the days work slowly faded into the background. I slowly progressed through the poses, surprised at both how difficult the simple stances were, yet slightly surprised that my body remembered the movements from the past decade of on and off again Iyengar yoga practice.
At the end of the session, while meditating in in shivasana pose, I started to recognize the lessons anyone can lean from yoga that relate to work life balance. It seems that with the prevalence of new technologies and ways of working there are an incredible amount of articles dedicated to the idea of work-life balance. On one end you have more traditional persons decrying how people being connected at all times is causing serious detriment to not just our work, but our society as a whole as we forget how to relate to one another I face to face conversations. On the other hand people argue that the ability to connect remotely allows people to have more time at home, as they have time with family and friends and can still get on the computer at various times to complete work.
For the record I tend, to the consternation of my fellow colleagues in the Millennial generation, to go for the more traditional route that we all need time to unplug everyday. And here's why...
Yoga is based, from my limited understanding, on two principles: strength and flexibility. Today at my first practice in two years, I saw both principles in stark reality. To begin, the first ten minutes or so of the class today was focused on deep forward bends. For this runner's body, the stretches were a harsh reminder of how inflexible I can be. Both literally and in how I segment my day. As my muscles loosened I reflected on how regimented I had been in the course of my workday; and how that regimentation may have prevented me from a conversation or insight into a problem I had.
During my experiences of flexible work arrangements I have been so protective of what little time in the office I have that I have been accused of being cold, snobby, or overtly professional. This is not the way to be... But that feeds into the second yoga principle of strength.
Did I mention that i went to a Level 2 class today? That meant that in today's class we were already doing head and hand stands. As I lifted my legs up to the wall to do a modified hand stand, I could not believe how much my arms started to shake, and my knees felt weak. I just ran 10 miles this weekend... And a simple yoga pose was kicking my butt! That was when I realized that though yoga seems to outsiders as a flimsy thing for a bunch of hippies to do on a weeknight, holding some of the inverted (upside down) poses requires incredible strength of the entire body. And when it comes to work life balance the same is needed. It is not easy to leave work early to attend to a health issue; it is not easy to be the one person who does not answer emails because you are taking care of your kids; it requires incredible strength to stand up to a boss or a client and let them know their demand are just plain crazy.
And what is more is that this strength doesn't just happen. It is the result of months, if not years of careful reflection and study. There is no way I could do a free standing hand stand today... In fact it could take me years to master the pose. The same is true for mastering the politics of a flexible work arrangement. It takes a lot of time, patience, discipline and practice to get it "right ".
And that brings me to a final thought about yoga. It is different for everyone who practices. Some people can bend over and touch their toes immediately. Others can balance on one foot with their hands up in the air. And still others can tie themselves in a pretzel knot and still carry on a conversation. But only the very rare can do all three.
The same is true for work life balance. Not all of us can do everything. Ok yes there are the rare individuals who seem to be the energizer bunny, for whom three hours of sleep a night is plenty, who can be the best parent ever and the best worker, oh yes and who can run a foundation in their "free time," but for most of us the reality is somewhere in between.
So go ahead and let the practice meet you where you are. Don't focus on what others around you are doing, just practice within your limits. Don't force your body or kind to bend in ways in which you are not ready. If you do, you could wind up getting hurt.... Both literally and mentally. Like yoga, recognize the place where the stillness of the mind meets the action of the body, and recognize you are exactly where you are meant to be
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