Entrepreneurship and 3S's of Spirituality

Do you really need to leave work to learn and practice Yoga? You can do it every morning and weekends. No?

Your full time job was to do yoga every day for half a year. How much yoga can you really do daily?

You could have taken few weeks off to travel Himalayas? What were you exactly doing there for 4 months?

Well, these are some of the questions I keep hearing. The context is that for many years, i was an entrepreneur doing different businesses, before i took a break early last year and did two things: travelled to remotest places in Himalayas, and learnt and taught yoga for 8 months. 

I won't go into the detailed answers for such questions but I thought of providing my perspective on areas especially entrepreneurs can relate to. So, to begin with, I'll start from what was going on with me when I decided to do this.

What was going on?

Like most entrepreneurs, my days were fun. Definitely busy. There was a lot of struggle to get things done and manage unpredictability but I was unreasonably optimistic most of the time to get through those. But I knew not everything is right. I was more exposed to the world than most of my peers, which should had given me more kindness, acceptance and balance. But no, I was going the other way.

I was a seeker then also, and I knew that there is more to life. And to get there, I started observing myself and noticed few things. There was simply too much going on in my head, and I realized I had become a compulsive thinker. As an entrepreneur, you always want to make things happen and there can a certain impatience, which I considered as a positive... at least for a while before realizing it is affecting my balance. Importantly, these changes don't limit themselves to your professional life only because they essentially impact who you are.

There wasn't really a big red flag but i knew that my actions will be far more impactful if I can establish myself properly. Hence, doing an extremely intense yoga program rather than continuing my usual yoga practices made sense.

Approx 15 months of travel and yoga did change few things, and honestly I am still coming to term with these changes. But I would like to share the 3S's (I know, it sounds like another management framework), which I found useful especially in professional life:

1. Solitude:

In our education and work environment, so much emphasis has been given to team work, collaboration, managing people etc., that we are probably forgetting the power of solitude. Solitude isn't about being lonely, like some people ask me why are you travelling alone, isn't it boring? For me also, It was boring to begin with, but that boredom was the first step to know myself. I was able to see how being with other people can be a compulsion rather than a conscious choice. 

I realized how hard it is to spend time with myself. Most of us have very little idea of what's going on in our minds and unfortunately, we don't even know how not to be slave to all kinds of thoughts. Solitude is the first step. It at least helps to observe the thoughts and chatter, and makes you understand how ridiculous is that.

“The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. No big laboratory is needed in which to think. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born. That is why many of the earthly miracles have had their genesis in humble surroundings."- Tesla

2. Silence:

This is a really deep topic, so let me stick to the simple facts. I did multiple silence practices for 10 days, a week, 3 days and also even for a day. In simplest terms, it is an extension of solitude. Thought of being silent for few days can also be terrifying for few people as i experienced. And in the beginning, it's not really easy because you are trying to take control of your mind, which has gone auto-pilot- it just goes on and on. Multiple silence practices helped me to be more aware of what's going on in my head on a regular basis. This awareness is the first win, as you can't fix a problem unless you know it exists. I learnt that there might be a reality outside, but I am living my mind's reality which possibly had no connection with outside reality. In such silence, you discover things that goes on internally.

You can include any meditation or silence practice daily in your routine, as you don't need to be on long silence when you start. Then there are specific techniques to make it sustainable and be more effective like breath watching. One side benefit (I'll leave the core benefits for you to experience) is simply the focus and concentration. Like in Mahatma Gandhi's words-

"I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one."- Gandhi

3. Stillness:

And this is what I am finally striving for. I knew that Yoga isn't about twisting and getting into certain postures. It's about a life style- what you eat, how you sleep, how you sit and talk, but most importantly who you are? 

Like i said earlier, we live in a world where busy is good, sometimes restlessness is also good, and less attention span isn't considered bad. Honestly, it wasn't intuitive for me to think that physically and mentally still person can be high energy and action oriented. Probably, because like most of us, I confused stillness with sitting idle:) Actually, it's the opposite. Stillness helps you act decisively when you have to.

A cluttered mind looses its ability to process and more importantly for leader, to communicate. Still mind doesn't react and do only what is required.

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” Lao Tzu

It took me a while to understand the power of stillness, and more importantly, how difficult it is to achieve. All my yoga is slowly helping me move towards that though there is long way to go. In Patanjali's words- Yoga means stillness of mind and freedom from oscillations and various mental processes. So, it comes down to changing "who you are". I believe you'll miss the whole point if your actions aren't governed by a still mind.

I believe as entrepreneurs, we should investing even more on within. Entrepreneurs are also more curious and experimental so they are natural seekers. The objective of any such seeking is to experience things, not simply intellectualise them, because we all are at different starting points and our experiences will be different. Certain tools like yoga and meditation techniques can fasten this process and thats what I did. I don't think everyone can go on such long breaks but you can at least start seeking.

Wish you the best in your entrepreneurial journeys! Let me know what you think. Also, I am a Venture Capitalist now, so share your exciting business ideas as well :)