Finding the Edge in Business (and yoga)

“To truly actualize change, you have to engage in the work of making new choices every day.” ~~ Nicole LePera

In yoga, you find the edge when your body achieves an optimal stretch AND the mind is fully present. Pushing too far beyond the edge causes strain in your body and tension in your mind. Backing off too much results in dullness and boredom.?

The goal is to push past comfort and challenge yourself in a healthy yet demanding way. Finding that sweet spot — not too tense and not too relaxed — can be elusive and gratifying.?

Finding the edge requires willful surrender.?Which in its simplest definition means setting an intention to accept where you are. To accept the bad days. The bad classes. The unstable poses. The need for an extended child’s pose. To willfully surrender.

Yoga isn’t the only place where we have to find our edge. As entrepreneurs we have to push beyond what is comfortable to activate change. We push our limits of exhaustion, financially, spiritually, and in our relationships. For many entrepreneurs tension is everywhere. We live at the edge, daily.

We have tension, and we experience willful surrender.?

To be successful we must practice willful surrender of our own expectations. Things do not move as quickly as we think they should. The money is slow to come in. There is always someone with a better marketing strategy. There is room for willful surrender everywhere.

Yin yoga, the practice that targets deep connective tissues, is a slower and more meditative form of yoga. Each pose provides you with space to turn inward and tune into your mind, breath, and body. Yin has always been my favorite. I like to call it “stretching while napping”.?And it is my favorite because I consider it to be easier than yang classes.

Imagine my surprise when several weeks ago I was in a yin class and the instructor told the class that most people dislike yin.?Because most cannot stand to be alone with their breath, thoughts, and poses for extended periods of time. It is considered to be the more challenging form of yoga by many.??

I felt a sense of pride when I realized I was actually doing something challenging. And I hadn’t even realized it, because yin yoga comes easy for me.

In everything there is perspective. In yoga balance poses may be your jam, but inversion poses need willful surrender. In business some of us are great at sales, while others get sick thinking about sales. Some entrepreneurs create processes in their sleep while you might struggle creating a simple checklist.?

The point is to find your edge, and hold it. Through the discomfort. Through learning. And when things get stressful, breathe in, breathe out, hold the edge, and believe in your ability to willfully surrender.?

Learn more at SB PACE