What My Weekly Yin Yoga Practice Has Taught Me About Work

Eight years ago, I hit a wall. I didn't know it at the time, but burnout had me in its grip, leaving me depleted, disillusioned, and questioning everything.

The path to recovery has been a winding one, filled with hard-earned lessons and unexpected insights. But perhaps the most profound revelation came this year, and from a surprising source: my weekly yin yoga class. ??

In yin yoga, we hold passive poses for minutes at a time, surrendering into stillness and allowing gravity to do the 'work.' Ease is of utmost importance. Gentleness is the mantra. Not pushing beyond our bodies' limits is encouraged.

As someone who thrived on the adrenaline of constant doing - the inhale - this concept of purposeful surrender - the exhale - initially felt very foreign and quite uncomfortable at first.

But I knew somehow that this practice had much to teach me, so I kept going back.

One Sunday morning, letting my body melt into the mat, a light bulb went off. Just as the breath cycles between the inhale and the exhale, I realised how our lives should naturally rhythm between effort and ease, doing and being, expending and restoring energy.

I realised that somewhere along the way, in my pursuit of success, I had forgotten the importance of the exhale.

Working with leadership teams, I see how glorified the inhale still is. We celebrate the constant expending of energy, at all costs, in pursuit of a competitive advantage. But as I've learned, this approach leads to diminishing returns. Because here's the thing: Energy is everything. Without energy, even the most impressive skills and intentions can't come to life. ??

Since my burnout wake-up call, I've been on a mission to reshape my relationship with work and prioritize the exhale - the intentional renewal of energy. It hasn't been a perfect journey - old habits die hard, and there are still times when I find myself holding my breath, so to speak. But little by little, I've been learning to incorporate practices that honor the natural rhythm of energy expenditure and restoration. ??

Some of the practices I've found helpful for integrating "exhale" moments into my workday:

- Bookending my day with grounding practices like mindfulness, gentle stretching, or a walk without my phone. ??

- Alternating focused work sprints with restorative breaks. ??

- Blocking off regular "renewal periods" in my calendar for activities that replenish my energy, like spending time in nature or connecting with loved ones. ??

- Letting go of the guilt and learning to view rest not as a reward, but as an essential component of the work itself. ??

Weekend renewal has also become very important for me. And renewal is not necessarily a passive thing. Recharging activities for me can also be active and expressive - playing Padel, dancing like no one's watching, laughing with friends until my face hurts ??

Slowly but surely, I'm learning to respect my energy levels instead of constantly trying to push past them. I'm coming to see the the letting go, as a strategic lever for better performance at work.

And even knowing this, there are days when the siren song of the inhale is hard to resist.