4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga Experience

4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga Experience4 Career Lessons I Learned From My First (and Last) Yoga ExperienceTzu siche is a distinct possibility that I am the least flexible human on the planet. I cant touch my toes, I cant bend over backward, and I cant do a handstand or headstand or butt-stand or what-have-you stand. In spite of this, and because Ive been looking for new ways to get some much-needed exercise, I signed up for my very first yoga class. I sat on my rented mat in Maha Shakti All Levels and giggled nervously to the woman next to me that Id never done this before. She reassured me that, in that case, I was in the correct corner of the room and that she and her friend were not experts by any means. (She would later stand on her head.)The instructor padded in and grabbed a nearby accordion. He sat in the middle of the room, lotus-style, and told us to focus on our red color energy centered at the base of the spine, first chakra. I looked at the clo ck 632. The class ended at 8. I couldnt imagine staying in this den of peace and love and horrible lighting for another 88 minutes.Ten minutes. Give it 10 mora minutes, and if you hate it, you can go home.I waited the 10 minutes, and for some reason, I didnt leave. The aura-color-chakra mumbo-jumbo passed, and we stood up and started doing poses. That is, everyone else started doing poses- I flopped and flailed and strained and sweat bullets. My downward-facing dog looked mora like woman hoisting butt in air. Every time I saw the instructors shadow passing by me on his rounds through the class, I knew he was about to correct my posture. Can you tell Im a beginner? I sheepishly remarked on his second visit.He laughed and said, Good. Thats why youre here.Cards on the table I am never going back to that yoga place. But there are clear lessons to draw from that experience that I think apply to everything in life, including our careers. Like these1. Swallow Your PrideIm gonna go ahead an d say it I suck at yoga. But its not because Im yoga-inept (although my starting line is probably further back than most)- its because Ive never done it before. When youre in a new job or stage in your life, you cant stretch or bend or do a warrior pose like everyone else. And thats not only okay, its expected. The best thing to do, then, is be humble and try your hardest. Watch the pros. Seek their advice, and learn to do what they do. Laugh at yourself. Then, when you get better at it, remember how you felt when you sucked, and take that humility with you.2. Drink the Kool-Aid (or Eat the Bee Pollen, as the Case May Be)A friend of mine encouraged me to eat the bee pollen in bestellung to get the most out of my yoga class. I thought she had just come up with a new-age alternative to drinking the Kool-Aid, but it turns out that she actually ate bee pollen in the class- her instructor swore by it as a way to maintain energy. (In case youre wondering No, there was no bee pollen on off er in my class. Alas.)But the lesson remains Dont be afraid of what you dont know. Just because it may not be your cup of tea (or pollen), doesnt mean it doesnt have serious benefits for you and for the people around you. Save your scoffs, and take anything unfamiliar as an opportunity to learn something you didnt know before. You may stumble upon something really useful.3. Make Friends With Your DiscomfortBeing uncomfortable doesnt mean youre in the wrong place in fact, as my instructor assured me, it may mean youre in the perfect place. Even though Im not going back to yoga every day to become super flexible and open all of my chakras on the reg, it felt good to step outside of my comfort zone and give it a go. Now something that was strange and a bit scary to me is a little less strange and scary. Taking on new challenges and trying new things is what makes us more well-rounded and better at handling new, unexpected developments- in our professional as well as our personal lives. 4. Know Your Limits, and Respect ThemYou shouldnt be in pain, the yoga instructor said to me as I strained to maintain a particularly difficult pose. If youre in pain, your body is telling you not to do it.If youre anything like me, youd want to tell the poor, patient instructor to f*** off and that you absolutely should be in pain because youre stupidly out of shape, and hadnt he ever heard of no pain, no gain? (Of course, you wouldnt say it- youd just think it and then write it down later on the internet.) But everybody has limits physical, emotional, interpersonal. Pushing them a little bit is healthy ignoring them altogether is dangerous. Imagine saying (and maybe you have) Oh yeah, totally, I can complete five projects in a week, no problem. When you find you dont have the time or the stamina, not only have you let yourself down, but youve let your co-workers down, too. Be honest with what you can contribute- it will make what you can do so much more valuable, and it will encou rage you to take on more as you improve and feel more comfortable.Theres a lot you can learn from stuff youre not good at. I may never be a gymnast, but I can- and I will- get in shape. No matter what life and work throws your way, you have plenty of tools to tackle them. You just have to keep an open mind. (And open chakras.)Photo of people doing yoga courtesy of Shutterstock.