August 2022

Your daily yoga practice builds a strong mind, body, and spirit, leading you towards becoming your best self and to the discovery of your life’s purpose

Can your yoga practice help you find yourself? Those who practice yoga faithfully, claim that their practice, not only helps them find themselves, but also helps to identify their life’s purpose.

The practice of yoga is an art of living, and its origins can be traced back to northern India over 5,000 years ago. Yoga is amongst the six schools of philosophy in Hinduism and is also a major part of Buddhism. Within yoga, and its meditation practices, are long, documented records of how yoga provides peace and resolve for many.

The common thread of suffering is the belief that there is a lack of something. Suffering is caused by the lack of a solution to whatever problem is at hand. Some examples of the lack you may be feeling in your life might be:

  • The lack of money
  • The lack of food or water
  • The lack of good health

Yoga trains your mind and body for logical thinking in a variety of critical situations. A trained, conditioned, and prepared mind and body provide the training for most of us to handle whatever challenges life offers. The ability to react to problems, with solutions, will also assist in finding that a problem could be the gateway to a better life. How is that possible?

There are times in life when years fly by, and life feels stable. There are also times of instability when our family life or job might be in jeopardy. It is in times like these that a yoga practice can create a state of self-realization, where you know your worth in all aspects of your life including your family and your job. Knowing your worth allows you to see clearly, each situation and find a logical solution to whatever problem presents itself.

 Through yoga and meditation work, you can tune in and focus on your thoughts, dreams, and desires. Through this practice, you learn that every thought starts with the energy to think it.  You learn to focus your attention on the energy of thought, nurturing that energy into your reality.

Your yoga practice brings an awareness of the immense power and energy of a thought, a plan, and an action.  You will make mistakes along the way and those mistakes can become the foundation of your success.  Practicing the principles of yoga in your daily life creates a better world for you and those around you. In this better world is where you will find yourself and your purpose in life. 

According to the yoga philosophy, the purpose of life is self-realization and unity.  Through yoga practice, you work on being the best person you can be, in all aspects of your life.  Yoga is about looking inside yourself to understand your mind.  One technique you might use to become more aware of your mind and thoughts is to keep a spiritual diary.  A spiritual diary is different from a regular diary in that you focus on the same question each day as a way to fully understand and improve yourself day after day.

These questions might include things like:

  • What form of yoga practice did I do today?
  • How much quiet time did I set aside for personal reflection?
  • How much Karma yoga did you practice during the day and how did that practice make you feel?
  • How do your relationships feel each day?  Did you help those with that you have a relationship without ego or attachment?  Did you feel love for them?

The practice of taking daily inventory trains your mind to focus and be aware of your feelings, your impact on others, and the impact of others on your daily life. Rachel Graham talks about her focus and awareness of her impact on others, which is how she discovered her life’s purpose.  Contact Rachel today to learn more about how to discover your life’s purpose.

Your daily yoga practice builds a strong mind, body, and spirit, leading you towards becoming your best self and to the discovery of your life’s purpose Read More »

Workplace burnout: How can you recognize and manage the stress and does finding and following your life’s purpose help to combat it?

Burn-out comes from chronic workplace stress that isn’t successfully managed and usually accompanies these elements:

  • Feeling exhausted or depleted of energy
  • Feeling negatively distant from your job
  • Reduced productivity

Burnout is a break between a person’s life’s purpose and what they feel they have to do. Burnout usually presents itself as emotional exhaustion or losing your sense of self which makes a considerable impact in life.

The effect and impact of workplace burnout are widespread. From an increased workload to a perceived lack of control, and job insecurity leads to high turnover, reduced productivity, and poor mental health.

When an employee feels stressed, for an extended period of time, they experience mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion. There are many early predictors, indicators, and manifestations of workplace burnout and stress some of which might be:

  • A perceived lack of control based on conflicting role responsibilities resulting in pressure from many, often incompatible and competing demands
  • A lack of work performance recognition results in the worker feeling devalued
  • Lack of management and team support 
  • Feelings of unfair and inequitable work
  • Incongruence between environment and relationship
  • Excessive job demands and feeling that work is unfair
  • Working harder and longer to absorb the company

The early signs of work burnout can be recognized by the following feelings, physical ailments, and thought patterns:

  • Feeling tired, irritable, distracted, inadequate, and incompetent
  • Physical ailments such as muscle aches, body and head pain, reduced appetite, and weight loss or gain
  • Feeling emotionally trapped, hopeless, and depressed
  • Poor concentration, disorganized thinking, and indecisiveness

How does the workplace stress and burnout manifest themselves?

  • Persistent tardiness and absenteeism
  • Diminished output, aspirations, and commitment
  • Increased pessimism and apathy
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Substance abuse issues

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Satisfaction and work-life balance in the workplace is recognized through these employee sentiments:

  • Work satisfaction
  • Organizational respect
  • Employer care
  • Work-life integration

Balancing all four factors is essential to overall employee wellbeing and satisfaction, reducing the probability of burnout. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of burnout, focus on the following actions which you can do on your own. Actions you for work-life balance include-

  • A workload that is planned and shared
  • Task and workload delegation
  • Healthy boundaries

The following is a list of what is needed for you to manage work stress and burnout-

  • Control of resources can impact your sense of purpose and autonomy
  • Invest time and energy in your work relationships, creating a positive team, and working on common goals
  • Feeling recognized and valued for your work contributions
  • Alignment in personal and employer values
  • The balance between high pressure and less complex tasks
  • Physical and emotional breaks contribute to resetting and regaining focus

There are ways to fight for purpose while you are living your life and taking care of your responsibilities. 

  • Stay focused on what matters to you
  • Focus on facts instead of the fears that float around in your head
  • Experience your feelings instead of pushing them down and ignoring them
  • Failures how you are trying, don’t be too hard on yourself about them

Your sense of purpose is the single most crucial factor in your life’s success. It defines what success means for you and describes your role in making your vision a reality. Read how Rachel Graham turned her life around by leaning into her life’s purpose.

Workplace burnout: How can you recognize and manage the stress and does finding and following your life’s purpose help to combat it? Read More »

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