Yoga + Mentoring = Work Life Balance
Yoga + Mentoring = Work Life Balance
I recently wrote a blog about Holistic Learning. Holistic education is a relatively new movement in education terms that seeks to engage all aspects of the learner, including mind, body, and spirit. Its philosophy is based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to their environment, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education gives attention to experiential learning and looks to utilize a range of teaching styles.
When I was writing that blog I was building up to talking to you about yoga. Now I sometimes feel the sceptics glare when I mention yoga during my coaching sessions. Unfortunately I know the spiritual element of yoga can be off putting to some people. It’s a real shame because I am a huge advocate of the practice and have seen first hand how my coaching clients could benefit from taking it up themselves. There is so much more to yoga than people think they know though, and I want to shout about it today! Thankfully, with time my sessions have become naturally more and more holistic in nature and the reception has been tremendous.
Very often clients come to me with a specific aim in mind – whether that be promotion, career change, building a business or suchlike. Nine times out of ten their life purpose is not what they had assumed it to be and after completing a programme with me they find out that what they seek so desperately in life is a personal & professional balance which they have been unable to create before – this is the elusive work life balance.
There have been numerous occasions where clients have been so anxious or stressed due to work that we have had to spend some time on breathing exercises and positive affirmations to get them through the week ahead. There have been times when ergonomics, bad posture and sitting at a desk for 80 hours a week has really taken its toll and some simple chair exercises have kick started one of our sessions. Achieving your goals in life have to be seen as a long term strategy whilst simple mini-strategies such as these are what I believe to be the key to unlocking each door along the way.
As a result of my many years of practicing yoga and having discovered a wonderful yoga teacher last year with whom I feel I really connect, I started to look at how I could combine the technical side of coaching and mentoring with the more holistic side and in so doing have created a holistic course which is designed to help clients find their ideal work life balance. It struck me just how powerful it could be if we focused on all aspects of mentoring and yoga practice.
And on that note, let me introduce Victoria Noone.
Victoria Noone of Yoga Embrace by Victoria, based in Newcastle, UK.
What is Yoga?
I can guarantee that it’s much more than you thought it was!
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali refers to 8 limbs of yoga, each of which offers guidance on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life.
The word yoga loosely means to connect. The thing we look to connect to is the true self. Yoga can also mean disentanglement. The thing we’re being liberated from is whatever stops us from feeling free. Quite often in the professional world, we become locked in by our environment, unable to balance the things that really matter to us, leading to a downward spiral.
The 8 ‘limbs’ of yoga are as follows:
1. Yama – Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows
2. Niyama – Positive duties or observances
3. Asana– Posture
4. Pranayama – Breathing Techniques
5. Pratyahara – Sense withdrawal
6. Dharana– Focused Concentration
7. Dhyana – Meditative Absorption
8. Samadhi – Bliss or Enlightenment
Yoga is a practice which should transform and benefit every area of your life and is not limited to spending an hour on your yoga mat per week. The physical postures have many health benefits including flexibility, easing joint and muscle pain and much more. The breathing techniques help to alter mindset and I have found them to be a very powerful tool in my mentoring programmes.
Here are just some of the benefits of learning yoga:
1. Increased Flexibility;
2. Builds Muscle Strength;
3. Improves Posture;
4. Prevents Joint Deterioration;
5. Protects your Spine;
6. Betters Bone Health;
7. Increases Blood Flow & Heart Rate, Drops Blood Pressure;
8. Drains Lymphs & Boosts Immunity;
9. Regulates Adrenal Glands;
10. Creates the basis of a Healthy Lifestyle;
11. Helps Focus;
12. Relaxes, Calms & Restores;
13. Improves Balance;
14. Promotes Better Sleep;
15. Increases Lung Function….
What is Mentoring?
The word Mentoring originates from the Greek myth where Odysseus entrusts the education of his son to his friend Mentor. A mentor usually focuses, along with the mentee, on motivations, ability, competencies, and on creating opportunities to enable the mentee to achieve their full potential.
We offer mentoring programmes which can be tailored to the workplace and /or personal circumstances. We use a hybrid approach which means we encourage the mentee to find solutions to particular issues themselves, therefore encouraging enabling skills whilst also utilising a facilitative approach which means offering directive instruction and advice.
We use a number of tools to help the mentee to understand themselves and their goals as well as offering personal coaching in specific areas, recommended reading and goal-oriented success. The final stage of the mentoring programme will be to complete a 5-year plan. Often the act of having somebody with whom to talk over thoughts and feelings, to realise that they have goals and ambitions in life , however big or small and that they can achieve things is hugely liberating for people.
Our Mindset lessons and positive affirmations will change the way you look at things and give you personalised lifestyle strategies for dealing with whatever might come your way in the future.
What is Yoga & Mentoring Combined?
It’s time to meet the most focused, happiest and inspired you! A focused mind inside a relaxed body.
The Work/ Life Balance Challenge: Release your Inner Potential & The Key to Unlocking Success is designed to be a Mentoring Experience with a difference. (Other types of programs also available – taster course, group coaching and online). The emphasis is on Holistic Learning which seeks to engage all aspects of the Mentee, including mind, body, and soul.
Each step of your Mentoring programme will be accompanied by a range of Holistic techniques designed to heighten your awareness and connect with your future goals in life. These techniques involve Yoga, Meditation, Breathing & Visualisation exercises to name a few.
It is a programme tailored to meet you at your current point in life and help you to reach your individual aspirations to go wherever you would like to.
By the end you will have:
Your Career Success Toolkit from Victoria:
- You will be more self-aware;
- Have an awareness of postures and ergonomics;
- Ways to combat work-related stress;
- Tools to help deal with difficult situations/ conflict in the workplace – control your breathing and thought processes;
- Tools for inspiration, innovation & entrepreneurship
As well as..
- Clearly Defined Goals for your future, personal & professional;
- Prioritised Goals with 5 Year Plan and short term action plan;
- Time Management and Organisational Tools;
- Fixed vs. Growth Mindset toolkit;
- And… the Key to a successful work/life balance!
To celebrate the launch of this new programme from C&E HR Consultancy & Yoga Embrace by Victoria we are offering a Taster Course for you to try. The Fundamentals of Work Life Balance is a short course designed to offer an insight into the benefits of undertaking career coaching and yoga practice in order to achieve your work life balance.
The Fundamentals of Creating Work/Life Balance:
A Mentoring & Yoga Taster Course which Includes:
· Introduction from Teachers
· 2 x 1.5hr Executive Group Coaching Sessions with a Personal Development Coach to set your goals for the future and start to prepare your path to success in personal and professional life
· 2 x Introductory Yoga Sessions including controlled breathing techniques, basic yoga postures, visualization and positive affirmations
· Includes all materials
· Access to Private Group
· 10% discount off full work/life balance challenge course and any 1-2-1 Executive Mentoring package
· No previous yoga experience necessary
What will you learn during the course:
Session 1 with Gillian (1 1/2 hours):
Set the starting point
Understanding the Current State – Where are you in Life?
Introduction to Goal Setting
Using exercises in Scaling, the Wheel of Life, The Wheel of Life Radar & the Tree of Success to determine areas to work on
Introduction to the 6 Pillars of Mindfulness
Session 1 with Victoria (1 hour):
Discovering your Life’s Purpose
Yoga Nidra centred around Dharma Discovery - Life's Purpose
Setting of the San Kalpa
Soft Visualisation
Using Yoga to refocus life priorities
Discussion on how clients can complement mentoring with regular Yoga practice
Session 2 with Victoria (1 hour):
Yoga for Relaxation
Gentle Stretching Yoga Postures for Relaxation
Introduction to Visualisation
Focus on Solar Plexus Chakra, Creativity & Innovation – The Inner Child
Session 2 with Gillian (1 1/2 hours):
Visualising Success
Visualising Success - What does your Future Look Like?
Your Vision
Your Mission Statement
The Mood Board
Taster Course for a short time only at the cost of £99.
Completed the Taster Course and hungry for more? Discounted Group Coaching and 1-2-1 courses available for those who have completed the Fundamentals of Creating Work/ Life Balance.
If you would be interested in finding out more please get in touch..