Personal Growth through Yoga and Keeping a Clear Mind

Sep17
2012 20 Comments Written by danonleadership

It’s guest post Monday. This post is written by Mr.X who is a web content writer and social media expert. Feel free to check out his site at Ghostlancers.com and the site blog. If you would like to be featured as a guest poster on my blog click here.

In order for you to experience life in a positive manner you need to be positive yourself. God gave human beings the potential to grow. We learn from our experiences, and they govern how we react to the situations we encounter. People react differently to situations. Some remain calm and handle it in a mature way, while some aren’t able to control their anger, and they end up expressing that anger in a way they might later regret. If you want to become a good leader, then you need to control how you react to situations. You will face a lot of opposition; however, that doesn’t mean that you become angry. You need to learn how to keep a calm mind and understand that everyone has the right to give an opinion even if it goes against what you think. One of the things which can help you to remain calm is yoga. It will help you to relieve the body from the stress it feels as well as with expelling the negative thoughts from your mind.

For people, personal growth should never stop. They should keep doing what they can in order to improve and have a positive lifestyle. Being a leader isn’t easy because there are a lot of responsibilities which you need to take care of. This burden is stressful for the mind and the body and because of the stress, an individual might feel uncomfortable. People are sensitive when they are under stress, and that’s why they might get angry when faced with an unpleasant situation.

Yoga can help with relieving the stress from the mind and body. When a person is under stress, the normal balance of the body is disrupted. The uneven breathing and negative thoughts cause discomfort. Doing yoga allows people to control the way they breathe. It enables people to inhale ‘positivity’ and exhale all of the stress and the negativity out from the body. This brings the uneven breathing back to normal, and the positive thoughts help in making the body and the mind feel fresh.

Human beings have ‘thoughts’ and it’s a normal phenomenon. However, if these thoughts are allowed to wander off, they can be harmful for the individual. People who experience failure can start thinking negative thoughts such as: I will never be able to win. The person who won cheated. I am not good enough!

People who experience success can also have negative thoughts of a different kind like: No one can defeat me. I won because I worked hard; God had no role to play in it!

These negative thoughts stop personal growth. Through yoga, a person is able to learn how to get rid of such thoughts and bring positivity into their lives. By indulging in this ancient art of meditation, you will be able to experience more control over your body and your mind.

By remaining calm and collected, you will be able to face different situations in a positive manner. If someone criticizes the work you do, you won’t become angry and will try to settle the debate in a socially accepted manner. Having positive thoughts will allow you to be happy and not feel depressed even if you fail at something. You will be able to realize that God is with you, and that failure is a part of life. What’s important is that you don’t let the failure drag you down.

So, take some time out and include yoga in your life. This will allow you to remain calm and active, which will lead you to get rid of anger and negative thoughts, and you will be able to grow personally in the process.

Questions: Do you think yoga could help you lead better? How do you remain calm and clear minded during challenging or difficult situations?

Posted in Personal Growth & Development
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  • http://www.jasonvana.com Jason Vana

    I’ve never really tried yoga, so I don’t know if it would help me be a better leader. I tend to pray and seek God’s advice when it comes to leadership. That really tends to keep me calm during difficult decisions.

    • http://www.lincolnparks.com Lincoln Parks

      Me either Jason. I’ve never tried yoga but I do hear that it can be relaxing and help keep you with a clear mind. I know I may need to try it with my sweaty palms. It may help me relax more and then in turn causing my palms not to sweat. I may need to look into yoga and see. God can be leading us toward yoga as an option. I need to look into how this works in scripture.. Anyone?

      • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

        I know Christians won’t and even should not agree with all of the yoga teachings and methods. However, I still think we can learn about yoga and follow some of the practices (in a biblical way). This is still something I need to do some more research on.

        • http://www.lincolnparks.com Lincoln Parks

          That is my only concern with Yoga. I am unfamiliar with it also. So I don’t want to sound ignorant until I see what its all about.

          • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

            Great point.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Jason,

      I have never tried it either. I think it could help some people.

    • Mr.X

      Think of yoga as a supplementary practise :)

  • http://intentionaltoday.com/ Ngina Otiende

    Personally, I choose to stay clear of certain practices – yoga is not something I would try. I stay calm through prayer and other practical things that are helpful at that moment – eg taking a break from the moment, breathing to clear my head e.t.c

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      I totally understand Ngina. Prayer and other faith based methods are personally the best from my perspective. Thank you for reading and sharing.

  • Yvonne Root

    Although as a Christian, my first thought when I saw the “Y” word (please read this in the humor with which I’m thinking) was that I’d opened a different email than I thought I had. Then I skimmed the article.

    One of my dearest friends once told me that truth is where truth is. She didn’t mean that we ignore the truth of scripture. What she went on to say was that many people include truths in their teachings even when they miss the basic truth which is Jesus.

    My friend’s reference was to a diet which had roots in an eastern religion. My family thrived on the diet with each of us feeling more healthy than we had before or than we do now that we’ve returned to a typical American diet. We ignored the instructions we’d been given by the counselor to give thanks to the carrot (or whatever) for giving up it’s life for us.

    We ate the food, giving thanks to God, the provider.

    Having said all that, it is my belief that the meditation associated with Yoga is designed to rid our minds of thought. The meditation recommended in the Bible is designed to fill our minds with thought — thoughts concerning the awesomeness of our God, the world He created and the people who He puts in our lives.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Great thoughts. I really like your last paragraph, so true. We should rid our minds and then fill it with the word of God. Thank you for taking the time to skim this guest post and then sharing your thoughts.

  • http://www.michaelgholmes.com/ Mike Holmes

    Sorry. Not a really a yoga guy :(

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      I totally understand Mike:)

    • Mr.X

      You can always try :D

  • http://twitter.com/LeadingEveryday Juan Cruz Jr

    I’ve never tried yoga, not sure if I would. I go to the gym and lift weights and run which is probably counter-intuitive of calmness, but I feel it does help me relieve stress which in turns helps me stay calm. I prefer to stay calm by reading the Bible and praying. It helps me get in the right mind set, and it fills my spirit.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      Juan,

      Working out is a great way to ease your mind and relieve some stress. Thank you for sharing.

  • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

    I personally enjoy yoga, however let me clarify as I have caught heat from Christians for saying this. I like the stretching, it helps with my stiff joints. I completely stink at the breathing/relaxing part of it. I’ve never studied yoga and honestly have little knowledge as to why many Christians feel yoga is wrong. I have heard some say it opens doors to demonic forces but since I’ve never actually practiced yoga the way it is intended, I don’t think that is a problem for me.
    When I do yoga or palliates moves I usually have Praise and Worship music going and I tend to think about my to-do list or pray for people or something along those lines- not at all what you are supposed to do. I cannot clear my mind of thoughts, it’s impossible for me. And I know my breathing is off. It’s about the stretching for me.

    Though I will say, when I am stressed, I do find taking a few deep breaths in and out helps ease some of the tension.

    • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

      TC Avey,

      I think their is a difference between practicing yoga and implementing it into your exercise. Doing the stretches and breathing is fine, It’s great you have worship playing and you praying during that time.

      Deep breaths defiantly help when stressed. Thank you for reading and adding to the discussion.

      • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

        Thanks Dan, I agree we can incorporate certain elements without embracing the entire concept. But each individual must decide that for themselves, some don’t want anything at all to do with it and that’s okay. Some eat meat and some don’t :) (Just got make sure I don’t inadvertently make my brother stumble).

        • http://danblackonleadership.com/ Dan Black

          I totally agree with you.