USING THE YAMAS TO CULTIVATE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
In April of 2019 I sat down with my boss for a routine monthly check-in, a process that had been implemented earlier in the year in order to facilitate more dialogue between employees. We’d cover anything from reviewing upcoming deliverables, performance feedback, and suggestions for improvement within our department.
During that check-in, I received some uncomfortable feedback that knocked me into an anxious frenzy. Having lost my job before, uncomfortable feedback threatened my security. She told me that I needed to “step it up with the confidence”. I had the tendency to hesitate in taking the next step and was falling into reactionary habits. As our agency was growing in size, we, as employees, needed to grow and take on more responsibility. It was hard to hear but it wasn’t untrue since it was something that I had internally struggled with for a long time. I lined up a life coach to hold me accountable for this and helped me change perspective on the feedback. Instead of taking it as a negative, we flipped the script to gratitude for a manager that knew I was capable of more, and believed in me to make that change.
At the time I was enrolled in my 300-hour yoga teacher training during which I had been diving into the non-physical aspects yoga including the Yamas, or internal ethical behaviors that guide us in our daily lives. I started to pay close attention to how opportunities to practice them showed up in everyday situations, and how they motivated my actions and behaviors.
Here are the ways that one can use each Yama to rise above the pit in their stomach when they are afraid of taking the next step:
Ahimsa - Do no harm
The first Yama, ahimsa, means to avoid intentionally causing pain to others not only in action but in words and thoughts as well. Our inactions can also cause harm. The key word in the previous sentence is “intentional”. Sometimes we don’t know if our decisions or actions will cause harm. The late Michael Stone wrote that what matters is that we act from a place of conviction because an action or a decision made based on our prior experiences is better than taking no action at all. We may change our convictions overtime and that’s ok. As I observed my behavior I noticed that I was overcoming habits of procrastination and I was being more proactive because I wasn’t as worried about being right and I wanted to be helpful (and not harmful) to my team. Sometimes I didn’t know if I was right but my ideas and help was always appreciated.
Satya - Truthfulness
Beyond refraining from lying, the Yama of “Satya” translates to “true essence” or “true nature”. As interpreted by Ekhart Yoga, the Yama of Satya can also hold the meaning “unchangeable” or “that which does not change”. Now, how does this relate to work? How many times do you hesitate to make a decision because you’re scared of taking a risk and failing? Maybe an employee is continuously underperforming and you’re afraid of bringing it up to management or to them because you “feel bad”? When we become aware of the stories we create around the truth we realize that we deviate from the truth more than we know. To quote one of my old managers, “facts sell, emotion loses”. Remove the fear from your decision making and have clear facts and examples to back up your thoughts.
Asteya - Nonstealing
Of course asteya can literally mean not stealing property from others, but if we take a deeper look into our own actions and behaviors, there are other ways that we steal from others without knowing it. One of the most frequent ways that we steal is people’s time. In the workplace this may mean scheduling unnecessary meetings or asking how to handle a situation without trying proactively to find a solution first. I work in an advertising agency and we’re constantly collaborating across teams and are managing multiple deliverables and deadlines. Before looping in the whole team for a meeting when you’re not sure how to move forward, do some due diligence and learning on your own in order to be specific with your needs.
Bramacharya - Conservation of Energy (Setting Boundaries)
Brahmacharya translates to “walking with God,” in a more relative sense it means turning the mind inward and away from sensory experience in order to focus on your own path and intentions. One of the ways I find myself practicing bramacharya is by setting boundaries in a few different ways. Speaking up to your manager when there is too much on your plate and learning how to effectively delegate to other team members helps get work done efficiently. If you’re bogged down by too many emails, try setting designated times during the day to check and respond rather than emailing each one as it comes in. Lastly, maintaining work/life balance. While I do check my email at night and on the weekends, I’m not required to actually work during that time unless I am choosing to. That way my life and health are taken care of and I am more productive.
Aparigraha - Nonpossessiveness
It takes a community to run an ad campaign. There are so many different roles from creative to analytics to media buying and client management that it amazes me that advertising agencies can tell the stories that they do about brands. For me, this Yama is about allowing others to shine and hoarding the recognition.