Self-Study . . .

Part of practicing yoga is practicing ethical principles, one of which is svadhyaya or self-study. It has two main meanings: one, we spend time studying yoga history, ethics, philosophy on our own, beyond a yoga asana class. Self-study also refers to observing our thoughts, actions, and habitual patterns, so we can make changes and live a deeper, connected, more purposeful life.

Often in life and in business, we don’t realize the connections between our choices and the conditions of our lives. We fail to pay attention and don’t realize how our repetitive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors create what is happening in our lives, right now. We spiral downward by blaming others, instead of looking in the mirror at ourselves with honesty and compassion.

In business development, it’s extremely beneficial to practice self-study. We can observe how we are showing up during the sales process. We can listen more carefully, understand more clearly, ask better questions to clarify what our prospect needs from us and truly see whether what we are offering them would be helpful to them.

Observing our day-to-day actions and habits, we can then adjust our behavior, watch for the effects, and notice what keeps us more connected to showing up in a more powerful and present way.