On the occasion of International Yoga Day 2022, we had the opportunity to chat with Shashi Thete, an avid practitioner of Iyengar Yoga for many years. Here are some glimpses from the chat where Shashi shares learnings and insights from how the journey of Yoga, so far, has helped to grow and evolve as a person. We recommend reading for business leaders and professionals wanting to get started with Yoga….

Shashi, you have been a practitioner of Iyengar Yoga for over a decade. How has it changed you as a person?
Yoga is all about alignment, balance of body and the mind. Business is not different as you constantly strive to drive the alignment and balance between people and organisation’s goals. For me, the approach of looking towards a problem has changed significantly after I started to practice Yoga! In fact, Yoga has completely transformed my professional life.

Tell us about your Yoga regime – what do you do every day?
I do yoga every day. Usually, I wake up at 4:30 am and start the yoga at 5:00 am. From 5:00 to 6:30 I practice various asanas and conclude with pranayama.

When did you start doing yoga? How has it evolved over the years? 
I have been working in the manufacturing industry for over two decades now. In the early years, I had to travel for long stretches every month. The extensive traveling took a toll on the health with pain, backache etc. becoming a regular issue in the body. A very good friend of mine suggested Yoga. It was only few years ago that I got introduced to Yoga and since then there has been no looking back.

Particularly in business – tell us about 2-3 ways the practice of Yoga has helped you?
For me, the biggest impact of Yoga has been on the interpersonal relationship management. I have become much better at listening, empathy and understanding the ‘other’ point of view. Yoga has made me capable in terms of implementing the process of bringing alignment between teams to achieve desired goals. Overall, I am able to take a long-term view of improvement and accept that change will take in small ways, one at a time. This has further helped in strategy formulation, maintaining peace-of-mind when things don’t go as expected. I have also learned to be happy and satisfied – knowing that happiness is an internal function completely changes the game. The other aspects include much improved immunity, concentration for hours together, and separating signal from the noise in my mind.

Personally, how has the meaning/definition of Yoga has changed for you over the years?
It has changed a lot. Initially, when I started doing Yoga, it was more of a influence from my friends. Today, Yoga is an integral part of my life. I would say, Yoga is extremely critical to achieving all the milestones in business and on personal front that I have set for the future. It can’t be done without Yoga!

Tell us something about the importance of Guru in Yoga? What role and impact does the Guru have on your practice?
Guru gives you the right focus. In my case, my guru Dr. Vivek Charjan taught me to focus on perfecting the asanas instead of the time I spend doing Yoga. And truly, it has given me immense satisfaction – whether its spending much more time in pursuit of perfecting a particular asana or doing a asana perfectly for just a few minutes.

Iyengar Yoga is believed to be one of the toughest to practice. What is your view?
Iyengar Yoga is very tough to practice. However, once you start and do it consistently it becomes easy. The key is to know that you will not be perfect on day one and more importantly not to get intimidated by the perfection sought in Iyengar Yoga and never really start at all.

What is your message to all those fellow professionals who say ‘I will start doing Yoga from tom.’ ?
For me, I never ever depend on tomorrow. I strongly suggest, start your first step today.

Your favourite Yoga book!
‘Yog Ek Kalpataru’ by BKS Iyengar

How are you contributing to the cause of spreading Yoga?
I regularly participate in seminars, sessions to build awareness about Yoga. I am associated with several educational and public institutions to promote the cause of Yoga. At a personal level too, I keep advocating Yoga and have inspired many to start practicing Yoga.

If someone wants to get in touch with you for understanding Yoga etc. – how can you help them?
If you want to make a start and are confused about how to go about it or want to advance your Yoga practice, feel free to contact me via email or phone.

Thank you so much for your time and inputs.