Lessons from the Mat #2: Again and Again: Leadership as a practice
June 16, 2026
One of the things that surprised me during my yoga teacher training in Bali was how often our instructors asked us to slow down. We’d hold a simple standing pose far longer than I thought necessary and I remember thinking, “Can we just move already?”
Just as we were eager to move, they’d remind us to stop.
Feel your feet.
Notice your breath.
Find your alignment.
Only then do you move.
Months later I found myself saying something remarkably similar during a strategic planning session.
In this particular session, the group was eager to charge ahead. Find the answer. Come to conclusions. Determine how to execute. One leader asked, “Can we just get to the recommendations?”
But the group hadn’t yet grounded themselves in the data, processed the consumer insights, or developed a shared understanding of the business they were trying to lead. I found myself asking them to slow down – the same way my yoga instructors had asked me to do in Bali.
Alignment Before Action
In yoga, alignment begins with small adjustments. Feet. Hips. Breath. Strategic planning works much the same way.
One of the things I’ve noticed in strategic planning sessions is that the conversation almost always turns to initiatives or solutions before anyone has agreed on direction. I’ve found the more valuable work is helping them agree on what success actually looks like, and achieving an aligned perspective, before deciding how they’ll get there.
Over time, I realized I was asking leadership teams to do exactly what my yoga teachers had been asking of me:
- Assess your foundation: What values are non-negotiable?
- Check your alignment: Are your teams structured to support growth?
- Breathe into resistance: What’s holding you back from clarity?
This isn’t fluff. It’s the difference between being reactive and being strategic.
Flow Through Incremental Steps
When I plan a yoga class, I think through my intention for the class and then the specific sequences and music that will support that intention. When I work with a client on a strategic planning project, we map out goals for the business and the specific, incremental steps to get there. The process isn’t all that different. We don’t leap into handstands – we build strength, awareness, and trust over time.
I’ve found that strategic planning works best when:
- Goals are sequenced like a vinyasa – each one preparing for the next.
- Teams are empowered to move with rhythm, not rigidity.
- Reflection is built into the process – not just the outcome.
Yoga ends with stillness for a reason.
It’s where the practice settles.
Organizations need that same pause. Without reflection, strategy quickly becomes another exercise in activity. With it, leadership teams make better decisions.
I’ve rarely seen organizations struggle because people weren’t working hard. More often, they were simply moving in slightly different directions. Yoga has reminded me that movement isn’t the goal.
Yoga has reminded me that movement isn’t the goal.
Alignment comes first.
Once people share a clear understanding of where they’re going, progress has a way of taking care of itself.