How we get clarity and focus through anchored leadership! | Patricia Thielemann | TEDxBerlinSalon

do you still remember why you're doing what you're doing sometimes with all the hassle we forget I believe if we really want to be a good leader we need to be anchored in our body and we need to be connected to our soul easier said than done of course I don't know about you but I usually have to check my smartphone about every five minutes I'm here I'm there I'm everywhere and I kind of like it I like the digital world makes me feel safe I can go wherever I want and I have full control over it and if I'm forced to be in the here now I usually get ahead of myself always impatient stuff to do things to do yeah so I know it - even though I do 20 years of yoga I feel the pressure that's why I continue to do yoga it helps me to decompress to chill to keep the bigger picture going to maintain my strength to keep on going and most of all to cut through my own BS it's interesting even though yoga has been around for a long time there's still a lot of people that don't know what it is they think it's for the cookie ones for pregnant women going through labor they think it's about relaxation or weird contortions well let me give you a glimpse what yoga can do for people like us so I invite you to stand up please firmly plant your feet on the ground and place your hands onto your lower belly now close your eyes for a second and really feel your feet on the floor take a deep breath through the nose in as well as out really do it really connect to your body and breathe deeply now I want you to do something a bit strange bend your knees and almost almost sit down on your chair not fully your sit bones are still up right above the chair yeah go to the play go to the place where your thighs start to shake I know this is a bit strange especially because a lot of people will see us do this on the internet for years going stay go to the point where it gets confrontational where your legs really start to shake okay do it I think we have to do it probably for five minutes because you seem strong so stay okay and at some point when it gets confrontational where does your mind go where does your mind go keep breathing close your eyes for a moment and ask yourself where it goes okay you can sit down so where did your mind go did it go you cleansed your fists or you went oh this is stupid Interactive stuff I know I can't do it I'm too weak I can't where did your mind go see the pose is just a metaphor for how we react to difficult situations and usually I notice that leaders tend to react with the clenching stressed I wonder how innovative how creative how convincing we as leaders can be if this is how we face adversities if this is how we handle difficult situations isn't it our main job to inspire others to uplift their spirits how can we do that if underneath our lives philosophy is a declaration of war I don't want to get pessimistic here but if you're past 30 and when I look into the audience a lot of you are your responsibilities in life most likely increase but your life's energy will very likely decrease so how do you handle that how do you keep your mojo going by going on a treadmill for longer by pushing even harder if you're still in it if you still want to make a difference you have to find a different way you can't just look outward for answers and push you also have to look inward to go inside because that's where the well is leadership as we know isn't just about recognition power or fame it's about character it's about moving beyond the somewhat small-minded me myself and I so I ask you to go within to sometimes really stop feel feel in your body connect and really feel the essence because that's your soul is whatever you do can strive through oh now what in the middle of the day where we have real life crisis is going on well we have to do our things we're now supposed to go on a solo quest well see that's where the cat bites its own tail if you don't the confinement will probably slowly but surely creep up to you and you know how most people react when this happens they drink more they eat more and they shop more sometimes even worse but we don't want to get into that do you see this it's a snow globe the whole day it goes like that the whole day it's snowing you know the snow flakes here represent our thoughts and our emotions our busy busy busy life only at night this stops but then we won't see it because we're asleep next day again busy busy busy busy busy always going on only if I consciously stop the snowflakes can settle and there it is can you see it honestly yesterday night I thought maybe I should put a Santa Clause in there or something magical like a rainbow or something because I thought maybe you guys would like to have promises you would like me to tell you what the mystery of life is but honestly that's not my job wisdom can't be taught whatever you see in there this is just a metaphor of course whatever you see in here is what matters so I ask you to go inside there and really access your strengths own your inner power before we finish this I would like to do one more little yoga exercise with you don't worry I don't make your legs shake again so one more time please stand up this time place your hands in front of your heart we're going to breathe together we synchronize breath and movement because what that does is it connects us to our body it connects us to our mind and to our soul there is an integration that's why we're doing this and we're also doing it together because it will create one brick breath moving through the whole room and that I sometimes think is also quite helpful to have because as a leader we often feel alone we feel like we have to muscle through we're the only ones who know the answers so sometimes it can be really of service to know that we're not in it alone that there are many other people who lead - and who support us so take a deep inhale and bring your arms up above your head don't slap each other and on an exhale go hands in front of your heart another deep inhale close your eyes look inward and continue do this until we create one big stream of breath few more times until it gets its own momentum now keep your eyes closed and bring your hands about fifty centimetres apart imagine whatever your life is about all your ambitions desires sorrows everything that's going on in your life you are holding in that tension between the two hands now bring the hands together as a symbol of integrating whatever your life is about and also how fragile life can be and that it's on us to make the best out of it and if we really want to act with true purpose we have to be anchored in our body and we have to be connected to our souls thank you namaste

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 15,097

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Germany, Business, Leadership, Mindfulness, Spirituality

Id: f2VQCOIvZpM

Length: 12min 58sec (778 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 26 2015