The Rhythm Effect: Yoga Case Study

Applying the Rhythm Principals to a new regime

On the 30th of December 2019, I attended my first yoga class. I know it reeks of New Year’s Resolution, but the timing, in this case, was inconsequential. My mentor had recommended this for me to undertake for my physical well being as well as my professional practice.

I went along to a Yoga Studio and immediately felt like the new kid at school on my first day. Quietly observing, following what everyone else does, reading the signs (literal and social), and slowly getting settled into the “vibe of the thing”.

As a bloke that has always played sport, and more recently hit the gym for exercise it was a change of pace, change of mentality, and change environment for me. I also went in cold with only a few nib-lets of knowledge around how yoga works. My understanding of terminology and ‘what happens in a class’ were limited. A metaphorical ‘fish out of water’.

Simultaneously, I have been working deeper within my own programs called The Rhythm Effect. For me, this is an endless study of how people get into the repeatable flow for achievement without burnout. A way of working that creates progress in a caring, considerate, and calm manner for elite results applicable to leaders, teams, and sales professionals.

My deeper work recently has included multiple interviews with key people for the soon to be published book on the subject. I have also been working with an array of dedicated leaders that have been working through my coaching program over their summer break. And, of course, doing a lot of writing and developing the programs themselves.

It made sense to me to view this expedition into my yoga practice through the lens of building rhythm. For those that have worked with me, you will know that rhythm is all about increasing your Return On Effort (ROE) for yourself and those around you. A gradual building of momentum yielding a higher output (or return) for the resources utilised (or effort).

Playing the game of ROE for yoga means that I need to understand the building blocks of rhythm within this context. I need to make progress within my yoga practice without injury, without wasted time/money/effort, and without negatively impacting other areas of my life. Simple enough…

Building Rhythm takes three essential elements:

Technical – the hard skills of the task/job/practice

Analytical – the metrics of the task/job/practice

Social – the self-management skills of the task/job/practice

It looks like this:

For yoga this breaks down to look like this:

Technical:

The Studio – booking system, start/finish procedures, use of studio equipment, who’s who, contact details

The Practice – poses, terminology, history, class outcomes, options within the classes, personal preferences within classes, types of yoga to engage with, levels of yoga practice

The Pathway – novice classes, intermediate classes, advanced classes, seminars, other resources to utilise outside of classes

Analytical:

Mission – To increase physical strength and mental/emotional grounding

Milestone – To complete two months of continual practice to an intermediate level of practice

Measure – Able to complete full classes of Yin and Strengthen & Align Yoga consistently without ‘cheating’ (ie. Pulling out of poses because I cannot hold them)

Mover – Turning up at least three times a week. Stretching every day multiple times. Practice breathing when at my desk or driving.

Moments – Signing up to classes the night before without fail. Setting my alarm the night before without fail. Setting out my clothes the night before a class. Set alarms for stretching throughout the day. Have the word ‘breathe’ taped to my dash and my monitor.

Social:

The Social Elements of Rhythm are ones of Humility, Audacity, and Tenacity. Each with deep personal actions, and in total would amount to nine individual commitments. For anyone undertaking the process of building rhythm, I always suggest that the top three be prioritised as nine can become unmanageable. My three are:

Humility – Emotional Control – slow my mind before entering a class. Intentionally move slower and think slower. Translate this to the practice as to assist my breath and to develop my ability in the practice (ie. let go of negative self-talk and to stop myself from getting distracted or frustrated)

Audacity – Break The Rules – the imaginary rule I have that only women in lululemon outfits and guys that are ripped, flexible, and spend half the year in Byron Bay are the only ones that can do yoga. A big, hefty fella like myself with supremely weak core strength and the attention span of an ant is not cut out for yoga and does not belong. Break this rule by focusing on the practice. Focusing on the benefits and the work itself, and take focus away from judgments, presumptions, and pre-conditioning I had around the subject. Openly talk about yoga with friends and normalise the idea that yoga is something anyone can do if they choose. It is inclusive.

Tenacity – Perseverance – when I want to give up on a pose because I don’t think I am strong enough, focus on the breathe and hold for at least one more breath. Don’t give up until the extra breath has been taken.

 All of the above looks like this on my mood board:

The building blocks of rhythm are useful tools for leading oneself through new challenges, and for me, yoga is a current expedition I am experimenting my way through. It has been a nice project for me to utilise The Rhythm Effect Principals and I hope this is a helpful case study to display what it may look like when taking on a new job, a new project, or even applying it to a current project you are working on.

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