Jobs these days are stressful. Most working professionals through their days, driven by deadlines and targets and consumed by fear or excessive ambition.
It seems as if the treadmill of life has revved up, moving faster and faster in a constant effort to do more, acquire more, experience more, and stress has now become our baseline.
I was one of these stressed out people when I worked in the IT industry for MNCs in Germany, Singapore, Ireland and India, till I accidentally stumbled upon the ancient art of Tai Chi.
In 2012, I had a debilitating accident that made even walking a few steps difficult. I tried physiotherapy, swimming etc. but nothing seemed to work.
A friend of mine suggested that I try Tai Chi as he had heard that it helps people recover from injuries and other forms of physical trauma.
He introduced me to a Tai Chi master and I still remember the first words he told me: "Tai chi is a 'get rich slow scheme'. It takes a long time to learn, but stick with it and the rewards will follow."
And the rewards did follow. Tai Chi helped me regain the strength and balance that I had lost in my legs. As I continued my practice I found that there were subtle mental benefits too.
I felt calmer and more relaxed which helped me immensely at work.
After I started practising Tai Chi. my colleagues started noticing the change in my behaviour. I was more patient, I listened more and took better decisions as a result of the calmness and clarity that Tai Chi brought.
Relationships that were strained earlier were now on the mend. Improved concentration and mental focus meant that I could complete tasks much faster and more effectively than earlier. My productivity skyrocketed, as did the performance of my team.
Tai Chi was developed in China hundreds of years ago as a lethal martial art, but most people world over now practice Tai Chi as a potent health exercise and a form of moving meditation. The Harvard Medical School journal says, " Tai chi is often described as "meditation in motion," but it might as well be called "medication in motion."
There is growing evidence that this mind-body practice, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. And you can get started even if you aren't in top shape or in the best of health."
Corporates and Tai Chi
Many corporates are now encouraging the practice of Tai Chi, with companies recognising how Tai Chi can help improve their employees’ morale and well being while increasing their productivity.
Introducing a workplace Tai Chi program improves performance in several ways:
Increased productivity
Reducing stress, building resiliency, and clearing the mind allows employees to focus for longer periods and thus boosts energy and concentration. Improving physical health makes employees feel revived, energized thereby increasing efficiency.
Increased creativity
The meditative aspects of Tai Chi teaches practitioners to let go of attachment to thoughts and preconceived notions and allows the mind to be more creative and “think outside the box”.
Reduced absenteeism, decreased staff turnover
Tai chi’s proven mental health benefits (such as reduced stress) and physical health benefits (such as improved immune functioning) address the two biggest fundamental underlying causes of absenteeism and staff retention issues.
State of flow
Tai chi is ideal for inducing a state of ‘flow’, also known as being 'in the zone' — the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus and also with enjoyment in the process of the activity.
Decision-making
A happy workforce is an efficient and productive workforce. Stress prevents people from making balanced and judicious decisions, and even interrupts how they implement these decisions.
Online classes
During the lockdown, I used my time to get up to speed on my Tai Chi pratice through online classes.
In all these years of practicing Tai Chi, I have realised it provides me with much-needed stillness, and clarity of thought.
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu put it best, "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders". And success is a small part of this.
(The author has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry)
('Mindfulness at work' is a series that shows how mindfulness has helped people with their professional lives)