Yoga is more than a physical exercise, it is more inclined towards our inner spiritual progress. Yoga connects our mind and body together. It uses practices which helps one control the mind rather than mind controlling us. Yoga increases mindfulness. There are many studies which show that mindfulness improves attention to detail and focus by clearing the clutter around our head which results in better decision making.
And if you look at the important aspects of both Yoga and good Investment planning,you will find that both are interconnected. Yoga not only makes you a better individual both internally and externally, it also makes you a better investor.
All yoga practices have goals – be it becoming fit, flexible, or a final spiritual goal to attain fulfillment in one’s life. spiritual goal to attain fulfillment in one’s life. In Yoga, there has to be a constant focus on one’s goal to achieve it. spiritual goal to attain fulfillment in one’s life. Similarly, when it comes to investment planning, they are almost all goal oriented – retirement, education planning, house purchase, planning for children and all your financial aspirations. With financial goals in place, investments perform much better as they are regularly reviewed by the goals .
Our Vedic scriptures tell us that ego is a self-created illusion. One of the prime objectives of Yoga is to let go of this illusion of ME (ego) or MINE from within. This helps in attaining inner peace. Once this ME is removed, you stop defining territories and all becomes ONE. When it comes to financial planning, you will find there are many investing illusions there as well in the form of promised higher returns from an unauthorised broker, products with no underlying assets, or portfolio churning for higher returns. But one needs to think thoroughly and let go of the urge to earn unrealistic profits resulting in a portfolio that delivers what is expected out of it.
When it comes to finances, you will find there are many illusions there as well in the form of promised higher returns from an un-authorized broker, products with no underlying assets, or portfolio churning for higher returns. But one needs to think thoroughly and let go of the urge to earn unrealistic profits resulting in a portfolio which delivers what is expected out of it.
Without Self-discipline i.e. Tapas you will not be able to attain the fruits that Yoga offers. Yoga needs a commitment from the mind, body, and soul. Only when yoga practices are followed with complete discipline they yield positive results.
Discipline is the key driving force behind investments also. Regular investments help one achieve financial freedom at a much better pace and makes the outcome of your financial planning more predictable. Irregularity in investments will not help in goal fulfillment.
Yoga emphasizes simplicity in one’s life i.e. it focuses on Aparigraha. Aparigraha is the virtue of non-possessiveness or non-greediness. It is self-restraint from any type of greed where one’s material gain comes by doing bad deeds or destroying any form of nature
If we are getting good returns from our investments we tend to become greedy and want more returns. And this might result in putting all eggs in one basket which is not good for the long-term portfolio growth. Hence, one should learn the important investing lesson of self-restraint when it comes to investments and plan as per financial goals and asset allocation.
Introspection or understanding your own self is one of the niyamas (duties) in yoga. It is to bring awareness to the self. In yoga, this is attained by continuous repetition of sacred texts or mantras.
In the world of personal finance also, we often fail to understand the difference between our real needs and our wants/desires which is actually our failure of understanding our true self. It is important to differentiate between the two and then set financial goals accordingly. We can’t ignore our needs, but we can surely ignore or at least delay our wants.This can be attained by revisiting our financial plan and goals on regular basis.
At the end of the day, we all want contentment (Samtosha) be it our personal lives, professional lives or even our investments. It means entire satisfaction or acceptance of one’s circumstances which is possible through Yoga. It makes more sense in applying these yogic principles to all phases of our lives including our investments as they all lead to Samtosha in our daily lives.
We at Sinhasi believe in Holistic Wealth and Well-Being - driven by the idea of Zen of Investing. Balance has to be the ultimate goal for both Wealth and Well-Being.
Our sister concern, Sri Krishna Wellness Yoga and Cultural Centre has been set up with the core objective of bringing a beautiful balance in our lives through Wellness and Yoga. Our unique Yoga and Wellness Centre, located in Malleshwaram, is a piece of paradise filled with ancient trees and is a very serene place for your daily yoga practice. We have many batches of holistic yoga classes every day with highly trained and professional teachers. We also conduct Pranayama & Meditation classes, Yoga Therapy, and Personal Classes.
