Last week as I was doing some yoga postures and preparing to meditate, it struck me that yoga has some deep similarities to how I handle my money life. Let me share why I think this.
Yoga has come to mean, in the West, the physical postures done in yoga classes—from yoga studios to health clubs. It is a beautiful and healthy way to exercise the body, giving one both strength and flexibility, as well as helping to reduce one’s stress level.
However, this was not always the definition of Yoga. Yoga is actually a spiritual path and a philosophy that is thousands of years old. What we now know as “yoga”, are just the physical postures, (called “asanas”), which were originally designed to prepare the body for deep meditation. We can call this “postural” yoga, and many know it as Hatha yoga. And indeed, when one’s body feels good and is free of aches and pains, it is far easier to sit in deep contemplation and enter the various mystical states that an internal spiritual practice leads to.
(Hang in there! I promise this will relate to money.)
I think a lot about yoga and all of its facets. I personally practice yoga, though in the more classical definition. In fact I could call it classic yoga, Raja yoga, or even yoga of the ancient sages (especially if I want to get funny looks). Sometimes I simply say I practice “yoga meditation” to avoid all of the modern confusion. I find so much depth and richness in the contemplative life and the path of meditation. Spiritual practice is a foundation of my life.
But there is great truth that asana practice (Hatha Yoga)—the physical practice of strengthening and stretching the body—helps my mediation practice a great deal. Simply put, when my back hurts, it is harder to focus inward on the spiritual realm. I find myself focusing on my sore knee, my hip that aches, my mid back that throbs, and or my neck that seems to have slept in someone else’s bed.
In my practice as a money coach, I find a similar relationship between tracking one’s money and the larger vision that unfolds around money. Tracking is like doing the yoga poses, and an annual spending plan is like the deeper levels of spiritual practice.
Like spiritual practice, annual plans are about visioning and finding both inner and outer balance in life. It is about the road to living a fully actualized life. It is about self-realization.
But if one starts there, at the big picture they want for their lives, and they do not have a clean and clear money foundation under them, they find themselves chasing their tail in circles. It’s like striving for the promise of meditation without doing the foundational practices which include asana. You may end up suffering from a sore back which distracts you from actually meditating.
I’ve had many amazing clients come in over the years who are great at envisioning the big picture, or they simply long to vision their life. However, they are in such deep money fog (too many accounts, they don’t know where their money is going, or they are not consciously directing their spending) that the vision never fully takes shape. And they become deeply frustrated with their money life. They suffer from a sense of unfulfillment. They know they are capable of more, but can’t seem to get there.
It is true that it does take time to build the foundation and step into our vision. And the vision we ultimately create for our lives is not a onetime event—it is an unfolding, like spiritual practice.
I have worked with my own annual spending plan process for years at a very deep level, and it has allowed me to build a life and a lifestyle I could only dream of—step by step—including a life that gives me time to pursue my own personal interests.
Here is an important key. It is tracking my money each week and looking at my monthly plan, which powers this larger vision and continual unfoldment.
Simply put, tracking one’s money is like doing a daily physical yoga practice. Getting clear about one’s daily, weekly and monthly finances creates a very healthy relationship to money, just like Hatha yoga creates a very healthy body. And once one has a healthier “money body” it is easier and more natural to go to the next level.
And as practitioners of all modern yoga styles know, their physical practice flows out to other parts of their lives. They are more grounded, centered, and full of a sweet, gentle energy. They will often try to share this yoga benefit with their non-yoga friends, but it can be hard to describe, can’t it. Outsiders see only the physical poses, not the personal energetic benefit.
This daily or weekly practice of postural (Hatha) yoga is of great benefit to one’s spiritual life, too. And even if someone does not maintain a daily meditation practice, the deeper benefits are assuredly felt. Yoga practitioners move through life with greater ease. This is the ease that I want people to feel around money. With a strong foundation under them, people can easily move to the higher levels of money and create and fulfill visions of their life they never dreamed was possible.
It is possible to create the life you love.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I finally sat down with my magic crystal ball. I was ready to create my personal 2020 spending plan. I was a bit nervous this year about what I would see in the ball. I am finishing a large construction project on my house, and my son is in his third year of college. (Wow.) And I’ve become very involved in the Seattle Tango community, so of course I want to take lots of classes and go on tango trips. Who doesn’t want to dance and travel! But the cost. Yikes…
Thanksgiving is coming up. I hope you all have restful plans for it. After turkey, I personally plan on dancing tango the rest of the holiday weekend. Fun!
I work with clients on how to tame financial anxiety. I teach them the practical skills needed to manage their cash flow as well as help them explore their emotions around money. This work propels them into a balanced lifestyle- where they spend within their means and feel good about it.
A common question I get is “what is the difference between a financial planner and a money coach?”
Want some joyful inspiration for your money life? Here is an amazing podcast interview I did on how to live your financial life in alignment with your core values- so you can spend on what truly gives you JOY, while also protecting your future. This interview also looks at how to unhook your self-worth from your net worth. And then it addresses the metaphysical question of money as energy and how to feel truly abundant. Give a listen- I think you’ll be truly inspired.
