As a Restaurateur I am always busy doing “stuff”…
If I’m not in my venues managing service I am in my office running payroll, responding to emails, paying invoices etc.. I spend a lot of my time in critical meetings with my team, discussing our products, our service and how we can do it better.
I love catching up with our customers. When I can I will grab a coffee and sit with our regulars, to catch up on what’s going in their lives. As a Mum I am busy organising play dates, getting ready for school and spending quality time with my little boy. Recently I made the decision to do something just for me. I have started yoga!
Now my first experience with yoga was about 15 years ago, before my son was born and before I started my own business. A time when I took my free time for granted. It just wasn’t for me. I am not the spiritual type and found the class that I went to was a bit, out there for me. It was also touchy feely i.e. strangers holding each others legs to get the best pose. Here’s the thing, I don’t like strangers touching me and I don’t want to touch strangers. So it didn’t last long and I stopped.
Recently however one of my very good regulars qualified as a yoga teacher. I envied her coming in for her hot chocolate after practising yoga every morning. She was always radiant, calm and full of positivity. I, on the other hand, am gulping my third coffee of the day, quite stressed and busy thinking about all the “stuff” I had to do. So I made a decision and decided to attend one of her classes. I wanted to support her new business but I also wanted to see if I could get myself some of that zen. She assured me there would be no touching.
One month later and I am hooked. Every class so far has been different. We do poses that I cannot name or do well but I give them a red hot go. I embrace the wobble as my instructor so kindly tells me to do. This week I even attempted a “Wild Thing” pose, and nailed it with the grace of an elephant but did it all the same. But its not just the yoga poses and embracing my wobble that has me hooked, its the sense of peace and calm I get after each class that I enjoy the most.
I make better decisions after yoga. For that one hour I focus purely on breathing and making it through without injury but afterwards I reflect. I reflect on the week that’s been and focus and plan for the week ahead. I tackle tricky problems or conversations with more calm and consideration. I feel energised to get through the “stuff” and kick some goals.
My advice to Restaurateurs. Invest in you. Even if its one hour a week, do something that takes your mind off everything for just that time. Do something that will ideally give you a sense of calm so you can tackle the week ahead. Something that will allow you clarity and the ability to make better decisions. Some like running, others surfing, me I like yoga and my business is benefiting enormously as a result.