'You need to love your body'

Yoga teacher Sucheta Chadha believes that we all need to find a calling that stimulates us

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Published: Fri 20 Oct 2017, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Fri 20 Oct 2017, 2:00 AM

How do you usually start your workday?
I start early ­- typically around 4 am. I like to gently mull over my plans for the day ahead, figure out which students I am interacting with and create a general plan for my classes based on client requirements and progress. I like to meditate and drink my tea and have some fruits before I start teaching. My first class is usually at 5.30am.

What is your favourite thing about your job?
Helping people make healthier choices - physically, emotionally and mentally - through one of the greatest things to come out of India - yoga. It lights up my day and I am so fortunate to see this happening daily as the feedback is instant.

In your workday, what is the one thing you cannot do without?
I cannot do without spending some quiet time by myself where I usually work on evolving (goal-setting), letting go (of emotions) or just being quiet. I usually practice this through meditation or pranayama (breathing techniques) and a physical discipline like my own yoga practice or kalaripayattu (an Indian martial art).

What advice would you give your younger self, if you could?
If you're in a foreign land during your college years, take time off  and spend time in nature. Being alone doesn't mean you are lonely. Accept that you have a different body shape. Many may try to point it out and make you feel conscious, but you need to love your body. That body is going to give you the best things of your life.

Who's your role model as the perfect professional, and why?
BKS Iyengar - he prevented debilitating diseases from robbing him of a full life through yoga. A true revolutionary who believed not in the fancy outward form of yoga but also in the inner hard work, and eventually taught that to the world.

What is that one important/valuable skill you think every professional should have?
When people are vulnerable, they are either reacting or releasing tense emotions. A compassionate sense of humour is invaluable. It helps dissipate many emotions like anger, jealousy, hate, sadness and provides hope that any situation is surmountable - this is the reason why laughter yoga is so popular these days.

Your favourite indulgence when you need a break from work.
Spending time to actually connect with nature.

Any insights or tips you can share on how to make the most of the workday?
Start your day early - then you run the day and not the other way round. Try and work out in the morning and incorporate a regular meditation practice. We can make the most of our regular day when our minds and bodies are running at optimum.

How do you maintain a work-life balance, if at all?
I am fortunate to be a yoga teacher, which has taught me to under-stand how to achieve balance. I find I don't need to concentrate on maintaining a work-life balance now (as compared to when I was in a corporate career) because my work and life is one with the es-sence of who I am.

Any advice for youngsters just getting into the professional arena?
Find a calling that stimulates you so much that it makes you lose track of time. Very few are lucky enough to make this their profession.  In your adulthood, hone  the skills and passions that kept you excited as a child. Lastly, make your life more meaningful and live beyond one weekend to the next. Create positive synergies so that everyone learns and grows!
- Staff reporter