The Way to Fly

Eliyahu Goldratt in his revolutionary “Theory of Constraints” describes how every organization faces at least one constraint which prevents the system from achieving a higher performance relative to its goal.

Come to think of it, the theory of constraints is more pervasive than we might accept in the first interface. Aren’t we constantly “fenced” by multiple circumstances that prevent us from achieving a higher performance relative to our goal?

Out of the many learnings I owe to my B-School, the chart-topper is undoubtedly developing a knack to work in constraints – be it that of time, information, or simply motivation. Two years of a very high-pressure environment, created on lines of real corporate world, was designed to hone the ability to hold your breath under-water and still perform. Translating that to the corporate world some of the best performers around me were those who identified and inevitably found their way around constraints of all shapes and sizes- what Goldratt would term as an excellent exhibition of “de-bottlenecking”.

Going deeper, is it possible that these constraints might just be opportunities incognito?

Being conditioned to envision using weights as the sole method of toning your body, I was so pleasantly surprised to discover innovative ways of using your own body weight to work out. Especially for muscles that cannot be worked on solely with weights – a constraint again – body weight serves as a blessing in disguise to tone those difficult to reach muscles. At the same wavelength, most of the obstacles we encounter do serve as excellent stimuli that shake us out of our comfortable but vegetating stupor and coax us to think beyond the ordinary.

And the greatest characteristic of constraints is that they leave you feeling completely humbled. Being on a dizzy roller-coaster of a free life in my own country with the warm security of loved ones to catch me if I fall left me taking most of the things for granted in life. Fortunately movement to a foreign country brought with it multiple constraints that jolted me out of feeling blasé and provided me with this new-found taste to relish every single stimulus I experienced.

Whenever encountered by a constraint I often remind myself of my favorite line from Jonathan Livingston Seagull:

“Poor Fletch. Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.''

And sure enough, more often than not, there is a whole new way to fly……

The Miracle of Breath

David Blaine, an accomplished magician, in an interview with a man who amputated his own hand to save his life after being crushed under a boulder for six days in Rocky Mountains asked him the source of strength for this spine-chilling feat. The man’s answer, though unbelievable, is the crux of all levels of connections with the eternal. He proudly described that once he discovered the pocket knife, all he had to do was concentrate on his breath to take him through the whole process, such that eventually the realization that he might live caused the adrenaline to overwhelm him with a sense of euphoria – such is the power of breath.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra describes ‘Pranayam’ as the fourth rung of an eight rung ascending ladder leading to a communion of mind and matter. Only when a seeker has practiced first three that is yama or training your action and thoughts with respect to others; niyama or training your actions and thoughts with respect to yourself and asana or postures as an aid to exploration, can one begin to understand and absorb the immense potential of breath of life or the ‘prana’. The inhalation and exhalation and the transitions between them are a source of a steady flow of energy that is readily available to be tapped by each one.

Asanas sans an anchor to the breath are nothing but lackadaisical stretching of muscles and joints. But the minute these are married to the iridescence of breath the complete experience is meditative. As a matter of fact any physical effort needs to be regulated with the inhalation and exhalation for maximum benefit and sometimes to escape the potential hurts. The regulation of breath ensures a normal blood pressure during the activity and aids in going further than what we might have prescribed for ourselves. The nature of breath is also an accurate indicator of the intensity of physical effort and hence helps to tune the effort based on our goals- a shallow and choppy breath implies a strenuous posture, breathlessness implies high cardiovascular zone and normal breathing is a sign of physical rest- in fact the amount of time it takes to transition from a state of breathlessness to normal breathing is a huge indicator of the fitness level of an individual.

Living up to its moniker of ‘prana’, the breath has obvious linkages with the energy flow within us. The loud exhalation in the performance of a martial arts move is such an attempt to tap the energy source required to make the effort forceful. So much so that the postures we adopt during the day has a big impact on how energetic we might finally feel – say if we slouch for most of the day, the lungs would not be free enough to perform unobstructed breathing eventually leading to a lethargic, energy less state.

The breath also has emphatic linkages with our mind. The state of mind is reflected in the intensity of breathing and hence the concentration on breath can lead to the restless mind finally listening to us. Just a simple focus on the beauty and rhythm of our inhale and exhale can take us through the most challenging situations of mind and body – by filling the void with the focus on our breath there is no room left for the nomadic rambling of the mind.

The breath has also been used as a powerful tool for spiritual journey in many disciplines of meditation. Either by regulating or by observing the breath one can experience the taste of our true blissful being.

If you have ever longed for a place of calm and solitude in those moments of challenge, the transition between the inhale and the exhale can provide that shelter of nothingness. Breath is certainly a miracle masquerading as a platitude. It is said that we all are born with our own mantra and as we inhale and exhale we can hear the sound of that mantra. As my yoga teacher often prompts – our being is resonating with this mantra of ‘Ham’ as we inhale and ‘Sa’ as we exhale – all we have to do is be aware and listen.

Eternal Exchange of Energy

The proliferation of the epidemic of reality shows based on talent exhibition has the root virus in a single sorry thought- the utterly insulting feedback the judges throw at the contestants which in a warped way strikes a sadistic chord with the viewers thus multiplying the viewer ship and the soiled success of these sad excuses for entertainment into manifolds.

Whatever research and literature has ever been written on giving feedback has a strong single message – that the feedback should focus on the actions and not on the person, been given in a way that sounds like a battle plan to together bridge the gap between the expected and the delivered. The caustic feedback and comments arbitrarily tossed around by the reality show judges would hands-down win the top slot in the don’ts of giving feedback. If we for a second assume that some part of the whole drama is not fabricated the irreversible puncture to the confidence of the unlucky ones at the receiving end can undoubtedly classify as a grave crime.

The single starkest difference the change in my geography brought me face to face with was the continuous positive acceptance people here send across to each other- whether it be a warm hello to strangers, courteous nod to acquaintances or a line of appreciation to friends – the instant boost of mood one experiences on receiving such acknowledgment is truly precious.

Unknowingly they are indulging into what is christened as the art of stroking- where we proactively search for something good in another and be vocal to them about it. Stroking has proved to bring out the best in everyone generating an air of real high energy.

James Redfield in his book ‘Celestine Prophecy’ talks beautifully about how the whole world is nothing but energy. Taking it beyond the somewhat bromide version of particle physics he describes that most of the average beings who have not made the effort to tap into the source of energy that is available in the universe, ‘steal’ the energy from others. Elaborating, imagine you are apart of a huge argument with a near one, the one who is at the receiving end is generally left with a low feeling while the one winning the argument experiences a momentary high. Redfield attributes this to the stealing of energy from another person; now imagine the feeling after a rich, animated discussion with someone on the topic of your interest, in all probability it would leave you with an elevated feeling – this exchange of energy can be felt in most of our interactions – what the author calls as “Control Dramas”.

This can be a probable explanation of the low one experiences after a caustic feedback or the high felt after a statement of appreciation. The realization would bring home the truth about the huge power each one of us possesses in this whole give and take of energy in our interactions.

The understanding also nudges us to delve deeper into this logic and explore channels where the rejuvenation of our energy is independent of the actions of others. Imagine the beautiful wonderment that can be felt by tapping into the energy source available within us and in the universe, so that with practice akin to Buddha’s teachings pointing toward being devoid of the possession of a refused present, one day we can refuse to accept and be affected by energy-sapping remarks.