Burn-out
It’s almost impossible to ignore. Either you are dealing with it (or were in the past) or someone in your close environment is.
In my practice as a professional yoga coach I come across a lot of cases of burn-out.
Often the people dealing with it have been to a large health institution to deal with their problems.
Why doesn’t this work most of the time?
- There is an impersonal approach and most of the process exists out of computer based training. People with a burn-out want to be heard. Acknowledgement for their pain. Then acceptation. Lastly a sense of direction for a solution.
- Often a solution is sought in a number of cognitive behavioural adjustments. Most of the times this is too superficial and the core of the problem isn’t touched. Which is that there isn’t any mental space left. Without this space any adjustment will be extremely difficult.
What does work?
I always use two tracks in my yoga coaching approach:
- A daily practice of yoga and meditation. Usually I begin with a couple of minutes alternate nostril breaths. After a few weeks I add yoga exercises. The art of this is to only take small steps and build confidence.
- After a couple of months I start with the behavioural changes. The client will experience more mental room after a few weeks and then starts to think about his behaviour and his situation. Awareness arises. Only when this awareness arises there is the possibility and capacity to change. The process of change come naturally. The client feels understood and in charge.
Example from my practice
For a huge Dutch construction company I support a couple of employees out of their burn-out. A project leader with a long state of service was send to me after having symptoms of a burn-out.
After an intake he is open to a half year yoga coaching with a combination of yoga and meditation. The first weeks we are focusing on breathing to regain energy and motivation. The client literally experiences more room and isn’t scared to take the lead anymore. After a couple of months we will look at changes in behaviour.
The behavioural adjustments follow the following lines:
- Implementing the new belief that work is never done and that this is okay. Making mistakes comes with the work and this is how we learn. This will get the individual in a growth mindset.
- A coaching technique he can use to structure and prioritize his daily work. The client gets a sense of control.
- Closing the day with gratitude and appreciation. The client ends each day with 5 minutes of writing down the things he did and accomplished. This will give a feeling of success and makes sure he focuses on the things that go well. It helps from refraining to go to the things that still need to be done. It stops the worrying and opens the heart.
Every week we are in contact through mail about the process. Every month he meets with me and my yoga coaching assistant.
The benefit of this approach is that both the inner and the outer world are being taken care of. My vision is that true lasting change comes from awareness. Yoga and meditation are extremely powerful and effective tools to make this happen.
Did you know that a growing number of companies reimburse this yoga based coaching?
Please contact me for further information at info@gurugian.nl
Do you want to learn about the yoga coaching principles?
Contact me at info@gurugian.nl
With warm regards,
Jasper (Guru Gian for Yogi’s)
Ps. I teach a complete course on how to become a certified Kundalini yoga coach for individuals and in companies and organizations > https://gurugian.nl/international-training/
