4 Change Lessons from the Camel

Camels help you to get over the hump of change. I’m kidding. I’m not going to try to do anything with that metaphor.

The camel to which I refer in the title is the camel pose from my yoga class. My daughter turned me on to Bikram Yoga a few weeks ago, and I love it.

Four Change Lessons 

Other than turning my face a hideous shade of red and helping my frozen shoulders tremendously, Bikram Yoga has also reminded me of a few key components of change:

1. Change requires coaching. Every yoga class includes a leader who describes each exercise no matter how many times you’ve attended the class. They push you every class to “lean back farther, push harder, roll your eyes toward the ceiling, push your left hip out, pull your right shoulder back.” They inspire and encourage with specific instructions.
2. Change requires incremental improvement. Rather than setting “big, hairy, audacious goals” and giving up when they aren’t instantly met, change requires small steps that elicit small improvements. As the yoga instructor tells us during class to “lean back, push your left hip out, open your chest by moving the right shoulder back,” etc., I see the most experienced yoga masters adjusting their stances. Improvement is their only goal.
3. Change requires silence. Before each yoga class I go into the room, lie on my back, and breathe. I try not to think. At the end of each class a cool towel is placed on my very red face, and I get to be silent again. In the silence my gut gets a chance to calm down so I can sense the right next step rather than plan it.
4. Change requires the knowledge that you get worse before you get better. I asked my yoga master at my sixth visit why I seemed to be more off-balance than in my first class. She said that I am developing new muscles that my body is not used to using and it’s throwing my balance off. She said to give it some time and I would get better. Sure enough, last night my balance and flexibility seemed to improve considerably.

If you’re going through change:

• Understand that change is a daily job
• Celebrate when it gets worse because that is your life providing the strength you’ll need for your new journey
• Make small, incremental moves that will yield big results

Before you know, you’ll be over the hump. Sorry, I just had to use the hump metaphor.

Question For You (Yes, I’d love to know what you think):

In your life what has been the most difficult aspect of change either personally or organizationally?