Yesterday driving across a bridge in Delhi, I saw the walls painted with the poses of the Surya Namaskar – the Sun Salutation.

It was shortly after I’d come out of a coaching conversation where I’d confessed something simple but familiar:

I don’t meditate, even though I know it benefits me enormously.

That moment on the bridge reinforced my insight from the coaching session. I avoided engaging in things that I know benefit me.

I’m quick to do the ‘visible’ things – lift weights, go for a run, tick boxes on a to-do list. They look like progress. They involve movement and action.

But meditation – and yoga – don’t immediately signal progress. Rather, they build it.

Yet still, I often resist the practice.

I tell myself I don’t have time, or other things are more productive. I overlook the fact that what seems like ‘time off’ is often ‘time invested’.

That time off provides immediate and long-term benefits – increased energy, clarity and focus.

When I do return to yoga, I relearn old lessons every time:

I don’t start out perfectly. The first round, I can’t touch my toes. By the third, I can. Growth isn’t immediate – it’s earned through practice, easing into the stretch.

I don’t need to rush. When I slow down, I’m more present, can feel my strength and can stretch. The presence and alignment bring power.

I don’t need to be perfect. Sometimes I forget which leg leads – it doesn’t matter. Overall, I’m achieving the objective. Perfection during the process isn’t required.

Energy follows intention. After a few rounds, I feel alive again. The body reminds the mind: ‘You’re here.” And again, alignment arrives.

Listen inward. Just as in leadership – the signals are there. Your body, thoughts and feelings are all there to be listened to and understood. Yes, stretch yourself, invite others to stretch – but listen to the signals from your whole system, which means yourself, and those around you.

I’ve realized that my avoidance is a kind of resistance. It’s a form of fear of not being visibly, and justifiably, ‘busy’.  It’s the same resistance many leaders feel when slowing down to reflect, create, delegate, or coach. It feels ineffective – until it becomes the very practice that sustains effectiveness.

When you notice yourself avoiding something that nourishes you, is it a signal to pause?

And perhaps query, what are you avoiding – even when you know not avoiding it brings you benefit?

Sometimes, the bridge between intention and action can be as simple as switching off to be mindful for a few minutes – or doing one round of sun salutation.