Similarities Between Yoga and Agile Project Management
I was thinking beyond the rather obvious physical benefits of yoga for someone that sits at a desk, staring at a screen, for 8-10 hours a day.
My career is as a software engineering manager. Our industry worked out a long time ago that the most effective way to manage one-of-a-kind projects, which almost all meaningful software engineering projects are, is to adopt an Agile mindset and to follow the Agile principles.
A hobby of mine, as you may have noticed by now, is yoga. Applying Agile principles within project management and yoga may seem like completely different disciplines, but they do share several similarities:
Focus on Flexibility: Both agile project management and yoga emphasize the importance of flexibility. In agile project management, flexibility is key to responding to changing requirements and priorities, while in yoga, flexibility (both mental and physical) is important for physical and mental health.
Emphasis on Iterative Improvement: In both agile project management and yoga, continuous improvement is a central tenet. In agile project management, teams continuously reflect on their processes and work to improve them, while yoga practitioners work to improve their physical and mental abilities through consistent practice and self-reflection.
Value of Collaboration: Both agile project management and yoga highlight the importance of collaboration. In agile project management, collaboration between team members is key to delivering value efficiently and effectively. Yoga is often practiced in a group setting and the yoga practitioners benefit from the support and encouragement of others.
Importance of Mindset: Both agile project management and yoga recognize the importance of mindset. In agile project management, a positive and open mindset is key to adapting to changing circumstances and working effectively in a team. In yoga, a focused and calm mindset is important for achieving physical and mental health benefits. Indeed, one of the goals of yoga is to foster a clear mind, free of distractions and “mental chatter”.
Recognition of Interconnections: Both agile project management and yoga recognize the connections between various factors. In agile project management, the success of a project depends on the collaboration between team members, the effectiveness of processes, and ultimately the satisfaction of customers. It also requires an understanding of dependencies between user requirements to best optimize within the context of conflicting or reinforcing needs. In yoga, physical health, mental health, and spiritual well-being are all recognized as being interconnected. The phrase, Yoga is union, is commonly used and the word yoga is taken to literally mean “union”. This is typically translated into referring to the union of body and mind, which is certainly an essential aspect of yoga.
While Agile approaches within project management and yoga are very different and equally expansive disciplines, they share some common principles and values that can be beneficial to individuals and teams.
