The verdant campus of The Yoga Institute (TYI) in Santa Cruz presents an uncommon sight in Mumbai. Trees shade every available open space, and the atmosphere is one of mindfulness. Step into this minimalist space, and you might forget that you are in Maximum City.
In late June, TYI hosted a seminar that saw the coming together of two unlikely subjects―yoga and personal finance. THE WEEK-Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund seminar series on personal finance had picked ‘Holistic Wellness for Life’ as the theme. And, there could not have been a better venue than The Yoga Institute (TYI), which was established in 1918 and is regarded to be the oldest organised yoga centre in the world.
The panel comprised K.S. Rao, executive vice president and head of investor education at Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd; Amit Trivedi, personal finance expert and founder of Karmayog Knowledge Academy; and Rajendra Kalur, management consultant, and chairperson of the CFA Society of India.
The invocation to the divine was led by Shailesh S. Parikh of TYI; Shree Kumar Menon, THE WEEK’s resident chief general manager in Mumbai; and the panellists. Rao then took the audience through a quick introduction to the theme. Following this, the panel discussion began.
Among the many angles discussed, Rao spoke about the cumulative effect that was common to yoga and financial planning. “In both cases, it is best to start early and not expect sudden gains,” he said. “The benefits come over the years, when you stay at it.” He elaborated that financial products and health products that promise sudden gains might surprise us when we least expect it. “It is important to stay the course and tune out the noise,” he said, “in yoga and personal finance.”
Fin & fit: Hansaji J. Yogendra of The Yoga Institute.
As the discussion progressed, Kalur drew parallels between financial planning and the therapeutic benefits of yoga. “Going to a doctor when you fall ill is a reaction. Most people have a reactive approach to financial events, too. But we have an example in yoga, which offers a preventive approach to good health. If you take care of yourself, it is unlikely that you will be surprised by a health event. You might avoid a nasty surprise entirely, or you could see something coming and be prepared for it. In the same way, a personal financial plan foresees financial events to the extent possible and ensures that we are prepared.”
Stressing the need for a financial planner, Trivedi asked the audience if one would become a perfect yoga practitioner by just reading through the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The audience answered with a resounding negative. “A yoga guru corrects your posture and shows you the right way to do things. In the same manner, financial plans need to be monitored and corrected regularly,” Trivedi said. “Call the person a mentor, guide, or planner, as you wish, but you need one to keep your plan on track and updated. There is also the matter of ego, which should be taken out of yoga and financial planning.” The panel discussion closed with an open mic session for the audience.
The much-awaited second half of the programme was all yoga. It began with a yoga session led by the humorous and energetic Vinay Zende from TYI. The audience was led through basic exercises and posture correction.
The best was yet to come―a discourse by Hansaji J. Yogendra, director of TYI. A best-selling author, speaker and yoga practitioner, Hansaji is president of the Indian Yoga Association. In her inimitable style, blending humour and wisdom, she held the audience in thrall.
“Yoga is many things,” she said. “But at its core, yoga is a science of awareness. How you must behave and how you behave are different. But you must have the awareness to distinguish between the two. If external events influence your behaviour all the time, how will you have peace? The absence of peace leads to the absence of good health. So, watch yourself. Ask ‘What is happening to me?’ instead of dwelling on something someone said or did. With awareness, you will have peace, and everything else will follow.” And, that is a lesson applicable to both yoga and financial planning!