Organisational Yoga: Embracing Discomfort to Unlock Growth

What does the ancient philosophy of yoga have to teach us about organisations?

I remember when I first decided to go down the Independent Consulting route I would describe that what I was doing was “yoga for businesses”; streamlining processes and communications to create more flow. Now I can see this apply much more widely to company culture.

Often the problems that we face in organisations are complex and multi-faceted. Making lasting change requires a holistic approach vs applying a band-aid to the symptoms of a deeper issue. Successful change requires small nudges in the right direction, and this takes time and patience. That got me thinking when I was doing my practice today - what can we learn from yogic philosophy, and how does this apply to organisations?

We’ve all seen it. Organisations obsessed with risk reduction and safety.
❗ More compliance. ❗ More rules. ❗ More guardrails.
But here’s the problem: too much safety kills innovation. It breeds stagnation. It suffocates the very thing that keeps a company alive—growth.

Yoga philosophy teaches that attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha) are two major obstacles to progress. Translation? If you cling too tightly to comfort and avoid all risk, you stop evolving.

Stability is good. Stagnation is deadly.

Yoga talks about sthira (steadiness) and sukha (ease). Business needs both. If you over-prioritise control, you become rigid. And rigid things? They break.

Too many companies think safety = success. But what they’re really doing is avoiding discomfort. Growth comes from challenge, but all too often we see companies playing it safe. With the right amount of stress companies can become more resilient. Just like holding a tough yoga pose, you need to breathe through resistance.

So what can companies do?
✅ Encourage smart risks. Get comfortable with discomfort. That’s where real breakthroughs happen.
✅ Balance structure with adaptability. A stiff body snaps. A stiff organisation does too.
✅ Ditch the illusion of control. You can’t eliminate uncertainty. But you can build resilience.
✅ Reframe failure. It’s not the end—it’s a lesson. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not pushing hard enough.

The Yoga Sutras teach us that clinging to safety is just another form of fear. And fear? It keeps businesses from truly impactful growth. The best organisations? They embrace the unknown, step into the challenge, and grow because of it.

🙋 Your turn—where do you see opportunities?