Finding My Investing Zen

It's a Wednesday night and I'm in my happy place: my weekly neighbourhood yoga class. The lights are dimmed and gentle music fills the room as I roll out my mat, take a deep breath and shut out the stress and anxiety of daily life.

I've been enacting this ritual for almost a decade. It started for health reasons, but I've come to appreciate how much yoga has taught me about patience and focus. As I learn more about investing, I feel like the stereotypical high-strung, stressed-out "trader" could be a myth, especially for me. I find I actually have to be quite Zen when it comes to investing — and the philosophies I've learned as a yogi are helping me get there. Here's how I think of it:

Setting Intentions

Yoga begins with the ritual of setting a goal for your practice. Whether it's standing in tree pose for a few seconds or minutes longer than last time, achieving a stronger warrior pose, or just feeling calmer for the duration of the class, setting an intention helps keeps you centred. Finding that balance in investing can also be a key to success. Specific short- and long-term goals helps me stay focused and curb impulsive decisions no matter what the market is doing.

Focus on the Process

I'll admit, it took me a while to get this concept in my yoga practice. When I started taking classes, I put far too much focus on achieving perfect postures. But nailing an immaculate downward dog isn't really the point — yoga is about the process of moving through the poses and the mental clarity you attain while doing something physical. Investing, I'm finding out, can be similar. If I focus too narrowly on the short term, I could risk getting off track with long-term goals. Honing and executing a slow and disciplined strategy over time is what I'm aiming for.

Know Yourself, Know Your Limits

In yoga, not everyone can achieve every pose all the time. Some days, my own body isn't up to doing the same pose I may have held with ease the week before. To avoid injury, I try to tune into how I'm feeling and know what I can and can't accomplish on the mat. It's a lesson I've taken with me on my investing journey in figuring out my own style. After some soul searching, I've realized I have a tolerance for moderate risk. For me, that means I steer clear of market fads and higher-risk investments because I know that level of uncertainty isn't for me.

What kind of investor are you? A more secure profile — or low risk, low return — would lean toward mainly fixed-income securities. An aggressive growth investor may focus more heavily on equities — which could mean higher risk, higher potential returns.

Breathe Through Discomfort

Some yoga poses can be extremely uncomfortable. Early on in my practice, I dreaded the more challenging postures and counted the seconds until they were over — raising my anxiety level in the process. That's when a wise instructor advised me to "breathe through discomfort." What a revelation! Instead of tensing up and causing myself further pain, I now try to accept discomfort and relax into the posture. I'm turning to this same philosophy when building my portfolio. Regardless of the investment, there's always some level of risk. And there can often be a level of discomfort as markets fluctuate. So, even with my investment choices, I'm trying to remember to breathe through my more anxious decisions and stick to my strategy.

Above all, yoga has taught me that no matter what, the journey can be as important as the destination. Whether I'm sitting in lotus or building my portfolio, I try to remember that patience and discipline can help get me where I want to go.