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Short pieces on getting things done without losing yourself in the process, in plain English. For almost all of us who are busy, and a little tired of being busy. Written by Deepak Parihar, a writer, strategist and yogi who lives and works at a Sivananda ashram in Kerala, India.
A series of short pieces on why we know what to do and still don’t do it, drawn from the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Sivananda books. Start with Day 1.
What is yogic productivity, and what is Responsibilism? · All posts · Get it by email
I write about getting things done without losing yourself in the process. I live and work at a Sivananda ashram in Kerala. The answers here come from the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras and the Sivananda books, written in plain English for people with a full inbox. More about me.
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Deepak Parihar. Writer, strategist, yogi. Over five million published words.
Yoga teachers, studios, retreats and wellness brands do real work. But much of it never reaches the people who need it, because it is hard to put into words. That is where I come in. I have written over five million words for clients and brands. I am also a yogi, so I understand what you teach and why it matters.
I live and work at the Sivananda Dhanwantari Ashram in Kerala. My days begin and end with meditation and chanting, with yoga in between. The rest of the day I run the ashram’s media, from the website to the videos, and most of what I write about comes from what I learn here.
Finding your story: what you stand for, said in a way only you could say it. Writing it simply: plain words that people read to the end and remember. Getting it seen: in front of the right people, on the right channels.
I also write about yogic productivity: how to get things done without losing yourself in the process. The answers come from the wisdom traditions, from texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras, written in plain English for today. It is for almost all of us who are busy, and a little tired of being busy. Read about Yogic Productivity and Responsibilism.
“Working with Deepak in India was a joy. He helped us shoot and coordinate our documentary, and somehow every permission got sorted. On long, hot days he kept our tired crew smiling. He even pitched in on the edit afterwards. We would happily work with him again.” Lee Taekyoung, Producer, South Korea.
“D did a great job. He created a compelling narrative and extensive planning for us. I would recommend him and rehire him in the future.” Mark Dominik, Owner, Bins and Boxes GmbH.
Yogic productivity takes the ordinary questions of a working life (why can’t I focus, why am I so tired, why do I keep making the same mistake) to texts that have been asked them for two thousand years: the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Sivananda books. Then it answers in plain English, with one small thing to try today. By Deepak Parihar, a writer and yogi at a Sivananda ashram in Kerala.
You know what to do and you still don’t do it. Most productivity advice begins with the plan. The old texts put the problem one step earlier: a restless mind cannot hold a plan, however good the plan is. So the first job is to settle the mind the plan depends on. We usually ask “How do I make myself work?” Yoga asks “What is keeping my mind so busy right now?”
Responsibilism is the practice of taking responsibility for your own state. It borrows its shape from Ken Wilber’s Integral theory, which says a person grows along more than one line at once, and fills that shape from the yoga tradition. Clean up is the body and the habits: food, sleep, fasting, cleansing practices, writing things down, looking at the parts of yourself you would rather not; Explorative Letters live here. Wake up is attention: Patanjali’s eight limbs, from how you treat people, through breath and posture, to concentration and meditation; learning to watch a thought instead of becoming it. Grow up is responsibility: first for yourself, then for the people around you, then wider; work done well, money handled like an adult, what the Gita calls karma yoga. You do a little of each, most days, and the lines pull each other up.
Day 1 Why Do I Know What to Do and Still Not Do It? Day 2 Why Does My Willpower Run Out, and What Brings It Back? Day 3 What Is Draining My Energy? Day 4 What Puts My Energy Back? Day 5 Why Should I Take Sleep Seriously? Day 6 Does What I Eat Change How I Think? Day 7 Can Fasting Help Me Think Clearly, and How Do I Start? Day 8 Why Do I Argue with Myself? All posts.
The Bhagavad Gita. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The books of Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda, several of them free from the Divine Life Society at dlshq.org. Sanskrit terms are explained in the glossary.
Five million words for clients and brands, most of them unsigned. Content strategy for a corporate training company: organic reach up 600% in four months by answering the questions clients were already asking, one thoughtful piece at a time. Brand narrative and content planning for Bins and Boxes GmbH, Germany (“He created a compelling narrative and extensive planning for us,” Mark Dominik, Owner). Media and communications for the Sivananda Dhanwantari Ashram in Kerala: website, search, newsletters, blog, videos and social channels. How a project goes: a free brand audit, a few short conversations to capture your voice, then the writing and a distribution plan. Request a brand audit.