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Balance Blog

Kick ZaaS - Zen as a Service Office Yoga with Maryam Sharifzadeh

 
 

Where is your favorite place to visit in the world?

My favorite place to visit is the OCEAN. Being wrapped up in nature’s salty arms is a spiritual experience. 

How does your work fulfill you and your purpose in life?

I am a natural entrepreneur and teacher. My work fullfills me because I get to teach and creative on a daily basis. Both of these activities bring me joy. 

What are you reading right now? 

I’m reading Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change, by Michelle MiJung Kim. I know Michelle personally (she was my first Office Yoga client!) and she truly walks the walk. 

What are you watching?

I don’t have a TV, but I’m listening to a “Where is My Mind?” by Mark Gober on podcast and it’s 🤯. It provides stories, scientific evidence, and undeniable facts on the paranormal world (a world beyond our human senses). 

What do you do to fully relax?

COUCH NAPS. Specifically with a weighted blanket. Twenty minutes on the couch with a weighted blanket is like getting two days in one!

Do you consider yourself and introvert or extrovert?

Definitely both. Relationships and social contact bring my joy and energy, but I need downtime in order to be fully present with others.  

When are you most in flow, productive, energized?

Usually late mornings (between 10-12 PM) after a swim in the ocean or a good yoga practice. It’s 11:41 AM as I’m writing right now!


Meditation, mindfulness, yoga?

Absolutely! Right now I’m training to swim the English Channel, so my mindfulness practice is open water swimming. Cold water forces me to be present in my body and surrounding environment. 

Who taught you how to hustle?

My hustle was a symptom of childhood boredom, something we’ve forgotten how to tolerate as adults. Boredom gave me room for new thoughts and creativity. The hustle is a natural by-product of wanting to share something meaningful with others. 

What keeps you up at night?

I feel frustrated with the direction of the corporate wellness industry. COVID has created a quick demand in workplace wellness, which has led to more “pop up” companies riding the bandwagon and making a quick buck. If genuine care and authenticity isn’t there when working in well-being, it further perpetuates the frustration, isolation, and mental health concerns of employees.  

How do you exercise?

Yes! I’m a marathon open water swimmer and yogi. Both activities fuel my body, mind, and purpose. 

 

Experience Office Yoga and ZaaS: Zen as a Service

 

What communities inspire you?

Right now the South End Rowing Club community (swim club) inspires me. There are highly successful people who swim in the San Francisco Bay. It’s inspiring to see the older generations physically strong and mentally sharp! 

Are you more Hustle or more Zen lately?

I’m happy to say I’m walking that edge smoothly right now! I have a physical hustle with a Zen mind. It’s not always this balanced but I’ve fallen off enough to know how to get back on the edge! 

What would you do if you did not do your existing work/business?

I think about this a lot. I would do my existing work/business for free. ❤️ I LOVE my job, and teaching yoga and meditation. 

How do you define a good work/life balance?

You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do. When you have a healthy balance between work, life, and relationships, they fuel each other. 

Relationship? Have kids? How has this affected your balance in life?

I’m in a relationship that is supportive and loving, which makes the rest of my life feel supportive and loving. I’m intentional about the people I’m close to, because it impacts who I am, and how I continue to see the world.

What is some advice you would give to new or struggling professionals that seem out of balance now?

Focus on reviving one area of your life only. When you change one area (career or relationship) it will ripple into the other areas, as well. 

What advice would you tell your younger self?

You’re crushing it, young M! Keep doing what you’re doing. ;)


What is your favorite quote, mantra, motto?
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde

 

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