Yoga with Bal – on the science behind the burnout and why your mental and physical health should go hand in hand

When Bal started suffering from burnout whilst working in policing, she turned to yoga. What she found was the positivity and freedom she needed to take her life in a new direction. Now, she guides others in finding themselves through yoga classes and fitness, placing an emphasis on nourishing not just the physical body, but the mind and soul.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Women’s Business Club, the Berkshire-based trainer shares how her yoga business was born from a need to follow her purpose, and how she’s now encouraging others to do the same.

You used to work in policing – what made you change direction?

I knew from early on that my purpose was to help people, and in policing that’s exactly what I did, however the trauma-focused work meant  I’d feel pretty depleted after every shift. Yoga and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) were ways for me to disassociate from work and personal issues. At first, I used to go just for some mental stillness, but then I started burning out at work. The doctors told me I wasn’t allowed to do the same high intensity workouts that I had been doing for so long – I could only do yoga and walking.

That’s because during a burnout, your cortisol, insulin and adrenal gland are all out of sync – women are especially sensitive to that. If you’re doing a high intensity physical workout, your body doesn’t always know the difference between that and mental stress. It doesn’t know if you’re physically exhausted or mentally exhausted, so it responds in the exact same way. That’s why I had to slow down my body as well as my mind to recover from the burnout. Slowing down is so important – when you slow down you feel like you’re not achieving anything, but that’s when your body heals. Resting doesn’t mean you’re stopping – you’re learning to appreciate and be a bit more present.

I took some time off work to get my health back up, and started searching for a new role at the same time. I thought, maybe I was bored of being a police officer and maybe that’s what was making me ill. I soon realised that it was the shift work and the environment I was in that was too much for me. I wanted to work fewer hours and at the same time, I understood how much yoga was a positive light in my life, and I wanted to see if I could get qualified in it. I ended up with a job in the domestic abuse department, which meant that I could work three days a week and teach yoga on the side. Yoga was positive and uplifting and I’d feel satisfied after each class. I felt somewhere in my heart that this was my calling, and that’s what led me then to leave the police completely and dedicate myself to teaching.

Were there any moments where you doubted your decision?

I’m not going to lie to you – I never doubted it. Of course when you’re becoming self-employed, you know you’re taking a risk, but I realised that if I didn’t take it in that moment, when would I ever do it? I wanted to follow my purpose. Of course money is a goal, but it’s not my first goal. My first goal is to do something that I feel is fulfilling and satisfying. 

What part of the business means the most to you?

The people. When people hit their goals and transform, mentally or physically, to me that feels like a win. Making a positive impact on my clients is so important to me.

Sometimes I work with people who have really low self-esteem and suffer from anxiety and depression. I get to watch them transform into people who are disciplined, happy, confident, taking risks, and are actually starting to enjoy life. Some have come to my classes and then decided to follow their passion just because they feel like a changed person and are better suited to take that risk. They told me they never would have taken that risk if they hadn’t come to my classes – that’s incredible.

What an amazing example – what is it that prompts that transformation?

It’s their mindset and their outlook. I read spiritual affirmations in each class, and every session has a different theme. I try to go by the energy in the room, so I might feel like people need to be more grounded, or maybe that they need more bold moves. I try to make each class unique and to match it to the people present – I think that’s what draws people in. I like to think I’m a people person and when someone has something important in their lives, be it a birthday, funeral or doctor’s appointment, I’ll remember it. I care about every single person in that class.