I was pursuing a master’s degree in mathematics for secondary education the first time I heard the word “actuary.” Soon after, I sat for my first exam and began working as an actuarial consultant. I stayed in that job for over a decade. Since then, I have fulfilled pricing roles with carriers and now with a managing general agent (MGA). Studying was tough for me, and the long hours working as a consultant did not help. So, I took many years off from exams and pursued a work-life balance that promoted wellness. I became a martial artist, certified paddleboard instructor and yoga teacher, writer, performer and producer. I did not realize outside interests, like yoga, would help me pass exams!
I first discovered yoga in my 20s. I attended a weekly class but struggled to find a personal connection to the practice. In 2018 I began teacher training for yoga on weekends while working full-time. I was not interested in teaching yoga. Rather, I wanted to incorporate it into my life. I now have a personal practice and have led yoga classes and meditations in corporate settings, studios, recovery centers, on the beach and online.
Yoga is more than just handstands and fancy pants. It is the single most effective healing modality I have found! Yogic postures are a helpful tool for healing and stress relief. Yoga is a way of living that was outlined thousands of years ago. It presents tools such as breathwork, meditation, mindfulness and service to others.
When I decided to leave my consulting job in 2019, I started taking exams again to advance my career. I was concerned about sitting, as it weighed heavily on my mental and physical well-being in the past. However, I was now aware that frequent breaks to breathe, meditate and move would make me more productive. Mindfulness and meditation eventually led me to investigate new study techniques. I highly recommend this book for anyone actively studying: Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown.
For many people, incorporating yoga into their lives takes time, patience and ahimsa (a Sanskrit word meaning compassion). One way to begin practicing yoga and feeling the benefits right away is through pranayama. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning life force and loosely translates to breathwork. Our breath is an effective and accessible stress reliever. Here are three pranayama exercises that you can try right now:
- Take five
- Open your left hand, palm facing up.
- Place your right pointer finger on your left wrist. As you inhale, drag the right pointer finger toward the tip of your left pinky.
- As you exhale, drag the right pointer finger back to the wrist.
- Repeat inhaling up and exhaling down each finger until you reach the thumb.
- You can switch hands and repeat, making it a “take ten.” This exercise brings us into the present moment through tactile sensation and mindful breathing.
- Box breath
- Inhale for a count of 4.
- Hold at the top of the inhale for a count of 4.
- Exhale for a count of 4.
- Hold at the bottom of the exhalation for a count of 4.
- Repeat for several rounds.
- You can decrease or increase the count to 3 or 5. You can also shorten the time spent holding your breath if it is uncomfortable. This exercise can lower the heart rate, calm the mind and deactivate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode).
- Physiological sigh
- Inhale fully into the belly and then into the chest on the same inhale.
- When full, pause for a second, then sip in additional air.
- Exhale fully through the mouth.
- Repeat several times.
When stressed, people tend to take shallow breaths which causes the air sacs in our lungs to collapse and increases the CO2 levels in our blood. This in turn causes more stress! By inhaling fully and then introducing additional oxygen, the pockets in our lungs are forced to reinflate. This engages our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode).
Another way to begin practicing yoga is to incorporate chair yoga into your workday. You can find short, simple chair yoga flows on YouTube. You are practicing chair yoga without even knowing it when you stretch your arms overhead or rotate your neck while at your desk. Chair yoga helped me become more mindful. I used to think a headache was a cue to pop an Advil, but now I see it as a notification to stretch, rest and drink water.
Yoga has helped me overcome personal obstacles: the fear of not being good enough; physical pain, anxiety, stressors at work; and the stress of exams, to name a few. As a result, I am passionate about sharing how yoga can help others too. I have led colleagues in virtual and in-person yoga, meditation and chair yoga de-stress sessions. I was also blessed to start an employee-led wellness committee. I hope to continue this work with my new company and within the CAS.
As actuaries we are constantly analyzing and reviewing the past, while projecting and sculpting the future. No wonder it can be tough for us to stay in the present! Our work can be stressful, and exams create immense anxiety. Yoga has helped me quiet my overactive mind, ignite my parasympathetic nervous system and experience a mind-body connection. It has enabled me to work and study more efficiently and live life to its fullest potential.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about how to incorporate yoga into your life, please reach out to me via LinkedIn. I would love to hear from you!
Christina Cuff, ACAS, MAAA, is an actuary working for Distinguished Programs Group in New York City.
