John Calabria, shown teaching a yoga class in Concord, fled his job as an engineer to become a yoga instructor. “My income and training were in engineering, but my heart was in yoga.’’
(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
Job Doc
Engineer took flexible career path to yoga
John Calabria, shown teaching a yoga class in Concord, fled his job as an engineer to become a yoga instructor. “My income and training were in engineering, but my heart was in yoga.’’
(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)
The first time that John Calabria tried yoga, it was an attempt to get a date with the instructor. He was a busy computer engineer and a long-distance runner who couldn’t even touch his toes, but went to the class and forced his way through the various yoga postures.
“I tried to impress her, and I think she got a kick out of it. And she did go out to lunch with me,’’ said Calabria, who 15 years later is now a yoga instructor himself. He teaches classes in Sudbury, Wayland, Maynard, and Concord.
Calabria, 46, describes himself as a “recovering engineer’’ who four years ago traded his suit and tie for a mala (mantra meditation beads), quitting his job to follow his passion. It wasn’t an easy decision, leaving the security of his career, but Calabria said: “I felt like I was standing in two canoes. My income and training were in engineering, but my heart was in yoga, and I felt like I was being split apart.’’
Why are most yoga classes composed of mostly women, and very few men?
Women are more open to the underlying ideas of yoga — connectedness and compassion. But I see more and more men coming into the classes. I just got back from a retreat where 30 percent of the participants were men, so the numbers are going up.
What makes a good yoga class?
A well-designed yoga class is structured like a bell curve. Students come from their busy lives, and they need to warm up and become present, then ramp up the effort as postures become more and more challenging, then reach a peak of effort. You ease down to a level of relaxation and meditation, ending up flat on your back. The class begins in a child’s posture and ends in a corpse pose, so it’s metaphoric to the path of life.
An incident-free company party
Q. My husband owns a small business, and 2010 was a relatively good year for his business. He wants to have a holiday party in late December at a local restaurant. Do companies still have these parties? I am concerned about some people overdoing it with alcohol. What can we do to prevent this?— Anonymous
A. Many companies are enjoying holiday parties but the events seem to be far more casual and less glitzy than in past years. Some are having brunches at local restaurants. Some are having potluck events in their office conference rooms with no alcohol being served. And some are ordering pizzas and salads during lunch.
I know of a few companies that are renting function rooms at restaurants or hotels to celebrate the success that they enjoyed in 2010.
If alcohol is being served at a company event, it is sometimes helpful to issue reminders in advance, in a nonthreatening but professional way, that employees are expected to drink responsibly.
Here are a few recommendations for holiday parties:
1. As a business leader, model appropriate behavior. Ask your senior team to also model professional behavior. Emphasize the meal and the chance to get to know others. Ask your senior team members specifically to avoid conversations (even in a joking manner) that could be construed as encouraging excessive alcohol consumption.
2. Remind senior leaders and all employees that professional behavior is still expected.
3. Avoid religious connotations in your messaging and décor so that all guests on the list feel included.
4. If serving alcohol, use trained bartenders to help minimize the liability as well as identify behavioral changes as a result of alcohol consumption.
5. If an employee or guest does drink alcohol in excess, ensure that the individual(s) is able to get home safely. Consider paying for a cab or requesting a sober colleague to drive them home.
— Patricia Hunt Sinacole
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
