From Corporate to Yoga — The Path from Excel to a Yoga Mat

I was not someone who left corporate life saying "I want to listen to my soul now."

I was a workaholic white-collar professional. Someone who loved working, couldn't stop producing, and was proud of the pace. Until my body stopped talking to me and started screaming.

One day at work, I suddenly fainted.

Then came blood pressure problems, persistent fatigue, stomach aches, vomiting… Then came crying spells — uncontrollable, inexplicable. At some point, words were put to what I was experiencing: depression, anxiety, anhedonia, dysphoria.

I didn't leave corporate life because I "didn't want it" — I left because it wasn't good for me.

Actually, "leaving" isn't even the right word; my body pulled me out of that life. It essentially said, "If you won't stop, I will stop you."

But I knew one thing very clearly: I was not someone who could stop without working, producing, giving effort to something. Even in that void when people said "rest for a while," my mind kept returning to the same question:

So what am I going to do now?

Yoga was not something new in my life at that point. It had long been something I loved, something that was good for me, something that brought me down to earth even a little. But for the first time, I looked at it from a different angle.

I started thinking: "What if I built my life around this thing that is healing me?"

This is not the story of someone who changed their career with a sudden romantic awakening.

This is the story of someone who reached their body's limit, was forced to stop, but was honestly searching for a way to get back on their feet.

And how that path led me to yoga — the thing I had always loved.

In the intense pace of work life and city living, the time I set aside for myself had gradually diminished. It was easier to say "I don't have time" — but honestly, I was always putting myself last. Resting, slowing down, feeling… All of it had been pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.

There was no single reason for reaching this point. Long hours, endless responsibilities, Istanbul's pace, the mental load… And alongside all of this, that invisible expectation: "You must be strong, you must keep going."

My body could no longer keep up with this pace.

There was guilt inside me for leaving a life that wasn't good for me.

Because from the outside, "everything was fine." I had a good job, a career, years of effort. I was only 32; too early to retire, too young to "step aside." On top of that, I genuinely believed in women working, producing, being economically and mentally independent.

So moving away from corporate life echoed inside me for a long time with this question:

Am I giving up?

But over time I realized: this was not a surrender. This was searching for ways to work differently, to produce differently. Not forcing myself to stop completely — but finding a rhythm that wouldn't make me sick.

The idea of becoming a yoga instructor took root right here.

From a place where I couldn't stop working but couldn't continue at the old pace either…

As a path that slowed me down, helped me reconnect with my body, and at the same time could open space for others.

Hatha yoga had not been a frequent practice in my life. Yoga came into my life more through yoga therapy and yin yoga — periodically, irregularly, but when I needed it. It was more of a support space than a "routine." During the same period, I was also taking small but nourishing trainings on nervous system regulation, meditation, breathwork, and the mind-body connection, slowly developing myself in these areas.

When the idea of becoming a yoga instructor began to crystallize, I saw one thing very clearly: this was not a path to walk with half-baked knowledge or love alone. If I was going to become an instructor, the foundation had to be solid.

I knew that to become a yoga instructor, I first needed to complete a foundational hatha yoga teacher training — one that included in-depth anatomy, the philosophy and history of yoga, the fundamentals of asanas, body mechanics, and safe alignment. Not one that just made me do poses, but one that would make me an instructor who knows what they're doing. This had to be the backbone of my teaching journey.

At this point, I sought advice from one of my trusted yoga therapy teachers. Through their guidance, something happened that I now look back on as "one of my greatest strokes of luck."

And so my path crossed with Derya Çakmak – Berke Kolçak Köstendil.

Sometimes life brings you exactly the right teacher at exactly the right moment.

Right at the beginning of the training, another big change entered our lives: we were going to move to Ankara.

That meant I had to continue the training largely through online classes, occasionally traveling back and forth to Istanbul, and making the most of it as best I could.

From time to time I laughed to myself and asked the same question: "You were an incorrigible workaholic white-collar professional… look where things have ended up?" 😄

But I didn't regret a single day.

Over time my body and mind began to recover. The number of antidepressants I was taking decreased, and the symptoms I had been experiencing left my body one by one. My strength returned. My sense of balance returned. And most importantly, I returned to myself.

Of course, my support system throughout this process was very strong. My husband, my family, my close friends were always by my side. No one said to me, "What are you doing — you studied so hard, worked at big companies for 10 years, what do you mean yoga, for goodness' sake?"

On the contrary, they looked me in the eyes and said: "We see you looking well."

And that was worth more than anything.

In January 2026, my training was completed and I took the first step on my teaching journey. My intention going forward is very clear: to teach lots of classes, take new trainings, and develop myself both physically and mentally. And perhaps the most beautiful part of this process is this — hatha yoga has now become a true part of my life, and I take great joy from it.

I have come to understand this:

No matter how many plans you make, no matter how lost you get in daily to-do lists… Life finds a way to take you where you're meant to be.

I don't know whether I'll return to corporate life in the future. Because I also know this: that's life — no matter how certain we sound, anything can happen at any moment. But whatever comes next, my work will be in a place where I prioritize myself and my body, where I make space for my physical and mental health and my social life, where I truly listen to myself.

This is not a story of farewell.

Not to corporate life, not to work, not to productivity…

This is the story of the courage to step out of a rhythm that was making me sick, and to build a life that could carry me. Yoga instruction is not a destination on this journey — just the right stop along the way.

I don't know where life will take me from here. But I now know one thing very clearly: on the road ahead, I will not stay for long in any place that ignores my body and mind.

And perhaps that has been my greatest gain.

This is not a story of "everyone should quit everything and do yoga." This is the story of noticing a life that wasn't good for me, and being able to open another path within the conditions I had. This was what was possible for me. A different path may be possible for someone else. But the one thing we all share is this: Noticing what doesn't serve us is everyone's right.

Derya GÜRCAN KÖSE
30.01.2026