Dr. Susan Jeffers teaches us to emulate what we want to achieve by using affirmations and visualizations, or in my words, fake it til you make it. We live in a mosaic world -- many arenas of differing perspectives, goals and beliefs. We are all individually appearing and yet for those familiar with unity consciousness, we are all one. It is confusing.
We do have control over one thing and that is ourselves. We are a kaleidoscope of emotions that come and go as our attention moves from one event to another. The world is moving and changing fast. Are we keeping up?
I see the importance of acceptance in this fluidity. I could be crying from a current news item and then notice a bright red cardinal on my deck. It’s hard to keep up.
Walking this morning I came across a male turkey in full bloom. Emanating his gobble gobble, he was strutting around a yard in full drama pose. His body appeared huge, his tail in full peacock mode. His face almost vulture like and yet so proud. How odd he looks compared to what I am used to and yet there he stands proud to be who he is.
How proud do I stand? When I am out and about do I slump and skulk? Do I walk with confidence or look scared and vulnerable? It depends on where I am. It depends on what I’m doing. I’ve read simply smiling changes a mood, relieves stress, boosts the immune system, lowers the blood pressure – the list goes on. And then there’s the ripple effect that what we do influences those around us. (see May 15 blog and May 28 blog). That brings me to think of the warrior pose in yoga. I am not a yoga teacher. I only know what I feel when I stand in the warrior pose. I feel powerful, strong, centered, balanced. Whether I am standing in a powerful centeredness or simply smiling, I believe it cascades into confidence, clarity and an overall positive presence.
Having this body awareness is another tool in my toolbelt to help me with my outlook, my energy and my sense of safety in my surroundings. I like to begin my day standing strong, hands on hips, head upright and legs apart. That’s my warrior pose. Am I with me? I look in the mirror and say I love you. That’s when I know I’ve shown up.
Participants’ Reflections:
I liked the image of a kaleidoscope of feelings. There has been two nights of protesting here in the city where I live. This morning, I walked around downtown; there are crashed windows, graffiti, and reporters. I heard a black man say under his breath “people are dying and you're reporting.” I saw another man with an industrial-sized broom cleaning up the streets. I asked him why. He said he grew up in this town and this is what he can do. Everywhere, people were picking up trash. The stores were already boarded up from the coronavirus. People are hurting, everyone is. There are shrines, candles. Thank you for listening.
Thank you for sharing. We can use our breath to center ourselves. This is an action we can do.
I am so worried. More so than ever. We can’t be quiet anymore. I want to go to Washington and put my body on the line.
Stay in the light. Don’t join forces with the dark. The most courageous act is to feel the pain and not go there.
When I am emotional, I imagine I am breathing through a straw. It calms me.
Inside me is a lot of anger and rage. But I see it as not negative. It is metaphorical for the fire that has been held back. It motivates me to action. Don’t misinterpret sitting in the light as doing nothing.
When I was in Barcelona, I saw peaceful protests. I liked the idea in your reading of a smile having a ripple effect. I like the warrior pose. I miss going to the gym during this pandemic. I am not motivated to do it on my own. This meditation is a bonus. I did yoga this weekend and I did the warrior pose. My muscles ache. I appreciated the reading.
So many images spoke to me. I see people with tears. Crying is one thing we can do. The turkey image I've held for a while, we had gaggle in our yard. Looking in the mirror, looking at all of you, I've come to love all of you. The warrior pose is strong and we culturally think it’s to emulate men. But the pose isn't a man's. The police can emulate values associated with women, like gentleness. There is a story from Flint, Michigan, Genesee County where a policeman laid down his weapons and joined a group and showed gently he was with them. That strategy worked: it calmed the group. We are called to be that policeman. Sing “I see your true colors”, like he did showing his true gentle values.
In Flint, people have been suffering for so long. I hope that story gets out. Beautiful protests are happening.
The hara, the power breath, holds the essence and truth. It is in Gandhi's non-violent approach to violence. Match with opposites
The ripple effect. I believe it helps. Fear is a contagion and love is as well
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