What Do You Think...?
"What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create."
-Buddha
Take a moment, just read that again...
"What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create."
-Buddha
Absorb what that quote means to you... what do you think... notice how you feel... and notice what scenarios you imagine, how do they play out?
Self awareness may not come easy to all of us, as we're not often taught how to process what we're going through; physically, mentally or emotionally. (For me, emotional self awareness was something that only came to me in the recent years and I'm still not always able to process how I feel). It's usually when things have piled up, or a traumatic event has occurred that we're faced with the realisation that it is just too much. e.g Physically through understanding an injury, mentally or emotionally through managing stress/anxiety. But like anything we want to learn; we need to break it down, learn it step by step.
For me, I think I've always thought about being self aware... I've always been inquisitive, love to understand people, their behaviour and how the mind works... so I guess I gathered self awareness knowledge (mentally) from that. Likewise (in later years), growing up with strong family and friend bonds, being so interested in yoga and personal development I became more self aware physically and emotionally.
Since teaching teaching yoga & mindfulness, the more I realise that self awareness isn't a concept that everyone has grown up with. It is one of my life passions and goals in life to share the benefits of yoga & mindfulness and how it can help cultivate self awareness, self care and self love.
The quote above reminded me of how powerful our minds can be; its the foundations of how we perceive reality, how our day plans out.
So, I invite you to join me on this self awareness mind training exercise for 2 weeks.
It may not feel authentic at first, and it may be a case of 'fake it til you make it'... but our minds are wired with habitual patterns. Like our morning routine, that word that you always say, our autopilot when driving home...
Now, I would like you to think of your habitual thought patterns... some most common examples; worries which could lead to anxiety, criticsim which leads to never feeling good enough. These negative thought patterns in which we strengthen every day, so that they become to feel normal. Habits start somewhere even if it feels weird at first.
Simply put...
Negative input = negative outlook
Positive input = positive outlook
E.g. do something we love = we feel good
Spend time with friends who uplift you = feel uplifted
To feel good we must start with our thoughts. Take a look at what you think, how it makes you feel and what scenarios you imagine from these thoughts and feelings ?
Join me with this mindful 2 week exercise.
Week 1
Best practiced first thing in the morning before you start your day and/or evening as you wind down.
Exercises:
1. Close your eyes and take 3 deep full breaths in and out ... if you've got more time or would like to be guided through a breathing exercise, you could follow my breathing meditation recording (1.40 min).
2. Write down/note to self your answers to:
Whats on/been on your mind today?
What is your day to going to be like? or Throughout the day what scenarios have you been imagining/pre-empting?
How do/did you feel today (overall)?
This exercise takes up to only 3 - 10 mins. Ideally do this exercise in a quiet space, with pen and paper (to keep record/track of so it helps to keep this same paper throughout the entire 2 weeks) or jot it down on your phone. This is also easily done with mental note if you really struggle to find time e.g. on your commute to work, brushing your teeth, applying make up. So no excuses. It will however be more useful/helpful to see your answers to track and refer to.
Doing this twice a day, (if you can first thing morning and in evening when you get chance to wind down) will be good for comparison.
Week 2
To do first thing in the morning before you start your day.
Repeat steps 1 & 2 of Week 1 exercises just in the mornings.
1. Close your eyes and take 3 deep full breaths in and out ... alternatively follow a guided breathing exercise.
https://soundcloud.com/gohyoga/breathing-exercise-1
2. Write down/note to self your answers to:
Whats on your mind this morning?
How do you feel?
What is your day to going to be like? (What scenarios are you imagining?)
Now...
3. Write down what you would like your day to be. In the same format but with a positive affirmation/intention. At first it may not feel congruent/authentic with how you feel. (Sometimes we need to persuade the brain to loop onto a more positive pathway of thoughts)
For example, here was my intention for today:
"Today I am doing my best, I feel grateful and I imagine a world where people are more self aware and self loving"
4. Throughout the day, remind yourself of your intention ( e.g. lunchtime, break time, dinner). At the end of the day just reflect over how your day was. Feel free to write it down.
Repeat this everyday for the rest of the week. You can use the same affirmation for the entire week or change it up for whatever feels most fitting for your day.
If you're stuck for some intentions here are some other examples you can use (modify as you wish):
1. TODAY I stay the present, I feel grounded and centred. I imagine myself flowing through the day calmly with ease.
2. TODAY I think through a more positive lens, I feel grateful, I imagine getting to work on time with no traffic, and completing my tasks before my deadlines.
3. TODAY I am good, I feel positive and I imagine today is going to be a great day.
4. TODAY I am centred, I feel grounded. Today I imagine things to go smoothly.
5. TODAY I am awake and I am ready for today! I feel energetic. I imagine that today I achieve my personal best/ will be productive! I will be sharing my intentions on Instagram/Facebook stories. Join me in this 2 week self awareness training!
Choose to be your best self, putting your best foot forward. We cultivate self awareness just by taking a moment to listen to ourselves; observe your mind space. Learn about yourself, like you would take the time to understand a loved one. Take care of your mental health.
You have this choice to be, to attract, to create every single day.
I would love to hear how your 2 weeks went, what affirmations you set; so do feel free to tag me @gohyogamcr or to share them with me through direct messages.
