M i n d B o d y S p i r i t
I Am ...
Strong ... Blessed ... Grateful ...
tay positive , stay peaceful , and
Schange old habits to better ones !
You set a goal ; whether it ' s to get back to the gym , lose weight , save money , etc . You reach your goal , and then you lose it . Here ' s a quote that I like from the Poet Rilke : “ Quick gain of an approaching loss .” I saw this at another angle , “ Hard gain of an approaching loss .” We work so hard to achieve our gains , but down the road , we lose them . How can we maintain our goals ?
Changes start in our mind . It ' s been scientifically proven that we can rewire our brains through the practice of awareness . Every time you become aware that you ' re thinking negative , and you change that thought pattern . That ' s one “ rep ” to strengthen the brain , just as when lifting weights , each rep strengthens your muscle . The same here , every time you change your thinking pattern you strengthen the mind . With practice , you can accomplish anything , even changing your mind .
Be impeccable with your words , even silently in thought . The following is a quote from a friend of mine Ajay Gupta :
When you say , “ I am ,” the words that follow are summoning creation with a mighty force because you are declaring it to be a fact . You are stating it with a mighty force . You are stating it with certainty . Immediately after you say , “ I am tired ” or “ I am broke ” or “ I am sick ” or “ I am late ” or “ I am overweight ” or “ I am old ,” the genie ( or the universe ) says , “ your wish is my command .” The Universe is neither punishing you nor blessing you ; it is just responding to the vibrational attitude you emit . by Karen Britton
I am a peaceful soul ; I am a powerful soul . “ I AM ” are the two most powerful words you can use to begin a sentence . The important thing is what words you use to finish that sentence . Anytime you start a sentence with “ I am ” you are creating what you are and what you want to be . At the same time , you are also showing whether or not you are connected to the energy inside of you . When you choose to say , “ I am happy , I am kind , I am happy with the way I am ,” you help the light inside you grow and shine . Try saying some ' I am ' sentences and see how the
Are you healthy ? Your af�rmation can be , I AM happy with my body , or I AM healthy , I AM strong ... Repeat your new positive af�rmation when you become aware of negative thoughts .
different words you choose make you feel .
“ I am blessed , I am joy , I am abundant , I am grateful , I am happiness , and I am love .”
Perhaps we are some of those things . We could also be sick , or late , or old , etc . What you choose to do with your I AM is up to you . What I AM words follow your first sentence ? We can be either accepting of what and who we are at that moment and relaxed with it , or we can resist and fight against it , which won ' t do us any good . Some things we cannot avoid . But we can choose how to cope and move forward . If you relax with where you are , you create a more positive approach , which allows you to be comfortable and make a change .
Think of something that has been on your mind a lot lately . Something that has been poking at you all day and keeping you up at night . Maybe you find yourself repeating I AM statements
that don ' t serve you . Pick that one thing and make a note of it . How does that make you feel ? Now think of the opposite feeling . Find a positive affirmation starting with I AM . Example , you may be thinking I AM broke . The opposite is , I AM abundant . You may often say , “ I AM overweight .” Well , what does that really mean ? Are you comparing yourself to a you that doesn ' t exist ? Are you healthy ? Your affirmation can be , I AM happy with my body , or I AM healthy , I AM strong . If losing weight is necessary for you , I AM losing weight . Repeat your new positive affirmation when you become aware of the negative thought .
Yoga and meditation are great tools to help cultivate awareness and mindfulness . You do not have to be flexible to start yoga ; yoga makes you flexible . That ' s like saying I ' m not strong enough to lift weights . Yoga and meditation do not mean you empty your mind and have nothing in it . These practices help you to relax with the thoughts . Yoga and meditation are the stilling of the mind within the hurricane of thoughts . Emptying your mind is like telling the ocean to stop moving . You are taught to sit beneath those waves of thought and relax with their movements . There ' s a difference between being aware of thoughts and being caught up in thoughts . Once you become aware of your habitual thought patterns and your reactions to them , there ' s space where you can choose to make the change .
A quote from Viktor Frankl who was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor , who needed to change his way of thinking to survive the concentration camp .
“ Between stimulus and response , there ' s a space . In that space is our power to choose our response . In our response lies our growth and our freedom .”
Your stimulus can very well be your thoughts , and you have the choice on how you react to them . It starts with : I AM AWARE OF MY THOUGHTS .
Karen Britton is a certified Yoga Instructor and a regular contributor to these pages . She teaches Yoga classes and programs at Fitness Incentive .
Spring 2017 FIT to Print
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