Spring is a time of renewal, awakening, and transformation. Give yourself permission to awaken from the dark, cold months of rest and begin the transition to Spring with a positive spirit. Set yourself up for a successful season of growth and transformation by checking what perspective you’re bringing with you. Leave the negativity and toxic parts behind in the darkness, and travel to the light feeling lighter. Let go of what is no longer serving you.
While it may be easier said than done, the choice to choose positivity is always ours. While it may not always feel this way, we have the power to decide whether we are going to let our mind control us or are we going to control our mind. Our thoughts become the energy we transmit to the world. Yoga and meditation are both tools to help us gain control of our mind, so that we can in turn transmit more positive energy to the world.
Practicing positivity is like PLANTING SEEDS, we plant the seeds of positivity, nurture them with daily practices and before we know it, we are surrounded with the most beautiful positive blooms that we cannot wait to share with those around us. Planting Seeds of positivity has always been a pretty easy, natural way of life for me. I am that cup half full, always trying to find the silver lining, bright side of things kind of person. When the flow of life gets turbulent, I try to find the meaning, the lesson, the light at the end of the tunnel.
But I too am human, and often find myself dwelling in the mud of negativity…. If you have been planting positive seeds, but struggling to nurture them daily, and it feels like your blooms are taking too long to arrive or feel like they don’t stay around long enough to truly embrace their beauty,
I remind you that nature doesn’t hurry – and neither should you!
We all BLOOM WHEN WE ARE READY – like a lotus flower reaching through layers of mud before it’s finally ready to bloom, we too can rest easy in the knowing that when things take a little longer, when everything feels sloooow and heavy, our seeds of possibilities are growing deeper, stronger and once they bloom – MY – OH – MY – they will be absolutely exquisite!
This month I share with you the yogic teachings of PRATIPAKSHA BHAVANA
One of the yogic practices, one that I started practicing pretty much as soon as I was introduced to it in Yoga Teacher Training, is called Pratipaksha Bhavana. This is the practice of substituting opposite thought forms in the mind. In Sutra 2.33 of the Yoga Sutras, Swami Satchidananda shares the practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana introduced by Patanjali. The sutra reads- “Vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam.” This means, “Negative thoughts subside by placing attention on positive thoughts.”
Patanjali says this practice of inviting opposite thoughts will help us control our mind and obstruct thoughts we don’t want. Here Patanjali and Satchidananda tell us that POSITIVITY IS ALWAYS A CHOICE. We can create a positive atmosphere, even if that means we must change the environment they say. Another method for controlling negative thoughts before they overpower us, is to think of its after-effect. Satchidananda says, “Stop and consider. What will happen if I allow this thought to continue?”
Pratipaksha Bhavana is a powerful tool of mind control and emotional regulation. We are human. We will have negative thoughts, and we shouldn’t feel bad for having them. The important part here is that we do something productive with those thoughts. We acknowledge them when they invite themselves in and then we find a way to re-frame those negative thoughts. This may also mean changing our perspective or at least being able to see the situation from a different perspective, even if it’s one that we don’t agree with. This is how we practice and cultivate Pratipaksha Bhavana which takes time, patience, and intention. However, the effort and time is worth putting into this practice to be able to bloom and live more fully from a place of truth, love, and equanimity
TOGETHER LET’S SPRING FORWARD WITH A POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE – LET’S PLANT SEEDS OF POSITIVITY AND NURTURE OUR MIND GARDEN TO FLOURISH WITH BUCKETS OF BLISSFUL BLOOMS!
Love and Light,
Lynnette xx
