Over the weekend, I completed my 200 hours of Yoga Teacher Training. There was much to take away, but the top three things that I would like to pass on, I listed above.
3 Habits to Start
1. Filter your thoughts. What does this mean exactly? I want you to wrap your head around this...we think approximately 50,000-70,000 thoughts per day. This means between 35-48 thoughts per minute...hmm. Bad news first: what we know about the brain is that repetition in the firing of neural circuits tends to strengthen those circuits. So that the more you ruminate, obsess, or recycle, the stronger the ruminating circuit gets. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Replace the negative with the positive. If you learn to recognize when you are creating this pathway to the negative, you can shift your thoughts. That's right...you can. So we begin to notice when the same old thoughts of low self-esteem, feelings of unworthiness, anger, pain, or even depression start to take hold of our mind. You start to recognize if you are actually repeating the same story in your head from days, weeks, months or even years. It is now got its own little path, maybe even a deep ravine from going there so often. Let's go somewhere new. How about let's build a beach house and visit that place. Don't let your thoughts be the driver...you can take control. How to do this? Aha! This brings me to my next point:)
3. Realign with the present moment...repeatedly. I recently read that we are in the present for about 3 seconds of every thought. Supposedly, we are either in the past or future for the rest of the time. The problem is...it's basically true. I took a look around me at my daughter's graduation ceremony...okay, it was from middle school, but still, at least 3 people closest to me were on their phones. Not engaged in the present moment. And just yesterday at lunch I was present, present, present...got a message on my phone, and boom. I was no longer there. I should not have checked it...I actually knew that. Yet somehow I did. I would love to make a new rule that someone keeps it for me the whole time I am with them at a meal...and I keep theirs.HA. Let's try not to stab each other with the fork over who gets to look first. Let's really think about it and honor the present. We live in it so very little.
I want you to seriously take a moment and do a reflection on this.
If you are thinking the same thoughts as last year, doing the same things, and continuing the same habits, are you making progress? It's doubtful. Get ready to make some new pathways and start some good habits today!
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