YOGA STRENGTHENS SELF-ESTEEM
AUGUST 18TH, 2008: Two key readings from the ancient writings of yoga inspired me today for our practice.
“It is better to fail at yourself than it is to succeed at being someone else.”
Bhagavad Ghita Chapter 3 that the yoga is about being true to who you are. It talks about being authentic.
“Objective of yoga is to remove the divisions within yourself so that you can immerse yourself in the infinity that is you. sthira, sukham, asanam”
Yoga Sutras Chapter 2 Verse 46
We started by doing our Favorite Pose. Then we all did our Least Favorite Pose. Then we paused to contemplate: HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?
Key Learning Points From This Practice:
· We always have opportunities to be true to ourselves
· You don’t have to do anything heroic
· THE GOAL IS AWARENESS!
· Sometimes we end up not being true to ourselves in our work, in our relationships but when you want to shift YOGA WILL HELP YOU FIND YOUR STRENGTH to be authentic. And then life gets a lot better and a whole lot easier.
· The shift is towards who we really are were we can let go of self-imposed limitations and negative self-talk:
1. I’M NOT STRONG ENOUGH
2. I LOOK RIDICULOUS
3. I FEEL CLUMSY
4. I CAN’T DO THIS
5. EVEN DELUSIONAL THOUGHTS, I’M GOING TO DIE, THIS POSE IS GOING TO KILL ME
So you see it is vitally important to be who you are fully because there is not failure in being you. (We could only ever be the second best anyone else anyway). And when you are not being true to yourself and try to hard to please others it takes you away from your heart. Which isn’t worth it as the words of Hafiz remind us, “It is all just a love contest and there are no losers.” I hope you stay the course and allow the practice to help you build your self-esteem in ways you never thought possible! Love, Silvia