Listening to the Voices in our Heads
Hello Reader,
Have you ever stopped to notice the never ending narrative in your head? If you study and practice yoga, you probably have. When you notice your thoughts, what are they? Are you thinking about the past, are you filled with worrisome thoughts about the future? Perhaps you notice judgemental thoughts about others or toward your own self. How many of your thoughts are based in fear? And how do they make you feel inside?
Just recently I was reading a yoga book published in 1998 called, Yoga a Path with Heart by Alice Christensen, who founded the American Yoga Association in 1968. Her book is a lovely account written in personal narrative style of the llamas and niyamas, the ethical and moral principles of yoga.
In the section on truthfulness, in sanscrit - Satya, Alice shared a fantasy exercise to help us discover if the thoughts we are thinking about ourselves or someone else were true or false. When you think a thought, particularly when it’s a thought about yourself you might repeat often, ask yourself does the thought tastes sweet?
The author suggests that using our other senses to describe our thoughts can be a helpful way to dislodge our thoughts from the grip of our ego mind, and shine the wisdom of our spiritual mind upon them. If the thought tastes sweet, we can know it to be true.
Example; When you look in the mirror in the morning, what’s the first thought that comes to your mind? "I look awful" , "If I don't get this project done I will be a failure", fill in the blank_________. These thoughts don't taste sweet, so they must be based on lies and limitations we were told in the past.
If the thought does taste sweet, you can know it to be true and in alignment with the resonance of your heart where you connect to the grace and truth of your being.
My invitation to you is to spend a few minutes randomly in a day to notice your thoughts and ask yourself if they taste sweet or not. Keep the ones that do, and discard the others. After a few days check in with your heart to see if you might find more peace.
In the Light of Truth. Namaste.
Lillah is Turning 70!
Thanks to all of you who have remained on my mailing list throughout time. You have followed me from studio owner, to yoga teacher trainer, to yoga teaching staff, and now with the pandemic to an online trainer.
To celebrate my November birthday, I have decided to share my insights along with the gifts I have received from each decade of my yoga practice. The series of short essays is called,
What I Learned from Yoga Over 45 Years of Practice. Read Chapter 1 Here.
Watch for a new chapter each week. Go to my Blog link or Like my page Yoga with Lillah on Facebook
Upcoming Yoga Classes
Thursdays November 4 and 18 - 9:45 - 11:15 am EDT Available Only for Drop in Zoom class participation. (Lillah to travel the other 2 weeks)
Register for - Any Drop-in Class On Thursdays
December zoom classes - TBA.
Tuesdays – October 19 and 26 Last In-Person Classes until January 2022!
Register for: Tuesday 9:45 - 11:15 am Drop-in
Private Yoga Therapy Sessions
In-Person or Online Via Zoom
Yours in Yoga,
Lillah
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