Nicki Forman-Levitan discusses how she found her way to personal sadhana through yoga

My life is dedicated to the practice of yoga. Yoga is my life’s calling. I teach, I study, I eat, sleep and dream yoga. It’s my life’s work, my grand passion and my ostensibly “healthy obsession”. Running a home with a husband, two small children and a thriving yoga school affords me the luxurious opportunity to live this dream. Yogic immersion, albeit somewhat tethered by domestic necessity, is essentially my modus operandi, a divine karmic gift I acknowledge with gratitude.

Despite having this plethora of opportunity to practise, I still struggle to maintain a consistent sadhana (practice) that ensures “x” rounds of Surya Namaskaras per day, so many rounds of Kapalabhati and a guaranteed meditative daily Samadhi. “Take one yogic capsule a day,” as Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati of Bihar School of Yoga teaches and “call God in the morning”.

Abhyasa is the discipline that Patanjali dictates and it demands a consistent practice in order to evolve along our yogic paths. Abhyasa means fostering an attitude of persistent effort to attain and maintain a state of stable tranquility. It’s a devoted path – the fruits of which are an insight into the direct experience of the eternal core of our being. So, finding and committing to a personal sadhana is the goal of the sadhaka or practitioner.

Is this a reasonable or even viable possibility for the Western yogi or yogini, especially those of us attempting to balance jobs, family or studies with a consistent and disciplined practice? To accomplish a full asana practice daily might not always be possible, so the real question then becomes how the practice of yoga can filter from the mat into everyday life? How can one creatively develop one’s own personal sadhana?

Notwithstanding the fact that asana, pranayama and a solid dose of yoga nidra is crucial to yogic evolution, sadhana can also Finding your way to a personal sadhana be found in changed perspective, in seeing one’s reality with yogic-coloured spectacles, a so-called rosy tinted drishti or l’esprit en rose. Allowing all aspects of life, including both its tribulations and joys, to become a screen for yogic projection is paramount to this shift in awareness.

Patanjali offers some tools to aid in this shifted perspective, which he describes in the Ashtanga (eight limbed path) of which asana (posture) and pranayama (control of breath) are merely two limbs. The first limb – Yama – contains the ethics, which have to do with training your actions, speech and thoughts in relation to the external world, particularly with other people. Dedication to upholding and developing these yamas is a laudable sadhana in itself and provides a perfect buffet of potential interpretation from which to choose when developing one’s own sadhana.

The first yama is non-harming (ahimsa) in thought, deed and action. Cultivating ahimsa can be a lifetime’s sadhana. Try being ahimsic after being stuck in traffic or losing a much sought after job promotion. Try ahimsa when faced with a relentless mosquito! This is where to apply your yoga practice – to the places of challenge, not just to the glorious afterglow of Savasana. Using these spaces of discomfort and difficulty becomes a platform for personal sadhana. Not only does it make the challenge surmountable but also keeps your practice alive and pervasive.

In whichever way yama talks to your personal evolutionary needs, be it the development of integrity through the principle of honesty (satya) or striving towards remembering the higher reality (bramacharya), is a personal choice that should make sense to you, the aspirant, relative to your life’s developments and needs. Some yamas are easier to manage than others. Non-violence and not stealing (asteya) might be a breeze for one yogi but a mountain for another. When Patanjali spoke of aparigraha (non-possessiveness) he surely hadn’t been to a side-walk sale or to a rooftop market. How many candles or cute little yoga outfits can a yogini possess without forgetting that yoga needs to come out of the closet, and live its truth!

Perhaps choose one yama to develop as a sadhana or simply try integrating all wherever possible. Whatever your sadhana is of less importance than a consistent and committed awareness. This awareness inspired by dedicated practice to a chosen sadhana, allows us to begin to welcome challenge as an opportunity to set our yogic GPS in action and guide our souls along the path of light. We begin to recognise in this way that the guru (the dispeller of darkness) is none other than our own inner voice intuiting from an omniscient perspective, so that our every thought and its consequent action is a consistent sadhana.

But surely Patanjali, living as he does today in the hearts and souls of his countless yogic progeny, would encourage the idea of the all pervasive, boundless yoga practice, one beyond the mat? One where the realization of Self is evidenced in thought, word and certainly action, including those during that queue, traffic jam or marital tiff.

Finding your personal sadhana in your own way becomes the mantra du jour. Ask yourself what will be useful in the pursuit of your spiritual goals and be proactive – what yogis call kriya (action) in the realisation of these goals.

B.K.S Iyengar outlines the three-fold goal which is one and the same: “Sadhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Abhyasa is repeated practice performed with observation and reflection. Kriya, or action, also implies perfect execution with study and investigation. Therefore, sadhana, abhyasa, and kriya all mean one and the same thing. A sadhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies… mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal.”

Recently in Rishikesh, on the ghat of the Mata Ganga, following one of my first Kundalini yoga classes with the amazing Gurmukh Khalsa, the following satsang gently changed my perspective forever: “You have a heart, love. You have two hands, serve.”

All the rest is fluff. This turns out to be my sadhana – attempting a daily return to love and service. Listen to your inner guru and find yours.

By  Nicki Forman-Levitan

Before we consciously realise it, yoga becomes the driving force that galvanises us into action, so that we can start living our passions…

If you’re like me, yoga crept into your life surreptitiously. Yet the impact has been profound. With an old knee injury and my thirties creeping up, I unknowingly turned a corner and left aerobics and spinning behind. Yes, the universe and my “knee karma” guided me gently, yet firmly, away from years of body perfect pursuits, towards the yoga studio.

There I found the awareness and courage I needed to change the negative aspects of my life. Nine years later, I’m changed for the better and finally learning to live my passions – teaching yoga and writing.

Oddly perhaps, passion from the root Latin word “passio” actually means “to suffer”. We learn however that it’s only when our passions are unfulfilled and our emotions unbalanced, that we create our own dramatic and exhausting suffering. To break this cycle we first have to recognise that in this “situational suffering” we’re coming from a place of ego and acting from the perspective of fear and not trusting our essential wholeness.

The key yogic premise, Patanjali’s yoga sutra Yogas Citta-Vrtti Nirodhah, beautifully explains how a daily yoga practice enables us to notice or recognise our true, complete self. The Sanskrit translates: “When you stop identifying with your thoughts, (the fluctuations of the mind), then there is yoga.” It describes, logically and accurately, the process of unfolding awareness, which inevitably leads, (for anyone who practices yoga consistently), to self-actualisation.

Yoga asanas direct our prana (life force) upwards to the ajna (third eye) and sahasrara (crown) chakras to perfectly prepare us for meditation. This is when we learn to stop identifying with our “monkey” minds, i.e. the ego. Non-attachment to thought begins with simply being able to observe (without judgement) the mind and its constant fluctuations. Our thoughts aren’t permanent, real or necessarily based on truth either – rather, they’re subjective.

By recognising this, we open up space to become aware of the blissful, peaceful state of simply being. This state of being liberates us. The moment we let go of all our heavy expectations of ourselves, the chance of actualising our dreams and passions becomes truly possible, perhaps for the very first time. In fact, it becomes likely. Why? Think of a balancing asana such as Natarajasana or Lord of the Dance Pose. In the asana, the instant we let go of our fear of falling over and focus only on our breath, we balance! Suddenly we are a light, lithe dancer…

This holds true for all our strivings, every day. The world tells us to look outward to define ourselves – to careers, relationships and material success. When we attach to this, we feel we never do, have, or achieve enough. We focus on perfecting and correcting ourselves in all the wrong ways. Wasting energy and time, we scatter our attention, spread ourselves too thin, squash our inner voice and childhood dreams – and then berate ourselves or others when we fail. Afterwards, we review our failures again, through the mind (which takes itself rather seriously indeed). Living like this can drain us of the vitality and clarity of purpose needed to make changes towards self actualising, in a non-pressured, fulfilling and organic way. When we persevere with yoga, it becomes habit to simply notice our moods, our daily hankerings, the little voices in our head and then to laugh them off. With determined calm, we start to habitually value the profound importance of simply being, in every moment of every day.

Suddenly, our priorities rearrange themselves like we’re shuffling a deck of cards and the universe seems to roll the dice in our favour too.

Our path is never random. In the beginning, all this “noticing” may unsettle us, shake things up a bit – as the intellect and ego wrangle with the soul. However, this holds the key to fulfilment. Thankfully, yoga heightens our awareness, so we recognise the signposts along the way and are galvanised into action, to follow them.

By Mandy Walker

Thomas Sheehy separates timeless yogic knowledge from antiquated language

It may be true that yoga was born in India, but today history gives reference to countless examples of how yogic knowledge has crossed the globe. From South America to Africa and even Europe, yoga has been known to many different cultures for thousands of years.

Yoga was however preserved in India, refined by greats such as Krishnamacharya, and offered back to the world as an irrefutable science – the science of right living. It is only natural then that we look to India for guidance on this ancient practice. Yet, in the realities of modern Western society, when studying some of the connotations of these early Vedas and scriptures, they seem outdated and impractical.

We are in the enviable position of having access to information that was simply not available then. Many would argue that this evolution has not necessarily served to better us, and we would all be well advised to keep in mind the brilliance of those who walked the yogic path before us.

How then do we bridge the gap of time and culture? Is it possible to take what was taught and alter it to better serve our modern needs without losing sight of its original integrity?

As modern yogis we must learn to sort the timeless truth from antiquated language. Take the theory of the body – our outermost aspect of personality. Says Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois in his book Yoga Mala: “If the mortal body is to be sustained, things like food are essential. Thus the food we eat should be sattvic (pure), nirmala (untainted) and acquired through righteousness.”

This lesson seems increasingly astute as we bear witness to the dramatic rise of conditions that plague our societies such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. The Upanishads attest that, “ahara chuddar sattva shuddih” – the mind assumes the qualities of whatever food is consumed. This thought is shared by modern health practitioners such as renowned bowel specialist Dr. Bernard Jensen who visited over 50 countries to better understand the principles of healthy living. He concluded that the long-lived led a simple existence, ate unprocessed foods, little meat and maintained good posture.

Where the yogic lesson appears to err is in the understanding of what actually constitutes sattvic food. Traditionally, Ayurveda teaches that eating too many vegetables will, in fact, “expand disease”. It is common in India to eat proportionally high levels of wheat, milk, and sugar – foods that in the West are understood to be difficult to digest.

While the above foods may serve the average Indian constitution (associated with extended life-span, strength and health due to their easy digestibility), it is certainly not the case in the West. Wheat, dairy and sugar are the worst offenders, most tamasic.

Taking into account that the quality of these foods needs to be considered too, this traditional diet differs greatly from the poor-quality, refined and processed substances that pass as food in the West. Stone-ground whole wheat is a wonderful source of energy; refined, pre-sliced loaves of bread are not. The same is true for the milk of a cow that in India has been honoured, revered and thanked for its offering. Western-style mass produced, hormone injected, sterilized cartons of long-life are an entirely inferior thing.

Food takes on less relevance though as yoga teaches us that indeed we are “not of the body”. One major hindrance in the Western mindset is our over-identification with this temporary and finite vehicle. Yet, while we are manifest in human form there is relevance in taking care of it – as it is home to our atman (unique spark of divinity) – perhaps even with a spiritual obligation to do so. Purification then is needed and we have the texts on shaucha, to guide us on appropriate methods.

For bahir shaucha (the external body), red clay is traditionally recommended to remove sweat and dirt from the skin. It would be flippant to get hung-up on the specifics of this valuable detail. Antah shaucha (internal cleansing) is viewed as seeing every thing and every being as a friend and treating them with affection. Both of these points seem fair; it is only when they are combined that the message becomes alarming. In direct translation the two-fold shaucha are said to help bring about, “a loathing of the body, which is seen as abominable, essence-less and perishable, and a disgust is felt when touching the body of another.”

To those who view the body as perfect, a divine gift and uniquely ours to cherish, this point seems ridiculous, almost offensive and in direct contradiction to ahimsa (non-violence in thought, word or deed). However, it is the translation rather than the idea that is at fault. Language can be dissected and debated – it can be difficult and confusing to find yoga’s truth when we get caught on the words instead of the meaning. The teaching is rather to protect the body by not bringing it into contact with whatever is “adverse”.

As teachers and practitioners of yoga it is important that we see the body for what it is – our lowest energetic sheath. But low does not mean “worse” or “bad” as this message could suggest. The physical body is our rooting, our connection to the earth, our densest form of light. It should be honoured as a temple but not worshipped in itself. Thus, a definition of the words can confuse this intricate point.

As we continue to study and grow in our yogic lives, many seeming abnormalities are bound to appear. These are just two examples of many that illustrate how antiquated knowledge can either be irrelevant or need redefinition. Views on time or place of practice, techniques and sequencing are all open to dispute and our best guidance is actually often inherent within.

We are different from our forefathers, and future generations will be different again, and we know that what is true for one (even a great one) is not necessarily true for another. That which may have been the life’s work of a guru and student is now taught in large groups to people who view yoga as one of many life practices.

In his book Light On Yoga, B.K.S Iyengar lists 47 separate cautions for pranayama, but today, Bhamari (humming bee breath) can be used to quell road rage. Is this disrespectful or a logical evolution? Only your own intention can answer that question.

Yoga connects us all. Humility and respect ensure that we will remember those who stepped before us. But as humanity continues through the 21st century, we owe it to our future generations to explore further by practising as uniquely and creatively as those before us did. Taking life and all our guides with a pinch of salt and a little humour helps to discern the truths that serve us best.

By Thomas Sheehy

As a yoga teacher and practitioner, Tom sees the physical body as a work of perfection and believes that complete and perfect health is available to anyone who chooses it. Tom caters within the yoga community, helps run retreats and facilitates interactive and educational dinner parties. Email Tom at tomshomemade@gmail.com

Surrender the ego, control, fight/flight. Close the eyes and sink into experience, sensation, feeling. Feel the pulse of the blood through the veins, the resistance in the body, the apprehension of opening up. Breathe into it, bring yourself relief, coax the fear out of the muscles and allow them to be free. This is Yoga…

As a yoga instructor who spends time at both my own studio but also at local gyms, I see an array of students all approaching yoga from different needs and mind frames. For many, especially at the gym, the first and most difficult part of their yoga practice is changing their view on healthy exercise. Often, like myself, we are drawn to yoga for a physical workout and find the many other benefits especially the spiritual path along the way. As people walk into the gym for a workout and decide to try the next class on the schedule, they are prepared to feel the muscles burn, the sweat drip and to bring their breath to a pant. This is what one expects from a healthy workout. Surely in order to be fit and healthy we need to ‘feel the burn’?

It can be hard to appreciate yoga in a Western mind frame, as one does not experience the posture but constantly works the posture, fights the body and pushes the limits. This often leads to a shallow breathe and an anxious competitive mind. In modern society we are taught to value achievement, control our environment and work, work, work. It is not easy to sit down on a yoga mat and let that all go. This is the beautiful challenge of yoga in our day and age. It reminds us of another way of approaching exercise, as well as life. As we move into a posture, instead of forcing the body to respond, we breathe our way into it. The breath is like a song serenading the body, soothing the body, releasing the past and bringing us into the present. Focus moves from achievement to experience, from the future to the present. After a yoga class of surrender the body feels alive with awareness and one does not wake the next day with the acid burning discomfort of a forced workout.

By practicing surrender on the yoga mat we come one step closer to practicing surrender in everyday life. Letting go of the ego’s need to constantly achieve, be busy and push, rather allowing ourselves to sit back and experience our existence, taking time out to let go and surrender to the forces of the universe. This brings us to the concept of Ishvara Pranidhana, the yoga sutra that reminds us to surrender to a higher power, to let go of our need to control and instead allow ourselves to be steered forward by the hidden current towards our purpose.

By Cathy Rogers
YOUR YOGA SPACE
072 123 6316
www.youryogaspace.co.za

Sitting in the May morning sun, on the balcony of the Sophea Art Gallery and Tibetan Tea House in Simonstown, listening to the Venerable Thupstan Chhostak speak of peace and compassion, the concept seems strikingly simple: For peace in this world we need first to create harmony within our selves…

This, as Chhostak explains, can be achieved through bringing to ones conscious mind the attachments which lead to unloving thoughts, then making the choice to release them.

He assures me that meditating on Great Compassion and the Wisdom of Emptiness is the best way to achieve a light heart. I’m intoxicated with the gentle joy emanating from the sincere being in front of me, something tells me his words hold a great deal of truth, I listen.

He speaks of vain glory and greed, of generosity and compassion, the importance of meditation for being present in the moment and the loving wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Over the next five days I spend many hours at the tea house watching the six monks from the Rizong monastery in India as they chant, meditate and work together to create an exquisite work of art, the sand Mandala of Avalokiteshvara.

The monks journeyed to South Africa as part of the World Peace and Compassion Tour which was organised and funded by the Tibet Society of South Africa (TSSA), who spent more than a year coordinating and collaborating with Buddhist organisations such as the Lam Rim Tibetan Buddhist Centre to bring this blessing into fruition.

At the heart of the tour is the creation of three sand mandalas, an ancient art form that takes years of training to master. There are many types of mandalas each with their own blessings to confer and lessons to teach. The Mandala of Avalokiteshvara is constructed as a vehicle to generate compassion, heal the environment and assist in understanding the impermanence of reality.

The presence of the monks brings an unmistakable sense of serenity. Their focus and patience is inspiring. The room fills with the gentle purr of the metal funnels through which the sand is poured. The chak-purs (metal tools used to make thew Tibetan Sand Mandalas) vibrate continuously as millions of grains fall perfectly into place. There is no part of the mandala that is superfluous. Meaning is buried in each and every little mound of sand which is not actually sand at all but rather crystal from a river bed in Ladakh that has been meticulously ground into an incredibly fine powder and died with natural pigments.

The colours are spectacular.

Although the mandala is depicted on a flat surface, it is a representation of a three-dimensional palace in which the deity Avalokiteshvara and his spiritual entourage reside. A symbolic world of harmony where every object represents an aspect of wisdom and each deity, an archetype of a mindful state.

For Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama is the current emanation of the enlightened being Chenrezig (known in Sanskrit as Avalokiteshvara), a Bodhisattva whom decided to delay becoming a fully enlightened Buddha and rather live in compassionate spirit for the sake of all sentient beings.

As the week progresses, so does the influx of visitors. We watch as the spirit house takes shape, there is an air of anticipation and jubilation, I find myself smiling for no reason. Everyone seems to share the sentiment. When the day comes to a close, it is difficult to leave. At the venue for the evening chant I see many of the same faces, it’s clear I’m not the only one who is enthused by the presence of these enchanting monks.

Once the mandala is complete the traditional closing ceremony begins.

We spend hours gazing at the finished work while the monks chant and play instruments, calling forth the forces of goodness, as with the opening ceremony, to bless the environment.

The frantic snap of cameras comes as no surprise as everyone tries to capture the moment, before the ritual dissolution.

Our Western world knows little of non-attachment.

Once the mandala has been swept up I join the colourful procession down to the beach and watch as it is poured into the sea, carried away with each wave to bless the rest of the world.

The purpose of the tour was not only to raise awareness of the uniqueness of the Tibetan culture but also to honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 75^th birthday on July 6^th, as he works tirelessly in an attempt to deliver all beings from suffering, with his continuous message of compassion for all life forms and the potential for peace on earth.

The week has come to an end and I, as many others, have been deeply touched by this experience. The gratitude for those who made it possible is overwhelming and I vow, to support the TSSA by becoming a member, to take the wisdom shared by these modest monks to heart, and to live more compassionately.

Of the three mandalas created on South African soil, one remains fixed in the shrine room at the Lam Rim Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Johannesburg, a true blessing and most certainly worth a visit.

By Kama Murray

Photographs By Bruce Horak (brucehorak@hotmail.com; 074 124 6435)

For more information on the Tibet Society visit www.tibet.org.za

Those who count their blessings, who are grateful, have more blessings and fulfillment in life than those who do not. This is a simple principle. Yet it has the power to change your life. We are built on universal principles, and the universe behaves like us on a grander scale. If you were to give someone a gift and they just looked at it and then tossed it aside without thanks, would you be inclined to give them another? Of course not, and the universe responds just as you do. The universe bestows its gifts where they are most appreciated. If you’re not grateful for what you’ve been given, why would the universe want to give you more?

Many people confuse gratitude with elation. They think that when they’re elated about some event and go, “Oh, I’m so thankful for that!” that they are being grateful. But true gratitude actually has little to do with those temporary moments of happiness or elation.

True gratitude is a quiet state of poise and inner calm where you are truly thankful, where you sense the Divine order and wouldn’t want anything to change. Gratitude is a true prayer of thanksgiving. But there are two types of thanksgiving and they are both very different.

The first type of thanksgiving is often false. It arises when you are dissatisfied with life. It is represented by, “Oh god/universe/world, this is all messed up. Please fix it!”

The second type of thanksgiving is real. It arises when you are truly thankful for what has already been given. With this type of thanksgiving you recognize the order and perfection of what is. As a result you receive ever more gifts. To those who ‘have’ (gratitude) more is given. To those who ‘have not’ (ingratitude) more is taken away. Having gifts taken away as a result of ingratitude helps us wake up to the importance of being grateful.

5 Tips on how to show Gratitude

1. Say ‘Thank you’ – There is no limit to how many times you can thank a person, including yourself, and while it may only be two simple words, their meaning is universal and their effects can be profound.
2. Write a special note- Sometimes our best thoughts and ideas are those we do not try to edit, so let the message you write come to you in the moment. There is no need for the words to make sense to anyone else but the person it is intended for.
3. Treat yourself – The greatest relationship we will ever have is with ourselves, and it is wise to take the time to show ourselves that we are grateful for who we are and what we choose to be. How you treat yourself all depends on what you like, for some there would be nothing better than a treatment at their favorite spa, for others a new computer will do the trick.
4. Smile – a smile can be contagious if it comes from the heart and often tells a person so much more than what words can say. Giving the gift of a smile can be a great way to show you are grateful.
5. Give a gift that counts – the power of a gift when it comes to being a token of gratitude is ultimately the thought that goes into it. Take the time to really look at who the gift is intended for and what they value most in life. Everyone wants to be loved and appreciated for who they are. If you get a gift that really speaks to their values it is likely to be remembered forever!

Living through gratitude will awaken your heart and equilibrate your emotions allowing you to become inspired and enthused by your life once again.

By Dr John F Demartini

For more information on Dr Demartini, The Demartini Institute and Dr Demartini’s upcoming SA Tours visit www.drdemartini.com

REDUCE YOUR AUTOMATIC NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND INCREASE YOUR POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Your ANTs [Automatic negative Thoughts] are comments like ‘I cannot communicate’, ‘They do not like me’ or ‘They think it is my fault’.

In order to nullify ANT’s try and identify the situations in which they occur.  Your automatic negative thoughts may trigger deeper negative emotions or counter-productive behaviour.  These in turn could set off further negative thoughts.

As your ANT’s have probably been recurring for a long period of time, and are therefore deep rooted, it would be easier to manage them than to try and put an end to them.  Do not expect them to disappear overnight.  It is possible to manage them.  They might re-occur from time to time, but you can prevent them from taking you into that negative territory.

Observe your Automatic Negative Thoughts objectively.  Recognise them and the situations in which they occur.

If you can recognise the situation, you should be able to recognise the ‘approach’ to those situations.  By recognising that inner voice you can prevent the slide into negativity.  Recognise that the process has begun, turn and walk away and cut off the thought immediately.  Do this literally if you have to. Distance yourself from the thought.  Another way is to calmly ‘let it go’; do not pay any more attention to it. Return your focus to the task at hand.

Meditation is a great destroyer of Automatic Negative Thoughts.  Through meditation you recognise the ANT’s, and you recognise the stages in which the ANT’s present themselves.  You are therefore able to alienate yourself from the ANT’s as they start to occur.  Many meditative techniques are focused on ‘Impartial Observation’ of thoughts, as it is called.

A friend of mine, wears a rubber band around her wrist watch strap, and whenever an ANT begins to emerge she plucks the rubber band against her wrist strap.

We can use short positive statements to challenge ANT’s, to be replaced by self-nurturing beliefs.  These are commonly called affirmations.  Simply put, it is a kind of self-brainwashing, to wash away your chosen negative thoughts.

Every thought you think and every word you say is an affirmation.  It is said that 90% of those thoughts are negative!

Using positive affirmation statements will help to keep us focused on our goals and remind us to think consciously about our words and thoughts.

Affirmations are used extensively in self help programmes.

Positive affirmations are designed to challenge negative beliefs and thoughts and halt the flow that confirms them.  They are a process of becoming aware of your daily thoughts and words and redirecting your ANT’s into a positive and happier design.  The more you consciously insert the affirmations into your daily thoughts and words, the quicker they will work for you.

Write a few positive statements.  They must be positive and in the present tense.  Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want.

Example: If I want to be happy and successful in my job. The affirmation might look like this: “I have a fantastic job and it makes me feel successful.”

If there is a problem in your past life that makes you feel insecure in certain situations.

The affirmation may be, “I am ready and willing to release the past. Now!”

Some people use affirmation ‘post it’s’ (those little yellow note-it pads).  Write your affirmations on some of those and place them where you will see them; on the fridge door, or on your dressing mirror.  When you see the post-it – do not ignore it but read the contents to yourself.

Another way is to quote your affirmations to yourself whilst looking at yourself in the mirror.  By looking directly at yourself in the eye, in the mirror and saying the affirmation, you will be magnifying the importance of the message to yourself.

I have had people sing and chant affirmations!  You’re welcome to try this, but choose your time, not in the bus!

Repeat your affirmations with passion, believe in your statement.  They will be more effective in this manner.

Examples of Automatic Negative Thoughts

• Over Generalisation – ‘I never get things right’; ‘They are always teasing me’; ‘I will never get there on time.’
• All or Nothing – Viewing things in the extreme.  Right or wrong, good or bad.
• Personalising – blaming yourself for something that has nothing to do with you.
• Exaggeration – Making things seem worse than they really are.
• Mind reading – Assuming other people’s thoughts before they discuss them.
• Fortune telling – It’s never worked before therefore why should it work this time.
• Emotional reasoning – ‘I feel incapable therefore I am incapable’; ‘I feel fat therefore I am fat’.
• Filtering – Focusing on the negatives and ignoring the positives.

Examples of Affirmations

• Health – ‘Every cell in my body vibrates with energy and health.’
• Success – ‘I succeed in everything I do.’
• Romance –‘I attract happy and meaningful relationships.’
• Weight loss – ‘I am the ideal weight for me.’
• Self esteem – ‘I am my own unique self, special, creative and wonderful.’
• Peace – ‘I am at peace with myself.’

Argue with Yourself

• Ask your Ant for Evidence – ‘What is my objective evidence?’
• Ask if the ANT is an exaggeration – ‘Am I over reacting or over generalising?’
• Alternatives – ‘Are there other explanations?’
• Empowering – ‘Is this ANT empowering or counter-productive?’
• Reversed Roles – ‘How would I evaluate other people who performed as I did?’

By ROB LINDEGGER

Member of COMENSA (Coaching and mentoring Association of South Africa),  The International Mentoring Association ECI (European Coaching Institute).

Rob’s work is focused on life coaching, stress coaching, redundancy & career, self-motivation, self-development and retirement coaching. He also holds private retreats in the Southern Drakensberg.

Web address: www.impactcoaching.co.za
Email address: grow@impactcoaching.co.za
Cell: 082 920 4827
Fax: 086 668 0517

Weighing In
Finding “body balance” is more important and, ultimately more aesthetically pleasing, than the “body beautiful”, says Lorunna Jansen Van Vuuren

In class one morning during Baddha Konasana (the Butterfly Pose) I asked my yoga students to turn their feet up so that they could see the soles of their feet. I then asked them to gently and lovingly stroke their feet, conveying to them (their feet) that they were gratefulto them for carrying their weight around all day, every day.

My students just sat staring at me, with question marks on their faces. Was I serious? Had I finally lost my sanity? To me, it was a pretty normal instruction, but this request puzzled them and some students even started giggling. I reminded everyone that in all the years leading up to that very moment their feet had probably never been thanked. Our feet that offer support, balance and grounding never ever really appreciated or even considered. Our feet that hold our weight, both physically and emotionally, and we walk on them in a state of unawareness of what they do and represent.

The metaphor of feet as an anchor that holds us together and connects us to earth and to life at large can be paralleled to that opposite pole of the body – the mind. The two are inextricably linked. Perhaps it is our reluctance to thank our feet and reflect daily on the burden they carry for us that mirrors our inability to really love and accept our physical form and the physical and emotional “weights” that we carry.

The ongoing illusion fed to us through the media is that we will all be happy when we are thin. Thin is healthy, thin is sexy, the media tells us time and time again, and yet, we do not see the maya or illusion that is well at play here. If you look to nature, certainly all the flowers don’t look the same, it is their individuality that precisely makes each one beautiful. And it is the same with people.

Optimum health exists when the body is in a state of balance and a balanced body is always at the weight it should be. When you look into the mirror, what is it you see? The media’s definition of what thin and sexy is – the typical “body beautiful”? Or perhaps, if you are lucky, the real you looking back at you? When you start seeing the real you, the body literally begins to morph into the image which the self holds to be true – a body that’s balanced and beautiful reflecting right back at you.

This is the healthy, happy view to pursue that is more wholesome, balanced and grounded than those of fad diets, appetite suppressants or plain starvation and something far more uplifting for the feet to bear and carry through.

The wonder of our human differences is found in different measures and pertain to certain tendencies that determine our individual constitutions. Take those of the Ayurvedic Doshas and the air quality of Vatta, the fire quality of Pitta, and water qualities of Khapa that are present in each of us in different degrees. The most beneficial form of Vatta is Prana representing our primal life force, of Pitta is our inner radiance and of Khapa is Ojas, our primal vigour. We naturally strive to have each in the desired quantities for our individual balance and, this balance we seek is also actually for our survival, as seeking balance is an evolutionary trait.

These elements of earth, water, fire and air also rule our emotional lives and can further be seen through the kaleidoscope that is astrology and the planetary influences that affect our make-up. For some it is always easier to let go and shed the emotional baggage we carry than for others. For example a water sign will hold on to things a lot longer than a fire sign will; an earth sign will be more prone to stubborness than an air sign.

Our emotional worlds trigger within us behaviours that try to counter the experience of negative emotion. This affects how we “feed” ourselves both physically and emotionally. Too many people know unhappy over-eaters or equally unhappy under-eaters. Being off balance internally will do this but, when you start to tune into how the body and mind work together through your yoga, it can serve as a motivator and accelerator toward positive action, understanding and finding that healthy, happy weight” where we can finally thank, love and appreciate our feet – bunions, warts and all.

With awareness all negative tendencies and habits that limit our ideas of the self, both outer and inner, can be changed or broken. Success does not lie in denying yourself but in coming to understand your balanced predisposition to weight. Until you have a fundamental knowledge of yourself, not just your likes and dislikes, but the nature of your being, you’ll always be waging a battle against yourself where weight is concerned, and this is not what the gift of life is about.

According to the Tao, “When life is simple – pretences fall away – then our essential nature shines through”. So we see that it is our essential natures that we should rather seek and not an image in the mirror. The benefits of pursuing nobility of character and equipoise far outweighs being thin and sexy. How do I know? My feet told me so.

“I Forgive You”
Bev Moss turns the key on forgiveness and explains how to let go of the negative emotions that hold us back…

The vast majority of people have a misconception of what “forgiveness” really means. People say “I have nothing to forgive”, or “I don’t want to forgive”, or, “I’ll forgive, but never forget”.

L et’s face it, we can’t undo what has been done – it’s in the past – but, when you don’t forgive or acknowledge that you have something to forgive, you keep yourself in a kind of metaphysical prison – your soul is trapped and you begin to slowly fade into a state of nothingness. When we are in this state of unforgiveness we actually physically manifest the pain – we look older, we can’t get up in the mornings or go to bed as easily at night and we allow life-limiting illnesses into our lives and physical pain ensues.

We need to be pro-active and courageous in the moment our negative thoughts and feelings arise and begin a process of slowly becoming detached from the pain.

Understanding our emotions
Guilt is a very powerful and deadening emotion. Guilt in itself can, as it were, close down the energy systems of your body, and thereby lessen, and in extreme cases, even cut off the flow of divine energy and love to the body entirely.

Your pain has got nothing to do with others – it is all yours. If you are hurt, you are hurting because of your own self as only you have the power to make yourself feel a specific way. What has happened in the past can’t be undone just because you wished it were so and therefore we have to do something about it. Guilt is a wasteful emotion – it’s what we do with it that becomes important.

Those guilty, negative, destructive, belittling self thoughts you may be having because you cannot or will not forgive also just start setting you up to be hurt again, so we must ask why we keep holding onto the feelings of extreme unhappiness that it causes and learn to let go. But first we must take control.

Taking Control
If you keep acting in the same unforgiving way and keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what it is you’ve always received. So start changing what you are doing and the place to start is with your thoughts. Become intimately aware of your thoughts because your reality is actually just a sum total of the thoughts that you think.

Every time you think a negative thought like “life is a struggle”, it sends this message to every cell in your body. This is the message your entire being is resonating with and therefore receiving, and this thought further gets sent out into the universe. It’s a natural law of science that like attracts like, so you are creating this reality and your life becomes a struggle on many levels.

When you find it impossible to forgive another, you remain energetically connected to that person and you are allowing the pain, the abuse and the trauma to remain with you. Forgiveness is not something you can or cannot do. It is simply a matter of choosing to change your thoughts, beliefs and ideas about a given situation or person in your life.

The best part of solving this problem of forgiveness is that you have this choice. You can either choose to stay where you are in life, stuck as the victim, martyr, the not-good-enough, the I-don’t-deserve or whoever it is you call yourself or, you can take your power back and start taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and actions. When you change yourself, your world will change for the better too.

Letting Go
The word “forgiveness” simply means “to let go” and “release”, but we find ourselves clinging to that other negative emotion called anger. People would rather stay angry at a person than forgive them.

When you forgive someone else, you are actually releasing yourself from them and not the other way round. Suppressed or repressed anger is more lethal to you than owning a weapon – over a period of time suppressed anger creates illness and disease in the body. So we must learn to let go.

Change Requires Changing
Some people are too scared to realise their full potential and become the whole person they really are. So, the only decision that you have to make regarding forgiveness is: “Am I willing to let go of the pain, or will I allow this situation to continue to persecute me?”

Be aware of the areas in which you hold judgements, fears, angers and all the old patterns and emotions that keep you stuck. Be committed to self-knowledge and start harvesting that willingness to forgive. As we practice forgiveness our anger, judgements and fears become less charged. Practising forgiveness is a wonderful process as it gives you the power to live in your compassionate heart. When you let go, you free yourself up to be the person that you really are, and are better able to realise your potential.

The Promise of Forgiveness
True forgiveness only comes from a guiltless heart. It comes from a soul that has truly forgiven itself and is in the full light of selfacceptance. Forgiveness is a choice as is the choice not to forgive and it is an important aspect of spiritual growth. Forgiveness hands you the key to the light of your soul.

Forgiveness creates harmony in the universe because you give yourself as well as another the passport to more freedom and joy. You’ll become increasingly joyous and begin loving who you are and what you do again and live in the light of your truth.

Through forgiveness we can manifest love and this love is growth and, with growth, you eventually attain wholeness of being. Forgiveness of others and self-acceptance are the keys to surviving the upheavals of a turbulent world. Forgiveness is a quality of grace that allows joy and light to flow. Learning to forgive will teach you much about yourself and will empower you to live with compassion. Look within. That is where you will find the answers. Get in touch with the God within, and let the God
within shine without.

Confessions of a Modern-Day Yogi
Smoking, drinking and profanities aside, Ashleigh Caradas asks what it means to be a yogi living in modern times..

The word “yogi” to many people conjures up images of saffron-robed, serene-faced, Buddha-type beings sitting in the full lotus upon a rock or high mountain top. While meditation is as integral to yoga as breath is to life, the modern-day yogi is more likely a business suite-clad executive, cell-phone in one hand and yoga mat in the other. What we learn through our spiritual journeys is that it doesn’t matter whether you have denounced the material world or whether you have embraced it; a true yogi is able to apply the principles of yoga to just about any way of living.

According to the ancient Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the great yoga sage, the purpose of yoga is “to surrender the projections of the mind”. This, as most would agree, is a tough feat in present times where urbanisation and city life seems to have been built on the cornerstones of worry, anxiety and doubt. We try stilling the mind through meditation only to get bored and frustrated within minutes. A part of us says we don’t need it and that it’s not all that necessary, but, more and more, people are drawn towards it – if only as a means to alleviate this anxiety and stress! As with most natural laws however, it usually turns out that everything you desire comes to you in good time.

That’s how it was for me. After some time f physical “mat practice”, the realisation that what yoga offers is more than just a form of exercise, came to me on a three month long adventure to the land where yoga originated – India. It was in Goa that I understood yoga to be less concerned with judgements, lifestyle choices and the ability to bend yourself into an impressive pretzel-like pose and rather, and more accurately, as a solid framework for life that’s about living and loving well, and obviously too with a high regard for honesty (hence these confessions!).

There I was in laid-back, liberal Goa on a yoga teachers training course with a frightfully small portion of my wardrobe I might add, some beauty accessories (including my GHD hair iron, of course), large quantities of medicinal supplies, a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi in one hand and my MacBook in the other when, at last, I got it! But it wasn’t a smack-inyour- face revelation either, but rather an unfolding of truth as my learning progressed and still continues today.

Surrounded by these eclectic “Westernites”, all fun-loving, travelling, modern hippies from around the globe – some eating meat, smoking and drinking alcohol, many using profanities but all sharing this love of yoga and its learning – these travellers became my teachers and, each one, a mirror for my in-built prejudices, as these were hardly those Budhha-type exemplary yogis, that I too had once imagined.

One of the first things you learn in yoga is about the eight limbs of yoga of which the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances) are a part. These “attitudes for living” provided me ample learning ground and insights into the maya (illusion) that had been clouding my mind.

While Ahimsa or non violence is about not eating meat, I discovered it’s also about not pushing ourselves too hard towards an ideal of perfection. Satya, or truth, teaches about not falling into self-deception and rather being honest about who you are – your limitations and gifts. The other Yamas teach equally these truths about finding a way “to surrender the projections of the mind”, as Patanjali taught, and it applied as vividly to my experiences in India as it does in everyday life.

I have found that Bramacharya, or “walking with the Divine”, is not about making more rules and more “do’s and don’ts” even if what you are doing is deemed wrong by religion. Rather it means choosing our expressions in the world with awareness of God.

Asteya simply meaning “not taking or not grasping”, with the most obvious translation being “not stealing”, instead to me today represents not trying to take what is not available to me, but rather being open to receive what it is I truly desire and believing that abundance will flow.

Aparigraha, which means to be unpossessive, has taught me that in addition to being unattached to our possessions and the “stuff” of our material lives, it also means we should be unattached to our identities and our beliefs about ourselves.

It became clear to me that while meditation is one goal of yoga and asana practice a means to discipline our bodies to attain that goal, it’s what we do as yogis off our mats that is equal to and also more important.

I feel less guilty today about those things I’m not supposed to do and also more aware of how to not go about doing them. I’m also more attuned to the things that I should be doing – the Niyamas. And, having broken free from the maya surrounding what it is to be a modern-day yogi, I am embracing myself as I am, with all my flaws
and ungraces.

But, having said that, what I should be doing then is leaving this Svadhyaya (self investigation) and Tapasya (burning enthusiasm) for another time, surrendering (Ishvarapranidhana) a while, so I can find my Shaucha (purity) again and then a dash of Samtosa (equanimity) for my soul. Thank you yoga for understanding me though, and until then…