This time of year the world thinks of love - relationships - and chocolate 🍫🥰. It seems there are extreme feelings on each side of Valentine's Day - Those who love a time to spend extra attention on their true love - Others feeling reminded that a true love relationship is not a part of their current environment - and multiple feelings in between. Regardless of our relationship status this time of year, we spend time thinking of love. A great way to share love to the world - is to love ourselves - and let it shine through.
There are many relationships in the world - family - friends - valentines - business - school - frenemies - enemies - love and hate are two extremes - but they both have an opportunity to dwell on our hearts. We spend a lot of time festering in emotions. Our emotions are valid. Sometimes we allow others to control our emotions without them even knowing it. So, now is the time to regain your power - your love - and find that you can bring your bright shining light into the world.
One thing life has taught me is Nothing and No One is Perfect! Not me - not my husband - not my children - not my parents - not my siblings - NO ONE! Yet, a lot of times we feel trapped in a mind warp that our lives need perfection. It takes daily attention to keep our minds and hearts focused on seeing and being love and light to ourselves - and the world around us. The other day, several little things went wrong - I don't even remember them all - and then - as many of you may have experienced - The Final Straw - happened - the last thing to go wrong - and my emotions took over. I was not nice to my family - and it wasn't their fault - they just happened to be in my presence when I reached my tipping point. Am I proud of being rude and saying unkind words to those I truly love - NO! Did it happen anyway? Yes! Again - no one is perfect - and I had to apologize to my family for my behavior. But, you know what? They still love me. Why? Because they know we all make mistakes.
Everyday we have a choice on where we put our focus - on our past, our future, or our present. Yoga brings us into mindfulness - to assess our thoughts, our feelings, our bodies - noticing everyday. When we spend our time dwelling in the what-ifs and mistakes, theres not a lot of time for being in the Now. Some ways we can focus on the now - and bring love and peace to ourselves and then others -
1. Find something about ourselves to feel thankful for, love for, happiness for everyday. We spend a lot of time talking negatively to ourselves, and we then allow those thoughts to possess us. Research shows the more we spend in gratitude, the happier we are. Some positive mantras to enhance our well being: I am Love, I am Light - I am Loved - I am Healthy - I am Strong! Feeling and owning every word!
2. Feeling love for everyone around us. That means everyone. We don't know everyone's story - what they've been through, their current situation. Maybe their unkindness to us was a reaction to other things that had gone wrong and built up tension and bitterness, and we just happened to be in the path of their emotional turmoil that day. The more time we spend blessing those we've felt hurt from (they don't even have to know you're praying blessings on them, but your heart will), the better we heal, and feel more peace. Some positive mantras to keep our minds focused on loving others: No one is perfect - Faith over Fear - We are different, and that's OK - The world needs everyone's spirit.
3. We all can only do the best we can each day. Everyday we have an opportunity to be a shining light of kindness. Some days our lights shine brighter than others. Have compassion for days when darkness creeps in on us, and feel our internal Light keeping us strong.
4. Random Acts of Kindness - some days we wake up overwhelmed. Instead of allowing our self pity to take over, make an effort to do something kind to at least 3 people. Maybe it's just opening the door for someone, sharing a smile with a stranger, being an ear or shoulder for a friend. These may seem like small things, but can create a ripple effect of love.
5. Pray. Whatever our religious beliefs are, many believe in a higher power. When days seem to not be going well for me, my only hope is in a loving God who helps me through everyday. Knowing He is with me, gives me strength to conquer the world - to not take things personally - to allow grace and mercy to flow through to me and others.
I love finding yoga poses that allow me to feel more peaceful and open to all the love around me. The following yoga flow helps us find openness, strength and release to conquer whatever life brings us today.
This pic collage shows several of the poses in the flow -
These poses are some of the more basic poses in yoga - but are standard poses for a reason - they help us notice the body and adjust to a place of peace - depending on how we feel each day. I had a yoga student mention how he needed yoga to check in and notice the parts of his body that were off. Take some time to flow through these fun yoga poses and feel a deeper connection with your body.
As we allow peace and love to flow through us, this doesn't mean we are creating an invitation for unhealthy relationships. Being able to find peace within helps us recognize when we encounter toxic individuals whose negativity bring us down and clouds our brightness. Creating a safe haven around us isn't easy. There are times we must enter into the space of those who don't bring us peace. But, filling our cups with inner strength to encounter the world around us is important. With each breath of affirmation, we are able to stand strong!
Sometimes we blame the world around us when we have our emotional breakdowns, and never feel responsibility for our actions. As we find healing and strength to acknowledge our own weaknesses, we can help others find their own light. Being gentle as we help others shine their lights brighter helps us all feel better each day. The other day one of my friends posted this picture - The caption was - Be someone that straightens your friend's crown without ever letting anyone know it was crooked -
Regardless of what life brings us today - let us shine peace and love to the world. I read this passage each day to remind me that I'm not perfect, but the Perfect One, humbled himself to take my flaws as His own. I have hope and peace because of His Love -
Happy Valentine's Day to you all! May you feel inner peace and love and shine it bright to everyone around you each and every day ❤️