Courage to be Authentic
What if it never occurred to us to be anything other than who we are?
Imagine that we didn’t accept the opinions of others as truth.
Everything is in perfect order and timing. The key to realizing this poetry in motion and ultimately finding the “flow” is our perception. Perception and acceptance is paramount. The Serenity Prayer outlines this divine guidance brilliantly:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference
Our perspective is limited by the feelings we prescribe to situations. Our feelings shape our agreements that we make with ourselves. These agreements become our beliefs. We shape most of these beliefs before our prefrontal cortex is fully developed (around 21-25 years old). This means that our beliefs are mostly set by our Amygdala. The amygdala is part of the limbic system of the brain, which is involved with emotions and other reactions to stimuli. Our amygdala is old. It has been called the “reptile brain”. It is responsible for our fight, flight or freeze response. When confronted by a sabretooth tiger this function served us well, and still does in some situations. When stuck in rush-hour traffic on a Friday or confronted by a stranger, sometimes even the smallest of trigger, we get set off.
Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha: Yoga is the silencing of the modifications/ fluxuations of the mind
Since I have dedicated the time to myself to meditate I can see those agreements. I can see those knee jerk reactions. You know the ones?... the responses we make that after we think, “oh, why did I do that?” Some of the agreements I made aren’t even mine. The thing is, they aren’t my mom’s or dad’s either… somewhere these beliefs were made and passed on, or new traumatic events caused new beliefs to be made and passed on. I am beginning to see all the layers. Through this process I have found my truth, my purpose, and my passion. I have found strenghs I didn’t know I had and have found the power to transform weaknesses into strengths. This process has allowed me to connect with a part of me that has been gone since childhood.
It has been said that one cannot truly love another until they love them self. I can honestly say that I love me. Can you? This is a constant practice, as the above Yoga Sutra number 2.1 states the mind fluxuates and changes due to our sensory intake. This is why to receive the benefits of meditation (yoga = oneness) we must PRACTICE daily. Remembering that it is a practice and the only “bad” meditation is the one we don’t show up for. If you need help getting started consider coming to the Little House on Tuesday’s at 10:15am for group practice, or book a private session at catherine@cwhealing.com