“Why being yourself is more important than being positive.” – Anita Moorjani

The difference is a point of view I am interested in understanding more; here’s why.  

Anita Moorjani mentions that telling ourselves or others to act and think more positively is like subconsciously stating imperfection or needing to be better.  

Shifting the focus on being more yourself frees up trying to fix what probably does not even need fixing. You might be trying to unravel someone else’s projections on who you should be or live up to someone else’s expectations which I’m sure you can agree would be like trying to finish a puzzle with pieces missing.  

I just finished reading the book “The Courage to Be Disliked” it’s about a philosopher and a youth debating how most problems stem from interpersonal relationships. Things like:

  • Caring too much about what others think. 
  • Living as others would want rather than own individual choices.   
  • Feeling incompetent, seeking approval, etc.

There are many ways in which focusing on others can prevent one from living courageously to their full potential.     

Having the courage to live happy, authentic lives hinge on retraining your mind to accept yourself as you are and, in turn, to accept others as they are. Anita Moojani suggests five lessons: 

1. Love Yourself – cause when you do, your energy lifts. Treat not only yourself but everyone and everything better. 

  • Inspiration to improve
  • Energy and strength bubble from within. 
  • Other people’s projections will be like water off a duck’s back. Their words and actions won’t affect you. 
  • You become resilient.  

 

2. Live Life Fearlessly- From love sprouts empowerment. 

  • Love makes you feel safe, rather than a fear-based need for security. 
  • Fear is constricting, but love, Joy and Happiness are expanding.
  • Life reflects what you project out. 
  • When you send out loving vibes, they come back. Smile genuinely at someone, and they smile back. 

 

 

3. Laugh – When you laugh and see the humour in our human-ness, you soften, tension dissolves, barriers melt .

  • The more you accept who you are in every moment, You own it, and that is empowering 
  • When you are happy, You are more forgiving and understanding. 

 

 

 

4. Life is a Gift, not a chore

  • When you laugh and love life, you see more beauty around you. 
  • Challenges become your teachers, guiding you to grow, change, and be true to yourselves. 
  • A butterfly was once a caterpillar. 

 

 

 

5. Be the Best Version of Yourself

  • Shine your light as brightly as you can. 
  • Get to know who you are.  
  • Embrace your uniqueness. 
  • Love yourself unconditionally and 
  • Live your life fearlessly. 

 

 

Practicing Mindfulness is Your doorway to Being Yourself:

Mindfulness is how you access the above five lessons. Getting your mind to notice is another skill, like training your biceps or core muscles to be strong. Concentration, attention, awareness, recognising, and seeing are all types of muscles that require the same amount of commitment to developing strength.    

Holding steady while you witness your thoughts or feelings, even your triggers (Shenpa), is essential to finding peace and contentment. Buddist Monk Pema Chodron explains we have thousands of them.  

When you see your shenpa, you shift from reacting to responding. Or being able to recognise what is your stuff to deal with and what is simply expectations or projections.   

Monday 6:45 pm evening class has shifted to “Slow Stretch and Breathe”. Teacher Anna-Lisa has introduced pranayama (controlling breath) practices.

  • prana: life-principle; the breath of life; energy
  • ayama: restraint or control

These practices help to strengthen the connection between body and mind increasing awareness and refining your sensitivity to physical, mental and energetic sensations.    

So much research now covers the extraordinary benefits of better breathing besides increasing mindfulness.  

  • decreases stress  
  • improves sleep 
  • reduces high blood pressure 
  • improves lung function
  • enhances cognitive performance
  • reduces cravings  

At the end of each ‘Slow, Stretch and Breath’ class will spend up to 10 mins exploring different pranayama practices. Please note that all the breathing practices will calm the nervous system, so you head home for a better night’s rest. All are welcome to join.