Hi there.
Let's take a deep breath in together,
Shall we?
Let's exhale.
Inhale,
You amazing person.
And let it go.
Welcome to a hit of hope.
And fair warning,
This one has some salty language in it.
I am a wee bit intense.
I try and hide that fact,
Which is why I was tempted to burn an old picture of me that I came across recently.
It was taken at a volleyball game when I was in high school,
And I am literally jumping off the bleachers,
Pumping one fist,
And cheering wildly.
I wanted to burn that picture when I saw it because this part of myself brings me shame.
I wanted to tell that girl to sit down and be quiet.
After all,
Being Zen,
Ever quiet and always composed,
Is what I'm after,
Right?
In yoga,
There is a Sanskrit term called pratipaksha bhavana,
And it's something I've mentioned before.
It's roughly translated as practice the opposite thought.
I saw this picture.
I experienced shame and wanted to burn it.
So what did I do?
Pratipaksha bhavana means I posted it to Facebook instead.
Why?
Because there is much to celebrate in that girl.
I miss her.
That girl who wasn't afraid to let her intensity show.
I miss her passion,
And I want to do what she does.
Cheer on the good things.
Get a little wild now and then.
Practicing the opposite thought is critical because it asks us to open up our perspective,
To see things from a different point of view.
That is important now more than ever,
On a global scale,
Certainly,
But also on a personal scale.
We are told again and again what's wrong with us,
Sometimes by those that should love us unconditionally,
Like family or religions.
We also get told what is wrong with us by almost every single advertisement.
They say we need to buy this,
Inject that,
Eat only this in order to get back our youth,
Because if we look old or are a certain size,
Well why not just curl up and die?
No,
Thank you.
Of course there have probably been other disconfirming voices that have cut us down over the years,
Our own included.
Who do you think you are?
These voices ask.
It's easy to wilt in the face of those voices,
To shrink,
To question our worthiness,
To hate parts of who we are.
Practice the opposite thought.
Who do you think you are?
When you answer that question please do not add extra claws to the fight inside.
Be on your own side.
Magnify the good,
Celebrate the weird,
Honor the courageousness,
And for God's sake,
Please be gentle with what you see as your flaws.
I know we always hear that,
But seriously,
Think of yourself as a butterfly or a tiny child or some other beautiful thing so capable of being hurt and broken.
If a unicorn was hurting,
Would you come up and beat on it with a bat?
Fuck no,
So don't do it to yourself.
And then when others are questioning their worth,
When they are vulnerable and authentic,
Can you help them to practice the opposite thought,
Rather than handing them a can of gas and a box of matches?
Can you be a safe person for them?
Can you magnify their good?
Can you celebrate who they are,
Uplifting them,
Cheering them on?
So let me celebrate you.
Let me uplift and cheer you on.
You are feckin' fierce.
You are bad ass.
You,
The real you,
Are amazing.
Believe me,
You are amazing.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Live light.
