I recently read the following quote in a 2005 book written by Mary Doria Russell —
When the preponderance of human beings choose to act with justice and generosity and kindness,
then learning and love and decency prevail. When the preponderance of human beings choose
power, greed, and indifference to suffering, the world is filled with war, poverty, and cruelty.
Russell’s claim requires mass human consciousness to be flooded with positive sensations, emotions, and thoughts, which in turn trigger the expression of positive feelings, words, and actions. This thinking is not new knowledge. In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale wrote the hugely popular self-help book titled The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living. Peale encouraged people to cultivate a peaceful mind as a means of living a successful, contented life. More recently, authors such as Louise Hay, Tony Robbins, and Pema Chodrin, to name only a few, share this same philosophy that positive thoughts and words directly affect physical and mental well-being. Yoga teachings also share this same belief. Indeed, I speculate that a large percentage of humans follow suit and no longer believe “Spare the rod, spoil the child,” but instead hold as true the affirmation “A child raised with love becomes a loving adult.”
Affirmations or mantras are positive thoughts and words intended to retrain our minds away from fear and negativity into loving kindness and positive well-being. An age-old example is “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all”, which is a famous moral lesson spoken by Thumper in the 1942 Disney movie *Bambi*. Arguably, as humans, we have been battling our negative minds for millennia. Imagine the world we will create when our collective positive state of mind is stronger than our negative impulses.
In yoga vernacular, an affirmation is called a mantra. Mantras are chanted repeatedly either silently or outloud. This practice trains our minds toward positive feelings and outcomes like peace, love, and joy by disrupting negative thoughts and actions. Over the years, I have successfully practiced repeating a mantra during my daily meditation to bring myself into a calmer, more peaceful state of being. Currently, I am working with this mantra — “I let go of all control and rest in ease and peace”.
To help you face a fear that you have been avoiding, write an affirmation or mantra that reframes the negative fear or limitation into a positive belief. Understand that when we are in training, we get to fake it until we make it. In time and with practice, the positive words will become positive deeds. Below are some examples.
Daily Affirmations for Positivity
“I am capable”.
“I choose to see the good in myself and others”.
“I have the power to change my story”.
“I radiate positive energy and vitality”.
“I am in control of my own happiness”.
“I possess the strength and resilience to overcome any challenge”.
“I am worthy of love, respect, and success”.
“I choose to think positively about situations that trouble me”.
“I trust myself and my process”.
“Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real”.
Or try my modification of a favourite Louise Hay — “Life loves me, and so do I“.
For more yoga actions and teachings, click here. Namaste.
