I know this time in isolation can pull on the chords of our emotions on all levels and each of you will have your own unique experience. One big part of Ayurveda and Yoga is a gratitude practice that is believed to shift states of consciousness and there is now the support of this through research in the Positive Psychology world. We may sometimes do this out of obligation and without emotion or feelings that may come out in a robotic manner.
The word emotion comes from the Latin word Emovre, to be moved. Another way of seeing it is that e-motion is energy in motion. In Ayurveda, emotions are looked at how they are stored in the tissues and organs. Everything that enters our awareness and system, people, experiences, food, media and so on have to be digested and if they are not it can cause indigestion and blockages within the physical and energetic body. Dr. Vasant Lad, an Ayurvedic Doctor and teacher states, “Emotions are like mangos. We have to learn to ripen them and then juice them. When emotions are juiced, they are deeply nourishing. Even sweet.”
The practice of gratitude with emotion can shift the way that we look at our lives, experiences, and families. It is a practice I have been doing with my family and spouse and truly has shifted the dynamics of these relationships for me. I unconsciously used to identify for many years the archetypal role of a victim. I also spiritually bypassed difficult emotions of grief, of not being good enough, failure, and the victim mentality of suffering from illness. Through this practice, it has been empowering for me to shift the role of victim and to compassionately learn from my experiences and grow. Each of us here carry our stories and we are all always shifting and expanding. Each of them a unique blueprint to make us the person, we are today.
For this practice of gratitude you can start by dropping into the body and the heart, it helps when you place your palms there and feeling what it is that you are grateful for. You can verbally express it and I recommend writing it down for the next 40 days. The consistency of this allows this to become a habit. If a person comes into your mind that brings the feeling of gratitude please share it with them.
I am truly grateful for each of you and your unique gifts. I hope today that you find beauty and gratitude.
Comments
Post a Comment