Affirmations

What happens if I ask you NOT to think about a pink elephant????????????

Yes I know - so what you think counts - like most of us you've probably spent a large part of your life doing negative hypnosis or affirmations on yourself - so why not go the other way for a while.

The mistress of the affirmation has to be Louise Hay "You Can Heal Your Life" I love the way she offers - "I love myself" and if it feels all wrong or just a bit phoney change it to "I'm willing to learn to love myself" - feel easier - of course so in other words be gentle with yourself as you learn these new skills.

If it’s more your style - "Even though I am totally crap in social situations I totally love and accept myself".

Or from barefoot doctor - "It's ok to mentally beat myself up so long as I am enjoying it and either way I am still not a bad chappy in fact I scrub up pretty well and can even be delectably dapper and lots of fun on a good day"

In other words make it real and make it real for you!

One of the best ways to programme in your affirmations is through self hypnosis I have a great method which is on Learning to Relax is the most popular download I have - all you is repeat your affirmations when I give you the queue - try it!

Exhausting your inner critic is one of the best tips I've had on affirmations - received via Bill O'Hanlon that he got from a book by Sondra Ray called "I Deserve Love."

It's a method of doing affirmations that goes beyond just repeating positive phrases to oneself ("Every day in every way things are getting better and better."): Write out (or say out loud) a new belief or attitude you want to develop or incorporate, like: "I now have a great and loving relationship." Or "I now have a career I love."
Insert your name into it to "re-program" your unconscious mind. For example, "I, Bill, now have more than enough money, a flat stomach and six-pack abs."

Then do the affirmation using three different pronouns:
"I, Bill, now have more than enough money, a flat stomach and six-pack abs.
He, Bill, now has more than enough money.
You, Bill, now have more than enough money, a flat stomach and six-pack abs."
(The idea behind using these three forms is that you originally got "programmed" by telling yourself limiting or negative ideas, being told them by others and overhearing them discussed by others, so you have to challenge them on those three levels.)

Now if you don't buy the "re-programming your unconscious" or "you create reality by your beliefs" bit, each time you write or say the affirmation, dispute it. Let your mind come up with any objections: "No way. You've always handled money poorly, Bill, and will always be in debt and you're in mid-life, so you'll never be able to exercise enough to have a flat stomach or six-pack abs." Or "I don't know. I like cheesecake and lying around reading a bit too much to be wealthy or svelte." Or "This is just a bunch of New-Age tripe." Or "This will never work." Or "You're such a loser. This is a waste of time." Keep going until your mind no longer has any new objections or until it falls silent

I liked that.

I also love Tony Robbins’ slant on it. Tony talks about getting excited (his talks are all about getting excited and I totally get his point). Think about this - someone who suffers PTSD gets and imprint on their mind because they've witnesses a horrible event while in fight flight mode, in other words are physiologically engaged. So imagine how powerful your affirmations become if you are physically excited - dancing, jogging.... (I'll leave the rest to your imagination...) but in other words get excited about this new life your creating!

Get excited now…

We've been having great fun in therapy lately since someone told me about a lady they knew who had been singing in the shower to loose weight so a few of my weight loss clients have been doing it too - yes it works! One client who was thinking her other half must be fancying Cheryl Cole instead of her started it too - I won't say what she was singing but suffice to say they ended up in the Caribbean on a romantic holiday for two!

So get chanting guys and please tell me what your messages to yourself bring. And remember they say 1 positive thought is worth 30 negative so begin today!

AFFIRMATIONS TO EXPERIMENT WITH

Out loud, with feeling, in the "first person" and in random order!

I am a child of the universe

I am healthy, whole and complete

I am loved and loving - supported; and safe

I am willing to release patterns that create resistance to my greater good

I deserve the best

I trust the process of life to bring me my highest good

Every moment is a new moment; I am free to let go

My spiritual growth is not dependent on others

I take responsibility for my own life; I am free

I am willing to go beyond any limitations

I take care of my inner child

I see the best in everyone and allow them to change and grow

All is well in my world.

If you have been enjoying affirmations you might want to also practice Yoga Nidra. In Yoga Nidra we make a Sankalpa which is very similar to an affirmation,

Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as resolve or resolution.

You can think of it as a seed of intention,

a powerful method of changing yourself and therefore the direction of your life from deep within.

A short mental statement made in simple language in the present tense while the mind is calm and quiet.

A space is dedicated for it before and after the practice of yoga nidra:

the sankalpa at the beginning is planting a seed,

the sankalpa at the end is watering it in....

A calm mind is like fertile soil and the practice of yoga nidra the nutrients and light which let it grow, let it grow ...

PS: - We grow by recommendation - please tell others, pass this on to anyone who you think it may be of interest