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We hear this saying often esp. around new years, but what does it look like in action?

I’m sure there are many ways to accomplish this, but the following five lessons I learned have made a lasting impact on me:

1) Cultivate your passion – Most of us are taught that we are born with this inherent passion that we must find and pursue. If you ask me, that is a huge burden to carry, to find some passion hidden deep inside me and continuously wonder if I am following the “right” passion.  Let’s replace that with “explore our talents”. I tell my two teenage boys to continuously explore their talents. As we explore, we will find one that aligns with our skills, needs, values and enthusiasm. Upon finding it, we have to actively cultivate our passion. In other words, instead of passively using our talent to do a job, we actively learn and use it to create in this world.

2) Shine the light on others – Henry Drummond stated, “Happiness consists in giving and in serving others.”  Many older people say that their happiest moments came when they were actively engaged in helping others.  My experiences prove this to be true.  If you look back at your happy moments, you may also share the same sentiments. Using our skills with an intention of serving others not only helps others evolve, it also transforms us. It helps us to transform from an “I” centered life to a “We” centered life which has been proclaimed by many philosophers and religions to be the key to having a happy mind. To live daily with a mind of serving others takes practice and constant effort, but if happiness is found in serving others, it’s worth the effort.

3) Be authentic – We have definitely heard this advice before. There is nothing more powerful and fulfilling than you living in this world as you! It is great to have role models, but it is a waste of time trying to imitate them. When we imitate someone else or a trend that does not align with us, it is never a fulfilling experience for us or the ones on the receiving end. To be authentic, we must first have an inquiring mind. We have to question everything to find the truth of who we are. Finding out who we are requires letting go of the image we have created for ourselves in our minds. Once we let go of that image, we start being authentic in this world.

4) Embrace failure – Why do we have fear of failure? If you are like me, you like certainty. However, my experiences have finally taught me that the only certainty in life is change. Embracing change helped me overcome this fear. Another reason we fear failure is to protect the false image we have created in our minds of ourselves. When we let go of that image, we begin to feel a sense of freedom in experimenting. In science, the trial and error method is used to solve problems and it takes several failed attempts to find the correct solution.  Thomas Edison has famously said “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” We cannot succeed unless we understand what doesn’t work.

5) Observe the internal dialogue – This is the most important lesson I have learned in my life. There is a saying “Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.” Our thoughts have the capability to either limit ourselves or become the highest version of ourselves in this world. We have to pay attention to the self-talk which can be positive or negative. The only way to observe negative self-talk is to sit in silent meditation. Meditation helps us to observe the thought patterns in our minds. Once we listen and understand our thought patterns, we can develop and practice positive self-talk.

As I continue to apply these life lessons, I have also learned that accepting and embracing who we are in this moment is the best way to enjoy this journey of evolving into the best version of ourselves!

The post A New You in the New Year appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.

The most valuable lesson I received from yoga is the awareness of my breath.

Until I found yoga and meditation, I had never consciously paused to notice my breath. As you are reading this, stop for a moment. Notice your breath.

I have learned that my breathing pattern is highly dependent on my mood. I was taught in a meditation class once to think of something (or someone) that made me feel angry, sad or frustrated and to observe my breath in that moment. What I noticed was my breathing felt stuck and irregular. The teacher then told us to control our breath by inhaling and exhaling deeper.  After a few minutes of deep breathing, I could feel my mood shifting to a neutral state.

Realizing the  fact that I could shift my state of mind simply by controlling my breath was an awakening moment in my life.

I finally learned how to breathe!

The post The day I learned to breathe… appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.

As we hold a pose in a yoga class, we hear yoga teachers giving cues such as “listen to your body” or “be kind to your body”. These are cues now I use as a yoga teacher. I use them because I realized this skill of tuning in and listening to our bodies is extremely useful.

Listening to my body has become my new habit even when I’m off the mat.  My personal experiences have been teaching me that my cravings frequently arise when I’m experiencing emotions such as anger, frustration, fear, sadness, fatigue, boredom, loneliness (or a lack of connection) and these emotions are connected to parts of my body.

Mind-Body Connection

A team of scientists in Finland did a study known as the “Bodily Map of Emotions” which included over 700 participants from different cultures and languages. The purpose of this study was to map out where people felt different emotions on their bodies. Each participant reported different emotions sparking activity in different parts of their bodies, but the results were surprisingly consistent.

Several studies have also shown that when we are in an angry (or even frustrated) state of mind, one of the bodily responses is the release of certain chemicals. As long as these chemicals are in our bodies, we will continue to feel this emotion and vice-versa. There are times we feel helpless not being able to stop the situation or the person that we believe is causing our frustration and we start to look for other options in the hope of releasing these emotions trapped in our bodies.

Practice

Next time you have a craving, try the following:

• Pause for a moment.
• Start focusing on your breath.
• Check in and pay attention to what your body is telling you. (I recommend keeping your eyes closed for this).

As you listen, you may find some helpful answers, but do not try to analyze them. The important thing is to slow down, quiet the mind and check in. The answers are simply there to remind us that what we are craving for is not a sugary treat. Our bodies might be asking us to find positive ways to release a trapped emotion.

Once we connect with our bodies, we become more aware of its true needs. As humans, there will still be moments where we choose that sugary treat, however, it will be less frequent if we continue this powerful practice.  Our bodies speak to us all the time. All it takes to listen is a quiet mind.

The post Listen to your body, not your mind! appeared first on Third Eye Fitness.