Strengthening Your Mind

This week focus on getting your mind stronger, healthier and more flexible.

When your mind is strong, healthy and flexible you have the power and the awareness to cultivate peace of mind.

Peace of mind, when things are going really good in your life is of course easier to achieve than when there is chaos or a crisis.

Peace of mind amidst chaos is possible though and so is it in the middle of a crisis.

With a willingness to practice strengthening your mind on a daily basis, finding peace in the middle of a crisis is very achievable.

Don’t believe or agree with me? Then you need this practice more than you realize.

I used to be a very reactive, angry and fearful personality. I thought this was just who I was and everyone around me just needed to deal with it.

I had really good excuses for everything I did, said and acted. After all I was a victim of someone else’s wrong doing. I had every damn right to be reactive, angry and fearful!

Right?

Not if I wanted some peace in my life.

Not if I wanted to better my health and strengthen my ailing body.

Not only was my anger and fear damaging my health, mental mind and emotional stability – it was detrimental to all of my relationships – which I didn’t realize until I could clear my mind and find my peace.

The mental chatter in my mind and the anxiety in my everyday existence was brutal, challenging and getting worse every day. My digestive system was a mess, my back pain was grueling and even though to the outside world – I appeared healthy, strong and happy – nothing could have been further from the truth. I knew that if I didn’t do something – I was literally going to lose my mind. I tethered on a nervous breakdown for years. I worked out regularly (and taught others how to as well) and this was my saving grace. But I felt like a fraud. The smile on my face was hiding all my secrets. Not just the surface secrets that I could easily blame on someone else but my inner secrets – my deepest darkest fears, my guilt, my shame, my anger, my failures.

Yoga and Meditation saved my life.

Both led me to deep inner reflection and a practice of stilling my body, feeling my emotions in a healthy, effective way and training my mind to get beyond my ego mind of fear, anger, blame and pain.

My willingness and ability to cultivate this on-going practice of strengthening my mind has not been easy and for years, I failed at it terribly.

But I never gave up.

The first thing I needed to do was stop blaming others and all the situations and betrayals in my life that attributed to my anger, resentments, hatred and pain. Once I stopped blaming the outer world for the state of my health and the shambles my life was in – I began to take my power back.

Over time and with this daily practice, I gained the courage to step into my fears and shine some light on those deepest darkest parts of myself. Those parts I was trying so hard to cover up and pretend were the result of someone else’s wrong-doing.

To make a long story short. If I wanted peace in my life – I had to stop blaming people and situations for everything. I had to be willing to learn from every single thing that I deemed as “wrong” in my life. I had to accept failure as a major part of my growth and I had to…

And this was the hardest part…

I had to forgive.

• I had to forgive everyone & everything.
• I had to forgive myself on so many levels.
• I had to forgive all the people who hurt me in my life.
• I had to forgive every terrible thing that was ever done to me, said to me and thought about me, whether it was intentional or not.

Forgiveness isn’t even the daily practice I am suggesting you do – however strengthening your mind can lead you to a willingness to forgive.

This practice is not for everyone.

Just for those of you who truly want peace in your life, peace in your mind and peace in your heart.

Something I have discovered over the years is that some people don’t want peace. They are addicted to struggle, addicted to drama, addicted to chaos and they thrive in a crisis because they get to be the hero, or the victim, or the savior.

Honestly I’ve had to take a good look at myself in this area too. Was that me? Was I addicted to the drama and the chaos? Did it make me feel needed, worthy or productive? Was it my way of getting the attention I craved or how I was able to get my own way?

I think we can all relate to this in some way, shape or form. It may not be the best side of us – but it is a side of us we all have. Shining a light on our own tendencies is crucial.

Shining a light means you are willing to observe yourself. Watch your thoughts. Observe your mind. Be honest about your tendencies, habits and behaviors… all without judgement.

What you judge the most in others is a reflection of what you are trying so hard to hide in the darkness of yourself.

That statement will not make me a very popular person and I am sure there are many of you out there ready to challenge me on it but I am not here to convince you of anything – I am just speaking of my own revelations.

When I was finally ready to see this in myself. I was ready to drop the drama, the struggle and the chaos. I finally knew what I really wanted – inner peace.

And so my journey to inner peace began.

And what I know for sure is;

• I still struggle
• I still get caught up in the drama
• I still find myself and my life in chaos at times
• I am human

The difference now is that I am much more aware of my thoughts, my emotions, and my tendencies to judge, react and blame. In this awareness I also have the ability to stop the negative mental chatter, the victim or hero story forming in my head and stop the spiraling worst case scenarios that for years ruled my life.

When I recognize the familiar patterns of struggle creep up on me – I can instead move into stillness, breathe deeply, ground my energy, feel all my emotions, see the bigger picture and most importantly shift from fear to love (or gratitude, compassion, acceptance & forgiveness.)

In fear there is no peace.

In love there is only peace.

The journey to a peaceful mind & heart is an often bumpy yet beautiful path.

The Practice to Peace of Mind;

• Stop (when triggered or wanting to blame)
• Breathe
• Ground your energy into the earth (stillness)
• Listen to your mind. What is your inner voice of fear saying?
• Observe your thoughts and feelings
• Feel them without judgement or reaction (know you will fail at this many times –keep going- I have failed a thousand times and will always pick myself up and continue on)
• Observe your tendencies.
• Questions your thoughts, fears and opinions – are they even yours?
• Proceed without responding in fear, anger, resentment or revenge (This does not mean you avoid the situation or person – it means you shift into an open, reflective and curious mind – where the answers and solutions are – this is the main practice here. Never proceed when in anger, fear, resentment or revenge mode – you are not in the right mind to make any good decisions)
• Be patient with yourself, this process and life. You may want closure and answers now – but the Universe may still have a few lessons for you to learn and if you hurry through them all without learning something about yourself – you will re-live it in a different way. If you find yourself saying “Why me?” or “Why does this keep happening to me” Then it is time to turn inward. It is time to listen. It is time to learn.

I do my best every day to live my life in peace. In every challenging situation in my life, I consciously practice shifting into a peaceful heart and a peaceful mind, absent of fear. I am not always successful as life and old patterns will often get the best of me and in those moments or on those days – I struggle both emotionally and physically. Which is okay. This is after all the human experience my Soul signed up for.

I certainly don’t expect any one of us can live a life in constant peace – that is impossible as the whole point of life is the ebb & flow – but the greatest triumph for me is when a real crisis happens – like watching my Mom wither away in front of my eyes…I found peace in my heart and a deep sense of peace in my mind.

It isn’t something easily explained – it is a process that can really only be felt and experienced.

It also doesn’t mean that when I don’t react that I do not care – in fact my capacity to love is deeper than it has ever been before.

When you are truly in alignment with this process your heart will expand beyond your fears.

The Next 2 Week’s Intentional Practice

1. Strengthen your mind.
2. Watch your thoughts.
3. Mind your words.
4. Question your fears – are they even yours?
5. Practice NOT reacting. (Ground and breathe)
6. Practice responding to the little things without fear or anger so you are ready for a crisis whenever it arises.

Wanting to go deeper? Every Tuesday in our Personal Development Group at 11am we go there (always recordings if the time doesn’t work for you)

Try it for a month ($33 per month) here is the link to register… https://wellnessdefined.ca/shop/memberships/personal-development-monthly-membership/

Or contact me (Leslie) at 780 722-3442 or email me at leslie@wellnessdefined.ca to find out about individual sessions

There will be no Tap In video or blog next week as it is Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving all my beautiful friends!

Namaste;

Leslie