Open Hearted

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."   Thich Nhat Hanh


I have developed a couple week's worth of classes that asked you to see yourself honestly and be ok with it. That can be a daunting task. So, this week I would like to focus on opening your heart. Facing parts of ourselves that we don't like is a challenge. When we encounter the emotions that follow uncovering something we dislike about ourselves, it can create anxiety; it can create an emotional state that we don't want to face, which we then suppress.

We must take time to be still and be grateful. Last week was non judgment, which is important for self exploration, but feeling grateful can be even more helpful. It is said that we can't experience the love of another until we can love ourselves. I think we can't appreciate the love of another until we can agree the traits others love in ourselves are worthy of love. When we can be open hearted toward ourselves, we are more likely to be open and understanding toward others.

You deserve love. You have so much to be grateful for.

Try this: Take a moment. This could be when you first wake up, or before bed, or even on a lunch break. You only need a few minutes. Begin by settling in to an aligned posture. Then bring your awareness to your breath. Gradually and gently smooth out and elongate your breath so that it fills and supports your posture. Begin to feel, around the space of your heart, gratitude build. Think of simple things such as: your body supports breath, even if it is limited. Your body can sit supported by itself, even if it needs modification. You possess the gift of life. No one said it would be perfect. As you are open to this feeling it is likely that you will find more and more to be grateful for. Be grateful for everything in your life that has led you to this moment.

This next practice you can try anywhere you feel comfortable making noise. It also takes only a few minutes. OM is said to be the vibration of the universe. As we OM in a class, we attempt to set our own vibrations to the vibration of the universe. I find this practice helpful to begin my day, or a practice. Sit aligned and comfortable. Press your palms together and thumbs to the heart center on the chest. In this way you align what you do in the world (the action you take with your hands) to the seat of your authentic self (the seat of your soul is said to reside in your heart). Imagine that soul is bound to you but also of something greater. OM powerfully to align your self on earth to the flow of the universe. (Don't forget the silence)

Finally, I have included below a link to an article on elephant journal. It details some of the author's journey and he includes a practice of self compassion he learned from Thich Nhat Hanh. I have not tried it yet. Every time I think of trying it, I get a little misty. It is a powerful practice and it takes a lot of courage to be able to hold what hurts you so close.

Self Compassion Practice