New Year, Fresh Start
Sandy's Yoga Blog Archive January 2009
Happy New Year! I wish you peace, good health, and happiness in this coming year.
A new year is always a good time for a fresh start. Many of us resolve to eat better and exercise more -- excellent choices that lead to better health and less stress. But this year I'm asking you to REALLY make a fresh start: Start all over by dropping the past. Give everyone a clean slate -- including you. There is no way to have inner peace if we are holding resentments, grudges, anger, guilt, judgements, etc., and there is no way to spread peace if we, ourselves, do not have it.
Drop the past. Do not dwell on what your brother did when you were kids, or that you didn't have perfect parents, or that Aunt Sue insulted you, or that you were poor or ill. No matter how tragic, the past is gone -- it's only interesting in the sense that it brought you to this moment. Start over and take responsibility for your own inner peace and happiness. To have inner peace, you must keep dropping the past, keep forgiving. Let go ... BE love and SEE love. You cannot control what others say or do, but you can decide how to react. I'm asking you to try to react with love and compassion. None of us can do this all of the time, but we can try. And when we fail, we can decide to correct ourselves.
Learning to love is key to our survival as a species, and to be loving requires forgiveness and acceptance. It requires seeing what is lovable and innocent in the other person, just as you would want to be seen. A Course in Miracles says "When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him, you will see yourself. As you treat him, you will treat yourself. As you think of him, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself."
When we do not forgive, when we judge, when we do not accept, we close our hearts. We hurt ourselves, as we are the ones carrying around the toxic residue of our emotions. What radiates outward is fear and anger. This affects those around us, putting them on the defensive and causing them to close their hearts. This leads to pain, cruelty, and violence.
On the other hand, if we react to others -- even if we know they are wrong -- with forgiveness and compassion, our hearts stay open. What radiates outward is love. The others don't need to go on the defense and are more open to change. This leads to peace, cooperation, and happiness.
A Course in Miracles offers this technique for times when you find yourself distressed or agitated: Say to yourself "I could see peace instead of this." It sounds overly simple, but try it. Repeat it often, and notice what happens.
If we make a resolution to try to be more loving -- even just a little bit more loving -- we will change ourselves on the inside.
In A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson says, "We're all assigned a piece of the garden, a corner of the universe that is ours to transform. Our corner of the universe is our own life -- our relationships, our homes, our work, our current circumstances. Every situation we find ourselves in is an opportunity to teach love instead of fear. It's never really a circumstance that needs to change -- it's we who need to change."
Much peace and love to you in the new year!
Namaste!
Sandy Pradas