Thoughts on Yoga
Yoga e-course lesson 1: Stop Worrying
2009-07-29
Learning and doing yoga and meditation is the easy way to break the worry habit and have a more calm, positive life.A worry thought is a fantasy about something bad happening. Worries seem to be true when you are experiencing them. What you may not always notice is that you are the one making up those scary scenarios.
When you worry, you are misusing your creative intelligence, creating fear instead of joy and love.
To get an idea of the COST of worry, notice how frequently you think about things you don't want to experience. Notice the state of your body and nerves at those moments.
Worry seems rational when you're doing it. "Shouldn't I think things through from all angles? Shouldn't I plan for bad things and devise ways to protect myself and loved ones?"
Worry would be sensible if it worked. But worrying is an emotional holding pattern of negativity that never resolves itself. No amount of worry can bring peace. It brings sickness to your body and soul. It saps your ability to enjoy the good you do have. You could waste your whole life in worry.
To break your worry habit, you will have to become the master of your mind:
You will need to observe the content of your thoughts.
You will need notice the personal cost to you when you worry.
You will need to stay steadfast in your determination to not worry any more.
Worry is a mental bad habit that you can break. Start by setting aside a few minutes a day to not worry. During those few minutes notice when any negative thoughts of the future arise. When you see one, remind yourself of your determination to eliminate all worry from your life, then take and deep breath and let it go.
The best time to practice not worrying this is when you are meditating or doing yoga. When you let go of a worry thought, you just turn your mind back to the practice.
After a yoga session when your body and nerves are relaxed is your best time to practice "worry-fasting." The first day, determine not to worry for five minutes at a time. Each day add five more minutes until you can go for an hour without worrying.
Gradually build up from one to two hours, three hours, four hours, and finally to one whole day.
When you are ready, you can take a 21-day worry fast.