Yoga Sutra 1.20
Shraddha virya smrti samadhi prajna purvakah itaresham
“For those of us who were not born into the higher state of Yoga we must cultivate faith and conviction (shraddha) to help us maintain our persistence and strength (virya), and to remember (smritti) our direction so that we may attain our goal (samadhi) of a focused mind and clear perception (prajna) i.e. wisdom /discernment.”
How you express your voice can shape the world you experience.
The secret of my strong inner voice is the value system I live by — the convictions I hold — followed and strengthened by my aligned personal vision and the overall goal of Yoga.
When you struggle to express your true self and voice (that sense of inner clarity) a simple technique is to list down who or what you don’t want to be — write a list of things that deplete your energy and natural enthusiasm. Here’s mine:
1) Time wasters
2) Phone calls
3) Clutter
4) Small talk
5) Parties/ social gatherings (infj here!)
6) Inconsiderate asks for favours
7) Racist remarks
8) Stupidity (delinquent behaviour)
9) Dumping emotions in my space then disappearing
10) Emotional manipulation
Phew. Well, that is my blunt truth. To restore my energy and soul, I disengage from these spaces and things — time is precious, I simply do not move in the direction of things that I don’t value. Clearly from here, you can see then that my values include honouring my time and energy as precious and connecting with deep souls who are actively doing the inner work for their self-growth.
Create time to listen deeply to yourself and reflect on your inner voice. Align with your personal truth, your value system. This requires ‘tapasya’ — something must be sacrificed externally or burned away for something to be gained. Remember that your self-expression, your unique voice is your art!
As Bruce Lee writes: ‘Art calls for complete mastery of techniques, developed by reflection within the soul.’
Master your art — your voice in the world!
JOURNAL THIS:
⫸ In brutal honesty, what drains me? (List 5–10 things).
⫸ What then are my top 5–10 values?
⫸ Am I living according to these values day-to-day?
⫸ How honestly do I communicate with myself?
⫸ Am I walking a path that supports and nourishes my voice and needs?
Share any personal revelations with me from this process!
Comment in my Facebook group or send me a message.
Rise Up, Warrior.
Payal
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YOGA ENERGY READING
Dharana
Eight Stages of Yoga: Single Focused Concentration
Dharana is the sixth limb of yoga, the stage at which to lock your attention on one particular area of the mind or object(ive) of choice. This card indicates that this is the time to focus your attention on one goal to undergo the transformation that comes from concentration. The birthing process of an idea takes deep commitment to usher it to life. Through single-focused commitment, you will be able to deepen your understanding of your goal and from its core, bring it to fruition. Halt the overthinking, bring stability to your mental faculties and say no to everything that is not related to your purpose. Practice dharana and focus on the one thing you came on this Earth to do.
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Hey Warrior, I’ve created a space for highly sensitive womxn to co-work with each other every week. Be around like-minds and get shit done in my virtual Power Hour. Get the Details Here or Register Now and join us for the next session! It’s free!!
This guidance is taken from my weekly warrior training newsletter (dated 23rd March 2021). Receive yogic wisdom in your inbox every Tuesday — sign up here.
