Welcome back for the third and final blog post in the series on mindful change! Hopefully your efforts thus far to approach change are moving you towards your goals. The first week we reviewed the importance of knowing what we want to change, ways to mindfully decide what direction to move towards, and the importance of Sthira and Sukha. Last week we reviewed how to begin the change journey, ways attachment are self-defeating, and how to focus on progress and not perfection.
How can we sustain change?
Most of us are great at identifying what we want to change mindfully. Many of us are effective at planning how we take the first steps in our change. Then there are the days where we just don’t see the point. Likely when we are emotionally charged, stressed with demands, or just plain tired. Given the current environment with the pandemic, it’s no wonder. Yet, if we followed the first steps in the prior blog posts to change mindfully, we identified needed changes, planned for success, and know important reasons to integrate those changes in our lives. Applying Sthira (steadiness) and Sukha (ease) comes into play here. In yoga asana, this means to hold a pose with strength and courage while being joyful and gentle. The same applies to our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
Tips for mindful change – Steadiness and Ease
- On days when the struggle to sustain your desired change takes over your attention, pause. Simply stop engaging in the struggle to change and reflect instead on why it is important to you whether it is personal or professional. Returning to the why is often the best way to reset our motivation for mindful change. Here’s a great compilation of talks on this from Evan Carmichael.
- Once you have your why, accept and reset. Don’t allow yourself to be in the struggle except as it serves your journey. Acknowledge it, accept it, and let it go. If you give your energy to fighting the change instead of moving towards it on any small, incremental level, you will not find Sthira and Sukha.
- Finally, focus on celebrating the small successes as you approach the larger goal. Science shows us that what we focus on will grow. The part of the brain responsible for this is the Reticular Activating System (RAS). This article explains how our belief systems are strengthened because of the lens through which we view the world…” Be mindful of each breath, thought, and emotion on the journey.
Please share below any insights, discoveries, or comments on how change unfolds for you as you do the work to discover how change happens mind, body, and spirit.
Return to Center with mindfulness each week with me, sign up for more tips on Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation, or register for a class here.
Love, Light, Prayers, and Peace!
Alyson Phelan, Certified Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation Teacher
