Happy May Yogis,
I love this time of year when the hummingbirds return and the flowers add color to the landscape. Isn't it beautiful that a garden can evolve and get more complex and colorful every year as the flowers get larger and new plants get added.
Maybe we can compare our lives can to a garden.
If my life was a garden, all the love, support, safety and warmth of my family and friends would have sprinkled seeds onto the soil and turned it into a beautiful, colorful field of flowers. All the years of words of encouragement and support from both strangers and friends would add to the colors and variety of flowers and over time I would have a spectacular garden. A mosaic of colorful flowers. My life garden would change over time as new flowers were added as words of love and encouragement reach me.
In my imagination, if our life could be represented by a garden we would certainly have to personally tend to our own garden. Flowers sprinkled by our family and friends could only grow into the strongest, most resilient flowers if they were watered by our own self love and self confidence. Love and approval of others need to be supplemented with your own self love and self approval. You need to be able to be your own cheerleader to grow the best life garden. Without internal positive affirmations, your garden cannot reach its full potential. The love and approval from within is the most important part of your landscape. Here is why.
This month at certain moments I have heard my internal critic loud and clear and some external ones too.
Sometimes when I hear negative words it feels as though someone drove a plough right through my beautiful flower garden. The criticism which drives the plough through my life garden leaves an ugly streak. The beautiful flower which has taken so long to cultivate is destroyed. One moment of negative words can destroyed all those years of beautiful, kind word.
Even if others try to repair the damage with more kind words and love, it appears as though the new seeds sprinkling over the tracks of negativity simply cannot take root.
Why does it seem so hard to ignore even the smallest criticism ? Why is the critic always so much louder in our life garden than the words of our supporters? Why does negativity cancel out positivity in such a way ?
Our brain seems wired to fixate on the negative. We have all heard a version of the story when a renowned and loved superstar who has so many achievements could not take that one critical comment with grace. Why is that ?
Maybe we have not cultivated that self confidence in our own abilities ? Maybe we have got used to others planting our flowers and have silenced our own inner ability to plant seeds ourselves in our own garden. Our worries about obtaining approval from others have dried our thirst to find that approval from within.
If we can foster our own approval we will find that the negativity cannot plough recklessly through the flower garden of our life. We have made a fence around our own space and the plough is forced to stay in the periphery. We can see it - acknowledge it but it does not wreck the positivity that we have sent so long growing. If we have set boundaries to other people's opinions and we are confident in our abilities, our life garden remains strong. While the approval and love of others colors our garden with such vibrant colors the fence we have built keeps negativity at bay.
We can practice the skill of self love and approval through yoga and mindfulness. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all fill our life garden with colorful flowers?
If I can help you in your yoga practice or on your mindful journey. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I would love to help you find your beautiful flower garden.
Laura McCracken
Owner of Red Cat Yoga
More to come in June with the start of our outdoor yoga series. Hiking and park yoga.
(Utkatasana)
Benefits
Stretches and lengthens hips, shoulders, knees and legs..
Helps flexibility and range of motion.
Lengthens the spine.
With the expansion of the breath this pose opens up your, diaphragm and improves breathing.
Alignment and posture - with the strengthening of stability muscles.
Strengthens leg muscles, core and arm muscles.
Creates a tummy tuck which aids digestion and circulation.
Thank you so much for reading this - you are so valued.
Please consider joining me in a community lesson or private lesson - in person or online. I would be honored to assist you in your Yoga or Mindfulness journey.
300 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification
Mindfulness Coaching Certification
200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification
Trauma Informed Yoga
Yoga Nidra