“There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves. Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.”
~ Steve Maraboli
I loved how this big red glowing sun snuck out between the clouds this morning. I was certain it wouldn’t shine until it made it’s way above the thundering rain clouds. But nope, it surprised me! It always make me smile, at how easily the eye (and the mind) can be fooled …
So yesterday, I had a very enjoyable and thought provoking conversation with a friend. We were talking about being our authentic selves. As I replayed our thoughts, my meditation moved to that of Mudita … “Cultivating appreciative joy at the success and good fortune of others.” I’ve written at length about Mudita as one of the Buddha’s 4 heavenly abodes in a previous post. It seems the world has so little mudita these days ….
As my friend and I contemplated appreciation for our true selves, we were both struck with stories that others have placed in our mind. I recall my favorite podcaster, JB Glossinger (aka The Morning Coach), recounting how many times people would say to him: “Who will listen to you JB?”. It held him back for years and years. He’d truly come to believe that no one would listen to him.
I think of being told as a young teen how loud I was, and how my voice carried above all others (not a compliment). Or recently my Mom saying to me “not everyone thinks like you” … She was being critical of my voice on veganism. No doubt as to why I choose writing as a form of self expression for voicing that which I find hard to speak about.
In yoga, these types of issues become settled in the 5th Chakra, the energy center based in the throat. Problems with self expression can lead to physical imbalances, such as chronic sore throat or laryngitis, thyroid issues, canker sores. Or emotional issues such as addiction, being judgmental, or being stubborn.
Signs that you might have some releasing to do in your Throat Chakra can be shown by your answers to a couple questions ….
Am I holding back in speaking my truth?
Am I expressing judgment or criticism of someone (or myself)?
Have I told any lies? Obscured any truths?
Am I living by Divine guidance or my own fear?
Am I truly open to Divine guidance, or am I really trying to control G*d by saying “Guide me but stay within my comfort zone”?
Am I over-controlling something or someone?
Am I stuck on the question “Why?” for a situation?
In her revolutionary book ‘Anatomy of the Spirit’, Dr. Caroline Myss writes: “We find ourselves in a situation that forces us to confront the limitations of our own inner resources that prevent us from successfully completing our plans…We ponder some questions: “What am I meant to do with my life? What was my purpose in being born?” These questions set the stage for aligning our will to the Divine plan — the most profound choice we can make. That one choice, made in faith and trust, allows Divine authority to enter out lives and reorder our struggles into successes and our wounds into strengths.”
Until we are able to clear the 5th chakra, we won’t have access to the upper levels of our energy being … those of deep intuition, higher realms of understanding and peaceful bliss.
To work with this, we can repeat such phrases as: “Let Thy Will Be Done.” Of course there are many others, depending on your faith. We can wear the color of light blue or the gem aquamarine or turquoise. Foods which can assist opening this chakra include ginseng, gingko biloba, reishi mushrooms, barley, wheat grass, bananas, echinacea and kelp. As an asana practice, we can work with various yoga poses, most notably: fish pose, plough pose, upward plank, and lions breath.
How about you? Do you have old, tired stories that keep you from expressing your authentic self? Can you let these stories go ??
To quote Steve Maraboli: “Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You…Be Free…Share.”
And go give someone a compliment today. You never know … It might just be the encouragement someone needs change their life and come out of hiding … ❤
