Sometimes people find themselves reacting or not acting in the most appropriate of ways. This will affect the person, other people and the general situation. Many wise people may recognized these negative behavior patterns and want to change. Unfortunately it’s not always obvious how we can change. Yoga like Ashtanga for example is holistic and in time with good teachers, dedication and regular practice we change ourselves.

Affirmations are like mantras, they are a tool that can target a specific areas precisely and quickly. They are effective in changing the way we react so in the future we can act more appropriately. Affirmations help us move toward the light, first because our intention is to change, and secondly because we take the time to make the changes. So as meditation helps us have greater control over our minds, and asana practice helps us meditate, so affirmations are like using our mind muscle positively, we are what our thoughts are essentially, change our thoughts and we change ourselves. Control our mind, and we control ourselves.

Affirmations are a way to state how we want to be or act before we are able to act or be the way we would like too. The effect of using affirmations is to modify our selves repeatedly until we are changed; and work like pills you take regularly until the problem disappears. Unlike modern medicine that normally masks symptoms, affirmations change the core so positive behavior emanates more naturally, with ease and eventually without effort, we become what the affirmation is.

The following is an example of an affirmation I have used in the past;

“I am calm, positive, objective and understanding in all situations. I let people finish what they are saying, digest and then respond positively and appropriately. I respond with understanding and care for the person I am talking with so we both benefit positively. My response takes into account the wider picture and the important details.”

We use an affirmation by repeating it a number of times a day. We could decide to repeat it 10 times in the morning, and 10 times before we go to bed. There are many variations on this, depending on how quick you want to resolve a problem, or how big the problem is. Essentially it’s up to the person to decide. It might be I need to change when and how often I use the affirmation. We stop using an affirmation when it feels like the medicine has worked it’s magic.

Should you wish you learn more about affirmations, please use the links below;

1. www.jbactors.com/actingreading/actingencyclopedia.html
2. www.hypnosis.edu/glossary/a.asp
3. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmations

Copyright © 2008 Russell Smithers