PHOTO: AVESUN/ISTOCKPHOTO.COMSERENITYNow!
YOUR SILLY SEASON SURVIVAL KIT
PRACTICE WELL
om
WHO REMEMBERS THAT EPISODE on
Seinfeld when George’s father Frank
keeps exclaiming ‘Serenity Now’,
intending on bypassing his frustrations
and find a lasting solution to inner
peace? Of course by the end of the
show he explodes and destroys
everything in his path! Such is the
trap for many yogis who only use
affirmations and positive thinking
without actually acknowledging how
they truly feel. This Silly Season, let’s
commit to both serenity and keeping
it real!Being a yogi often means being highly
sensitive to energy which has its huge
advantages and also it’s a reminder to
protect your aura when around large
groups of people, or out of your
normal peaceful routine. If you get
overwhelmed easily when not given
enough time alone to spiritually
recharge and don’t understand some
of the crazy out-of-control behaviours
that may accompany the ‘silly’ season,
here’s some tips to stay centred
amongst all the parties and big family
gatherings.- Don’t force yourself to be nice. Rather
choose to see everyone as perfect in
the eyes of LOVE and through this
awareness, you will naturally find
conversations with others will be
empowering and you will be able to
see the good in all. You will truly feel
and know that everyone is doing the
best they can with their current level
of awareness. - Choose not to pretend. One of the
interesting dynamics of being with all
your family all at once on Christmas Day
is you don’t know which ‘personality’
to put forward, since we unknowingly
become a different character for different
people. You may behave one way with
your Mum, but a different way with your
brother, different again with your cousin
- you may be loving with some family
members, hurt by some and
competitive with others. It’s exhausting
and leads to big frustrations and often
family disagreements. So just do you!
Authenticity is not only a relief for you,
it silently conveys to everyone else
just to be themselves. Talk about your
successes and your failures - we all have
them, so keep it real and watch the
positive response you receive.- Avoid buying into others’ egos. Ego
behaviour is not just big-noting - it also
includes victim mentality (feeling sorry
for oneself), negative belief systems
(the world and people are ‘terrible’),
views that others’ are better off
and more. If you feed others’ ego
projections, you make their stories real
when in fact the ego is based on illusion.
This isn’t an easy task but do your best
not to agree with ego-based stories
you hear from others. Rather talk
about all the good you have
encountered throughout the year. - Take responsibility if someone
irritates you. The way to stop the
endless pattern of being annoyed by
certain people is to accept they are in
your life to teach you something.
They may also be a reflection
of the parts of yourself (albeit in a
smaller way) that irritate you about
yourself. Oh, this one takes courage to
apply but is well worth owning your
stuff and transcending it! - Honour your True Self. Say no when
you need to honour yourself first.
You don’t have to go to every event,
function or party over the festive
season. If you need rest or time
out to find your centre, you have the
right to put yourself first. Turning up to
something that you are resisting actually
blocks your energy field and can make
you sick. It’s not selfish to say no.
Many magical moments for the festive
season to you all and SERENITY NOW!By Carrie-Anne Fields
22
january 2018yogajournal.com.au