om yoga teacher training guide
Self-limiting beliefs and how
to conquer them. By Louise
Palmer-Masterton
O
ver the years I have seen
over and over again, that the
only thing standing between
a person and their success
is the power of their own
mind scheming away in the background and
undermining their every effort.
Yes I am talking about self-limiting beliefs,
and the crucial role they play in shaping
your future. What exactly are they?
I’ll give you an example (these are typical
comments in the coaching sessions I run):
‘I thought about running a class on a
Saturday, but it’s really difficult to get
anything going at the weekend’
And...
‘August is always really quiet’
If you say so! Self-limiting beliefs are
all those things we tell ourselves that are
not based in actual fact, and often involve
projecting negative thoughts about future
events. We really do believe these thoughts,
and they limit us to expecting, and getting,
the same thing over and over again. For
example, if you do have a quiet August one
year, does that actually mean that AugustBe your
best
will for evermore be quiet? Only if you keep
saying so! (I use this example specifically
actually as I managed to turn this around in
my own business).
The good news is it is easy to train
yourself out of this pattern. As with any
mindful practice, the first step is becoming
aware that you are doing this. So, every
time you find yourself saying ‘but’ after
something stop right there. Just stop. Do
not say it. Leave the sentence intact without
adding the ‘but’ to undermine it.
And any time you find yourself projecting
negatively (the quiet in August example
above) just stop. Just don’t say it. Honestly,
it’s genius. This simple step - becoming
aware, then just stopping yourself stating
these self-sabotaging comments – can
alone help to transform your personal and
business growth.And if you want to take it to the
next level:
Sutra 2.33: Vitarka badhane pratipaksha
bhavanam
‘When presented with disquieting thoughtsor feelings, cultivate an opposite attitude’
In other words, as well as stopping yourself
from stating these self-limiting beliefs, create
an affirmation based upon the opposite.Using the examples above:
‘I thought about running a class on
Saturdays, it is going to be really busy’
‘August is a really great month’
Now I can hear a few of you sucking your
teeth at this, but honestly the beauty of
affirmations is that just the action of saying
them (to yourself or others) is enough at
first, whether you believe them or not.
So, in summary, how to conquer self-
limiting beliefs:
Step one: literally just stop yourself saying
these things, often this will mean stopping
mid sentence.
Step two: say the opposite of what you
were going to say.
Here’s to your success!Louise Palmer-Masterton is the founder
of CAMYOGA, and runs a yoga business
consultancy yogabusinessguru.com