Positive Thinking: Connect to Your Soul By Holly Allende

Before you start sneering “I don’t believe in all that hippie stuff,” let me tell you a story. There once was a woman who (because she weighed 300 pounds) thought she was ugly. Because she thought she had to, she worked sixty to eighty hours a week, causing her much stress and depression. She thought she was undeserving of love, so she hadn’t been on a date in five years. Finally, she thought she would spend the rest of her life trapped within her body alone with no one to love or ever feel love. That was until she had an accident that would change her life. She fell and broke her leg on Valentine’s Day weekend.

That was me eleven years ago. While recovering at my parents’ house from my injury, I had time to think and reflect on my life. I was tired of being a victim in my own body and mind. My mother gently reminded me that Yoga could help regain my physical strength and balance. Being a desperate woman with nothing left to lose, I decided it was time to make a few changes in my life, and Yoga was at the top of my list.

By the time the cast was off, I had a new job that allowed me to move to a new state to start a new life. Shortly after getting settled, I found a free yoga class and slowly built my practice. Since then, I’ve lost eighty pounds, become a Yoga teacher, gotten engaged to be married and now have a wonderful job.

It didn’t happen overnight. The more I practiced Hatha Yoga (the physical movements) and meditation, the more I realized how out of alignment my mind was with reality and with my true self (also known as your soul). I started catching myself more and more when I thought negatively, sarcastically or didn’t believe in myself. By stopping these negative patterns, I was able to reflect on why my thoughts would be disconnected from my true self.

If we are what we eat, then we are what we think. If we think negative thoughts, then we will be more likely to be negative. If we think positive thoughts, then we will be more likely to be positive (seriously, don’t over think this one).

Through positive thinking, you can connect to your true self. Using tools like meditation and taking positive actions, you can learn how to separate your emotions and thoughts from your true self. This helps you to better understand how you are perceiving life around you. By clearing away the clutter of your mind, you can actually hear what your true self is telling you.

Once I started practicing Hatha Yoga, my body started to calm down. I, then, started practicing a few minutes of meditation on a regular basis. Once the body was calm, I was able to connect with my mind and calm it down. When the body and mind were calm, I was able to connect to my true self.

The amazing thing is that I learned to hear my true self outside of meditation and exercise. Once I found that connection and could distinguish it amongst all the other voices and emotions in my mind, I was able to understand my true direction in life. This helped propel me forward in life.

To begin connecting to your true self, start with these exercises:

1. Exercise

Moving the body can release stress, negative energy and help increase circulation. This is the foundation for connecting to your true self. Relax the body, and the rest will follow.

2. Meditate
When you first start learning how to meditate, sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor and your hands resting gently in your lap. Start with setting a timer for two to five minutes, and breathe in and out. That’s all. Just sit and breathe. Your mind will relax and the door will open to your true self.

3. Communicate

Take a few moments and write whatever comes to mind. If nothing comes to mind, then write about that. Ask yourself why nothing comes to mind, and watch the conversation unfold. You’ll begin to hear your true self in no time.