habit change

March 3, 2017

safety

Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

 

“Cultivating attitudes of friendliness, compassion, happiness and non-judgment…protect our mind from the subtle contaminations of animosity, jealousy and self-righteousness.” Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, The Secret of the Yoga Sutras

Thoughts flow within our minds. Tadpoles swim out of their eggs and flowers open to the sun. Dynamic forces of nature are in us and around us, the entire web of life has no boundaries.

We are made of the same spiritual and material elements as everything else in the universe. When we feel love, we are at home and at one with the world. Pure existence is undeniably beautiful.

Animals and plants grow, live and die according to the invisible laws of nature which determine their patterns, structure and inherent qualities. They are not inhibited by themselves. The life force simply emerges, naturally.

Humans are different in that we live inside of minds which are trained to be very judgmental. Judgments create walls. Every thought we have which is judgmental towards ourselves prohibits growth, and the emergence of our talents, spontaneity and creativity. While children are naturally extremely creative,  many adults have trouble developing their creativity and believe they are not creative at all. Training changes the human mind.

We judge ourselves in order to protect ourselves from being seen as not good enough. Are we good enough, normal enough? Are we too abnormal, too different? Will we be valued and appreciated by the world or will we judged and excluded?

Will be be approved of, or will will be rejected?

are we safe? …are we safe to be ourselves?

We try to protect ourselves from the worlds judgments by judging ourselves, and by trying to be perfect. Fear keeps us aligned with our judgments.

Self judgment is a prison. It can take the form of depression, anxiety, or in addictions.

For people trying to change, it becomes apparent that the inside has to change, the mind has to change.

We have to change the way we relate to ourselves. In order to do this we need new habits which support self-awareness, self-acceptance, openness and courage.

Meditation practices which cultivate compassion and kindness are a great antidote to patterns of self-judgment. Through repetitious practice of expanding the innate qualities of kindness,  we experience the hugeness of the inner self which is comprised of love. We can disengage from habits that are constricting because a natural reassurance and feelings of safety, develop from within.

Love, inner peace and patience can unfold naturally.

It is actually very practical. We change the mind by practicing the opposite of habits of the mind.

Like the flower that blooms without getting in its own way, we too can live with greater freedom to evolve.

The ability to feel safe to be oneself and to be grateful for life, in the purest sense, flourishes when judgmental patterns fall away.

for more information please see my website:http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

October 16, 2015

Which Do We Feed? What Do We Practice?

by Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

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” An old grandfather is speaking to his grandson about what causes the violence and cruelty in the world. “In each human heart,” he tells the boy, “there are two wolves battling one another—one is fearful and angry, and the other is understanding and kind.” The young boy then asks, “Which one will win?” His grandfather smiles and says, “Whichever one we choose to feed” Tara Brach

We each have  energies within which we nurture and feed. Our own thoughts and habits feed our energies. The fires of love build connections and the fires of anger create disconnection.

There is a choice we can each make every day – do we feed the fires of anger, fear and resentment, or the fire of love?

Feeding the fire of self-knowledge, and compassion offers us clear perception and ease in connecting with the world.

The fires of anxiety and silent smoldering embers of anger, on the other hand, drain the life force and cause deep unhappiness.

Until we take the time to notice and to think about it, we can by habit, feed emotional tendencies which cause unhappiness. We  can learn how to cultivate the inner fire of light and self- love instead.

The true self is self- luminous and we can develop our ability to access it and make it stronger.

Meditation practices, breathing exercises and yoga postures cultivate the fire of vitality, love and strength. So do being in Nature, being creative, and loving others.

When we do breathing exercises we strengthen and clean the lungs. More essentially, we enliven and clarify the nervous system, and the complex web of mental and emotional patterning, which is the basis of our perceptions, expectations, and our actions. These patterns comprise the basis of our approach to life.

When we stoke the fire of self- illumination, we strengthen the body, the mind and the heart.   Creative self – awareness grows and becomes a framework for developing a happy life, day by day. Attachments to anxiety, depression, stagnation and fear, all become less attractive, and change happens more easily.

For more information please see my website:

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

March 19, 2014

Habits and the Contradictions of Being Human

sparkling grass

by Judith Bobbe, LCSW

 

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

“If you don’t consciously choose the direction of your life, your past will choose it for you.” Rod Stryker

We are creatures of habit. Our habits of thought and behavior are embedded in how we think and in how we experience the world. Just like other animals which can be trained, we are trained unconsciously by our lives to see, think, feel and behave in particular ways.

Every time we think a thought it is conditioning our mind to believe that thought.

Each time we believe a thought, our patterns of feeling and behavior are inclined to support or justify that thought.

Our unconscious beliefs reinforce our identification with our thoughts.  We think our thoughts are true, and we think we are our thoughts. There is a cycle of reinforcement of habits inside us, of which we are largely unaware.

The interaction of thought belief and feelings gets translated into our sense of who we are and what we are capable of.

Real change depends on changing this quiet but powerful dynamic.

“Your mind has measureless capacity to affect the quality and content of your life” Rod Stryker

When we choose to repetitively introduce new thoughts, actions, and intentions into our minds, and choose not to automatically believe our habitual thoughts, we create room inside for the growth of new perspectives. We cultivate a new experience of who we are.

With repetition this newly felt experience becomes a foundation for taking the risk to change. Taking steps over and over again to embody new actions, and new intentions, provides the courage to let go of the self- limiting patterns of the past.

The funny thing about humans is that we all seek comfort, predictability, and familiarity. We feel better when we know what to expect. Familiarity helps us to feel safe and to tolerate the changes which life thrusts upon us.

But in addition to seeking familiarity and safety, we also seek a larger sense of ourselves. We seek a deeper connection with the spaciousness of life, which by its nature, is unpredictable. There is a yearning, which calls upon us to grow beyond our perceived capacities. We want to fulfill our deepest potential for productivity and happiness.

This call to growth can be looked at in terms of spiritual growth, or emotional maturation, or simply the desire to be more loving, kind, patient and generous with life.

It is possible to change and become happier with ones self and life, but it is a inside job.  HH Dalai Lama says “happiness is an inside job”.  This means that we have to change the way we think. Openness to changes in thinking becomes the basis for freedom and positive engagement with the world.

We tend look to external things like people and situations to make us happy, but this is always ultimately frustrating and temporary because life is always changing.  When we learn how to rely on a more deeply felt sense of the timelessness of our own true being, we become stronger and happier.

We can cultivate an unshakeable belief in our own wholeness and power. We can grow beyond habitual thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, and can become more creative, more flexible, and in love with life every moment.

For more, see my website:

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

 

dreamstime_166545.jpg lotus in light

March 5, 2014

What if…?

by Judith Bobbe, LCSW

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“Through yoga and meditation, we can change the vibration of the subconscious mind by gently releasing the stored memories, beliefs, and haunting thoughts that limit us.” —Mukta Kaur Khalsa
What if our minds and hearts were as wide and open as the sky?
What if we could perceive the world, seeing beauty, opportunity and possibility everywhere?
Imagine how wonderfully reassuring that would feel.
Deep within each of is is a source of undeniable strength. This light within creates hope and confidence.
The ancient wisdom and practices developed centuries ago in the East have hidden treasures which allow us to become the fullest, strongest and most vibrant individuals that we were meant to be. These skills are easy to learn.
Practices of mindfulness, deep relaxation, yoga, meditation, and breath awareness are windows into this world of infinite possibility and trust in life.
This is the true path of freedom and growth, which dwells in the expansiveness of the sky within you,  and in the light that shines inside you, which is waiting to be cultivated.
For more see my website;