Positive affirmations are essentially statements we say to ourselves with the intentions of love and kindness. Some examples are: “I am loved,” “I am powerful, “I am abundant,” “I have everything I need,” and “Everything is exactly as it should be.” You can think of them as mantras that you may repeat to yourself at any time to help you feel more supported and confident in yourself and in life. You may be thinking, how is talking to myself this way going to help me? Well, I invite you to consider the concept that life happens entirely in our heads. We all have our own perspectives and we might all experience the same circumstances in completely different ways. With this idea in mind, it becomes clear that we have the power to change our lives if we change our perspectives. If you tell yourself over and over that you’re bad at something, then you’ll never become good at it. If you tell yourself positive affirmations, you will surely wire your brain to believe them, even if it doesn’t feel like that instantly in the moment. What we focus on literally becomes our reality. And the greatest weapon against stress is the ability to choose one thought over another. What thoughts are you choosing?
Shelby Gorstein, Shelby Yoga
Using affirmations is a great way to help you move forward in life by reminding yourself or confirming that something good is true about yourself. They can be positive encouraging statements about your true nature and abilities and can also be an effective way to manifest new and wonderful things into your life! So do they work? Yes but they are not magic spells! I have found a few things that make them more effective. Clarity is one. Don’t try and fix everything all at once, focus on one thing at a time. I think most people want more love, health and abundance. Of course, each of those things can help increase the others with the right balance. Be clear about what you want and know that you deserve it! Take love, for instance. An affirmation I like is “I am equally lovable and loving!” Say it often, write it down and practice giving and receiving love. Another is believability. You must know that it is true and/or possible. If it’s too grandiose or out there, you won’t actually believe it. Make it believable in incremental steps. For instance, for more abundance, if you are very far from being a millionaire you probably won’t believe a statement like “I’m going to be a millionaire this year.” (I avoid putting time limits or any limits on affirmations.) But something like “I can attract more business” or “I’m capable of earning more money” is more probable. These statements may be much more believable to you this way. Find or create affirmations that resonate with you. Give up attachment to specific outcomes. Instead, be lighthearted and playful in using affirmations. Be open to the many ways good things can show up in your life! This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be specific in knowing what you want (clarity), just not attached, by having a must-have mindset. These are the things that have helped me. Affirmations along with other positive, healthy, spiritual practices have been greatly beneficial to me personally! Namaste.
Tamara Martin, Pink Sands Yoga
Affirmations, when fully integrated, repeated, and also combined with some creative, right-brained things such as music or movement, can alter your belief systems about yourself and the world. With repeated affirmations, we aim to re-pattern our self-talk, actions, routines and then, bang! Our confidence grows. Affirmations can help heal and open doors to relationships and opportunities and move us into readiness and willingness to accept great and new benefits into our lives. As a yoga and wellness teacher and also a life coach for creative and spiritual women, I created a coaching system called “Transition and Transformation”. I love this work! Affirmations, combined with clarifying your vision for happiness, is a step in my coaching process and programs. My clients have had some life-changing results. My coaching program is based on my own process, steps out of difficult times in my life.
Didi McKay, Evolutions