Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/118686
Forgiveness through the Yoga Lens yoga&spirit the choice is to remain in a state of contraction or release and align with truth W By Sharon Brock Spiritual Community Forming near Yosemite National Park with roots in Findhorn and the Ageless Wisdom. Co-creators welcome. n One-Light-Cocreation.info CMYK color Spiritual Community Forming near Yosemite National Park with roots in Findhorn and the Ageless Wisdom. Co-creators welcome. n One-Light-Cocreation.info 18 Yoga_02.indd 18 e all know how it feels to be wronged. Whether or not we're experts at handling it, we've all experienced that constriction in the belly, tension in the shoulders and scowl between the brows. Sometimes we hang onto grudges for years, not realizing that resentment and guilt (which is simply non-forgiveness of the self) take a toll on our mental, emotional and even physical health. If we know that festering resentment can cause mental and physical problems, why is it so dificult to forgive? L.A.-based yoga instructor Daniel Stewart, MFT, explains, "When we feel resentment or guilt we create contractions around the thought patterns of being wronged or wronging others, and we get hooked on these thought patterns. Buddhists refer to this feeling of being hooked as shenpa." Shenpa is often translated as "attachment," but might be better described as "getting your buttons pushed." It is that contraction in your chest that gets triggered when someone makes a remark that rubs you the wrong way. Since everyone has different past experiences, everyone is triggered by different remarks, but the subsequent contracted feeling is universal. We get hooked on this contraction and spiral into feelings of low self-esteem, anger, blame or revenge toward the other person. We feel entitled to stay in resentment because we have been wronged; we feel validated in some way. It is clear that the ego would rather be right than feel good. God is as close to you as your next breath Soul Transcendence is becoming aware of yourself as a Soul and as one with God, not as a theory but as a living reality. MSIA provides tools and techniques for experiencing your Soul and, therefore, your own Divinity. "All that you want to be, you already are. All you have to do is move your awareness there and recognize the reality of your own Soul." —John-Roger Journey of a Soul Download your Free E-book, at www.msia.org/info/wlt To request a print copy, contact servicedesk@msia.org or (800) 899-2665 Print Promo Code: 702WLT wholelifetimesmagazine.com 3/27/13 9:47 AM