Cultivating …what does that mean in relation to self?
Being outdoors this summer has me inspired to think about the ways I wish to grow personally and spiritually. There are parts of ourselves that we wish to expand and grow, while other parts we could do without. Through spring and summer, we cultivate plants, flowers, grasses, trees, fruits, vegetables. We plant, grow, and harvest the literal fruits of our labours.
To cultivate what we wish to grow within ourselves, we take the time to notice, to become aware, and to choose. Whatever we wish to have more of in our lives, we have access to, through our intentions and desires. And whatever does not serve, we have the power to let go.
It’s easy to suggest changing our thoughts and letting go but how can that be applied to our daily lives?
7 Days, 7 Laws: One of the pillars of our culture at Saje is the incredible book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. It’s an amazing chapter per day read that offers insight, teaches us to flow with the moment, detach from outcomes, and to get clear on our intentions and desires. It offers guidance and insight when read every day and there is always one nugget of wisdom that shines more brightly than others, almost as if Deepak snuck in overnight to add a little more to the book.
Attention: Saje Co-Founder Jean-Pierre LeBlanc can often be heard saying, “What you put your attention grows, and what you celebrate grows exponentially.” I 100% agree. Everything we do and everything we strive to do better can become a daily/weekly/monthly practice. While many people have great wisdom, there is always more to learn, no matter who you are. There are always more ways to grow, more ways to cultivate that which is already so awesome within us. The practice of cultivating what we wish to have more of in our lives deepens peace, elevates happiness, relieves stress and helps us to feel more alive.
Match your Thoughts to your Behaviour: In his insightful book “Meditations from the Mat,” yoga teacher Rolf Gates says “in yogic psychology, our predispositions, the contents of our character, are in a state of perpetual cocreation with our thoughts.” If we consider this concept, that how we show up in the world has a direct correlation with our thoughts, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to cultivate those thoughts that would have us show up as the awesomest version possible of ourselves? We can do this while taking a breath before reacting, choosing how we wish to show up versus simply acting on autopilot.
Envision the Changes you Wish to Cultivate: making positive changes in our lives a practice can be done by dreaming up how we wish to grow and change. I’ve recently been enjoying the free app Mindful Leadership Meditations with Maria Gonzalez. She speaks about creating mantras, imagining positive outcomes, and imagining the positive changes you wish to see in your life. When you can connect your vision, your emotions and your state of being when you envision achieving your goals, the excitement and elation fuel your motivation. This moves you from a place of imagining to a course of action.
Nurture Yourself: taking the time to care for yourself helps fill your proverbial cup. At Saje, we talk about giving from our overflow, of taking great care of our own wellness so we are better able to serve and give to our greater community. Because all levels of wellness are interconnected, when we nurture any aspect of it, we automatically elevate the others. As a yoga instructor, I always like to give a little time and attention to the feet – relieving tension by gently pulling on each toe, soothing massage, sending thoughts of gratitude for carrying us every day, and of course, a little extra moisture. I especially love the heavenly blend of neroli, geranium, and palmarosa in Endless Summer body butter from our Butter Me Up Trio. It only takes a couple minutes to nurture yourself and yet it has a direct correlation with how we feel and think.
Cultivating our best selves may take a little time, a little dedication, and a little practice. Paying attention to who we are and how we show up has a ripple effect that we may not be able to fathom.
Showing up in this inspires and gives others permission to do the same, and this is an example of the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi:
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Go be your best self…you deserve it…and so does everyone around you!
