Values calm the mind and values become clear with self-understanding.

Over the past decade, I’ve practiced understanding myself through the lens of Yoga and found one thing that is consistent: The more I understand myself, the calmer I become. My Yoga practice has evolved from something that was sporadic and solely focused on poses to a daily practice focused on increasing inner awareness.  Plus, Yoga has become a lifestyle practice, something that is integrated into all parts of my life. It’s not that I’m doing Yoga poses all day long. Ha! Not at all. I am using my life to get curious about myself and move towards a more calm and steady mind state.

THE REALITY OF CALMING THE MIND

To go from a highly active mind to a completely calm one, is not something that can be accomplished in a couple of months or years. It takes time, effort and vigilance. Though I don’t have a completely calm mind, looking back over the last 12 years, it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come.

From my personal experiences, I look to see what are the practical learnings and tools I have gained so that I can, in turn, support others. If I can gain a calmer mind, I want anyone else with the same focus to find relief from an overactive mind more quickly and efficiently than I did.

That doesn’t mean hearing and intellectually knowing the information, but having information to put into practice into daily life now. Not everyone needs to research and sift through all the information that is out there to find what works. This is the importance of having a teacher, someone who’s walking the walk to guide others in the process.

It’s kind of like accessing information from others who have traveled to a place you’ve never been to. Most of us will look at travel blogs and even hire a guide or travel agent to help plan things out. That way, you get the most out of your trip. I can say with complete certainty that my mind would not be where it is today without the help and guidance from my teacher.

VALUES CALM THE MIND

Back to traveling, what helps guide a person to the information they want about a destination comes back to their values around traveling. My partner, Greg, and I recently had to relearn about our traveling values or ‘why’ of traveling when we were in Japan. 

It had been awhile since we just traveled without a specific focus in mind like an outdoor adventure or seeing family and friends. While we enjoyed the room to wander and see sights, we found ourselves being drawn back to nature. When we travel, being connected to nature is important to us. As we plan future travels, both of us are excited about making sure we go to places that allow us to be in nature.

Getting clear on your values is an important part of the process in calming the mind. Values help to focus on what you are doing and why you are doing what you are doing. The journey to calming the mind is a long one and it’s easy to get lost along the way. Values act as guides to bring you back to the path and move forward. Values calm the mind.

Over time your values may change, but where are you at right now? And are you consciously making choices and decisions based on what you value most of the time? This is called integrity.

It took me a long time to really understand how clarity about my values is essential to calming the mind. If you are given a task to do but no guidelines on how to do it or resources, it’s really hard to move forward. Values help guide us in life and meet conflict that inevitably arises to confidently move forward. They are part of our ‘roadmap.’

GETTING CLEAR ON YOUR VALUES

First and foremost, how do you define the word value? What is YOUR definition in your own words?

Are values things that are important to you? Maybe they are what you strive towards to be your best self? Or possibly if you had nothing left, they are what would matter most?

These are just three options out of many. What is your definition of ‘value?’ Take some time to figure this out. Your definition of values will calm the mind much more than trying to fit yourself into someone else’s definition.

BRAINSTORM AND MORE DEFINITIONS

Great, now that you have this definition, let’s move to some brainstorming. Set an alarm for 5 minutes. Now, jot down everything that comes to your mind that falls into this definition of ‘value’ for your life.

Next, take a look at your list. Are there themes or commonalities between items? Sit quietly and feel each word in your body. Is it one of the most important values you have?  Narrow it down to 3-4 and write those words down on a separate piece of paper.

Come up with your definitions for each of those values. Yes, get clear on how you define them. The more clear you are about your definitions, the easier it will be to live by those values.

This is a practical exercise in getting to know yourself more. Instead of going blindly with definitions you’ve been told, you are consciously deciding your definitions. With that clarity, it is now easier to look at the values and assess:

• Where am I living with integrity with this value?
• Where am I not?
• What actions do I need to take to shift more towards living with integrity, e.g. making choices based on my current values?

Having a specific focus and plan of action helps to keep the mind focus and help the mind refocus when it wanders off in distraction. Over and over, you can come back to why you are doing what you are doing.

CLARITY CREATES A CALM MIND

Coming back to this clarity, notice what happens in your mind and in your body. Get curious about what’s happening within this practice of self-understanding. Again, you are gathering more information to help you understand yourself better.

Clarity is a connection to our inner wisdom. Like a root for a tree, it helps stabilize us.

Now, you can consciously make decisions about what action(s) to take and move forward in a manner that is inline with your values and self-understanding. Making a decision that you back and consciously choose can also help foster a more calm mind.

The more actions that we take that involve reflection within…

The calmer our mind and body become because we are building trust. Trusting ourselves and our inner wisdom.

Namaste.

P.S. The rollercoaster of emotional reactions keeps many women from being able to connect with themselves and gain clarity about their values. If this is you, I may be able to help. If you are ready to make a change now, no matter what – then watch my free masterclass to see if working with me might be a good fit for you.