The beauty of inversion poses, from a forward fold (uttanasana) and downward dog (adho mukha svanasana) to shoulder stand (salamba sarvangasana) and headstand (sirsasana), are that they put our body in a completely different position than we are typically in – head below the heart.  These poses are a reminder that there are always different ways to view the world. Your perspective is what creates your world.

It’s why ten people can witness an event and there are ten different interpretations. The lens that we are viewing the world from is what creates our reaction toward the world. Just like wearing a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses will change the colors you see, the beliefs and assumptions you have change how you see things.  

Beliefs and assumptions change. This is positive because once you become aware of your reactions – emotions, thoughts and behaviors – you can start to consciously choose if you want to keep going with those habits or change them.

A specific practice in Yoga that is mentioned in Patanjali Yoga Sutras is pratipaksha bhavana.

“When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive] ones should be thought of.” (PYS 2.33, Swami Satchidananda)

To me, this sutra is all about taking responsibility for my reactions, becoming aware of the perspective I am taking that is fueling that reaction, and consciously doing the opposite of any thoughts or beliefs that are negative.

I used this recently when dealing with a letter from the IRS. I don’t know about you, but I can feel my body tighten, my breathing become fast and shallow, and my mind starts to race when I just think about dealing with the IRS. My assumptions were “it will take forever to get a hold of them and then it’s going to be a battle to get them to listen to me.”

I decided to practice pratipaksha bhavana and do it differently.  Before calling the IRS to deal with the issue at hand, I took some deep breaths and connected with the thought, “It’s all going to work out in the end and be fine.”  This was the perspective I took.  I made sure I had plenty of time and kept calming my mind, coming back to this thought while I was on hold waiting to talk with someone.

Once I was connected, I was able to stay calmer and up beat, thanking the person for their willingness to help me and the issue was resolved. I actually felt uplifted, positive and grateful.  The result was due to me cultivating a different perspective and continuing to reconnect back to that positive perspective rather than going with my conditioned response.

There are many ways to practice and help the mind shift from a negative thought to a positive one, Here are a few examples:

• Practicing gratitude. Here’s a guided meditation on gratitude.
• Practicing Santosha or Cultivating Contentment, the second Niyama.
• Notice your reactions in your body and get curious. Learn how to be aware of emotional reactions here.
• Every time you catch a negative thought, challenge yourself to connect to three more positive ways of looking at a situation or seeing a person.
• Practice self-compassion daily. The more you can be kind and loving towards yourself, the more this is the lens you will meet the world with. Here’s a loving-kindness meditation.

The key to becoming comfortable with pratipaksha bhavana is to start with one practice and keep it up for a month or two. I can assure you that you will start to see changes in meeting your reactions quickly and feel more motivated and empowered to keep going.

Own your actions, change your perspective, and find more peace.