How was your week? How is your day, today? I am sure that you have faced many challenges, difficulties, and uncomfortable feelings? These are all part of life. Without some kind of adversity there is no movement forward in embracing the best that our lives have to offer.
This week has been a tough week for me at certain parts then a triumph at others. I was brought face to face with all my fear and perceived failures of the past in one moment, then I had to gradually build my trust in life and Love back up from what seemed to me at the time a bottomless pit of no return. This was a fairly dramatic event for me this day, but the truth is I experience this fear little by little every day in little ways too. So by taking notice of this sense of fear and failure in little ways every day, I can more easily come to a place of peace, contentment, and Love for Life when those really bad events happen. This week it was failing an interview test for a job that I really would have like because I was sure it would solve a lot of my financial problems and worries, next week it could be the loss of a Loved one, a grave sickness of some sort, a car wreck. There are so many things that can befall us in life, and we really can not control events, we can only control how we respond to the events by learning how to face them in whatever way best serves us to come back to a place of Love for life.
“Smile live, smile well, despite the depth your ego fell!” :-)
“Smile live, smile well, despite the depth your ego fell!” :-)
Why Do We Want to Move on in the Face of Failure?
Fortunately, there have been many wonderful people in my life to remind me that there are many more important aspects to living a good life like sharing Loving acts and good feelings with others that you spend time with. Truly, the feelings that touch my heart from these moments of helping others are what inspires me to Love myself and live a happy life. The biggest inspiration being the breathe that moves through our lungs, and blood that flows through our veins. Being able to witness the miracle of my own life helps remind me that we all are very similar, sharing the air, similar foods, similar ways of moving through life, despite the distressing disguises we might wear at times.
This distressing disguise is our ego, and this small self always leads us away from unity and Love, towards separation and fear. The ego is not our enemy, just a part of who we are similar to how pain and suffering is part of life. It is only through overcoming the neediness of our ego that we learn to value and appreciate and act as Loving. It is only through overcoming the suffering in life that we might know the joy of it.
To move on from what our ego sees as hurts and failures, is to embrace living in Love, and liberation from fear. On a practical level we can build up resistance to disease and illness by living this way consistently. Our relationships to ourselves and others take on a greater depth of meaning, and provide us with all the happiness we need for a healthy mind. Eventually, our highest Self, our spirit, becomes the light from within that guides us through life, allowing us to choose right action, which heals and helps to alleviate the suffering in the world.
“Smile live, smile well, despite the depth your ego fell!” :-)
How to Move on in the Face of Failure?
- “Smile live!”
- Let's live our lives. When getting our bearings again. Things might be a little messy and confusing. But, let's set fear aside, and find a way to see above the despair that any failure or setback might create in us as a result of the experience.
- Many times my depressed feelings that hold me back from being able to take those important steps forward are a result of not feeling like I have been enough or have done enough. “How to Love Yourself by Practicing Your Best is Enough! :-),” provides inspiration in this matter. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/how-to-love-yourself-by-practicing-your-best-is-enough
- Celebration is often my first step in learning to live in Love again. Without reminding ourselves why it is better to live with inspiration, we might stay in the depths of despair indefinitely, welcoming all manner of misfortune into our lives. “How to Love Yourself by Celebrating! :-),” offers many good suggestions for different ways to live joyfully. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/how-to-love-yourself-by-celebrating
- Experiencing the world as a bright and loving place is the best way that I have found to keep taking those my steps moving forward. There is always a choice between seeing a situation as a place of suffering and despair or a miracle of life, bringing to the world an act of creation and change, paving the way for new life and Love to be experienced. It might not always be easy to see this as so, and that is why I wrote “How to Love Yourself by Allowing Miracles Within! :-)” http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/how-to-love-yourself-by-allowing-miracles-within
- Let's live our lives. When getting our bearings again. Things might be a little messy and confusing. But, let's set fear aside, and find a way to see above the despair that any failure or setback might create in us as a result of the experience.
- “Smile well!”
- Keeping the body healthy is a great step toward living a healthy life. “How to Love Yourself by Healing Yourself of Sickness” provides a number of suggestions for preventing sickness in the body including clean living, good attitudes toward life, and exercising with care. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/how-to-love-yourself-by-healing-yourself-of-sickness
- When our bodies feel better it can be natural to want to express the joy of health. However, the thoughts we think about ourselves can block the fortune of good health. In my life, I have been very blessed to experience little sickness or physical difficulty. Unfortunately, my thoughts were so unhealthy that I could hardly enjoy life. “How to Love Yourself by Looking Through Lenses of Love” suggests many ways that we might be able to change our perspective to the brighter side of life, enabling us to enjoy more Love in our daily lives. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-love-yourself-by-looking-through-the-lenses-of-love
- When my relationships are unhappy, it becomes really difficult for me to find that spark of life on a personal level. I end up wanting to hide away from the world. However, this way of living has only lead me to loneliness and a feeling of meaninglessness that is no better, and worse, from my experience, than if I took the time to heal my relationships with others, and not fear building new ones. “How to Love Yourself by Being a Peaceful Warrior” explores ways to approach, the often difficult, ways to live harmoniously with others. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-love-yourself-by-being-a-peaceful-warrior
- “Despite the depth your ego fell!”
- Brene Brown, sociological researcher and NY Times best seller, tells us that part of the process of being creative is to fail. She tells her students that if they are not uncomfortable, they are not learning. BKS Iyengar, recently deceased Hatha Yoga Guru of world renown, reminds us in Light on Life that part of life is to learn to live with pain. Suffering is a part of life. It is one of the only ways that we can known the opposite, which brings us much pleasure and joy. Understanding this during my life time has lead me to not deny this part of life, otherwise it was clear I would be denying the best of life as well. “How to Love Yourself by Practicing Trust, Patience, and Perseverance! :-)” examines different ways that we can start embracing the pain of life as an important part of joy, rather than avoiding it. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-love-yourself-by-practicing-trust-patience-and-perseverance
- Life is like a roller coaster, there are many ups and downs. It is all just part of the nature of what it is to be alive. Without pain, there can not be joy. I have found in my own life, and many wise people that I have learned from including priests, yogis, thought leaders, and, of course, my wonderful parents, that being able to truly find peace is to find a harmony within this relationship. This pain might bring this joy if we can but ride it through. And when the ride seems too much, we should remember that this too will pass. I explore this subject in greater depth in “How to Love Yourself by Enjoying the Journey! :-)” http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-love-yourself-by-enjoying-the-journey
- Having a starting point is another way to keep yourself upright during times of chaos and pain. If you can remain rooted in a knowledge of purpose or being, you will make it through any storm in life. Sometimes this central point of meaning becomes in doubt. “How to Love Yourself by Following Your Rules! :-)” looks into the practice of discovering and maintain a clear vision about life and what makes it meaningful from a personal perspective. http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/how-to-love-yourself-by-following-your-rules
- When it comes to finding this point of reference, yoga asanas or postures that help us practice balance are particularly useful. When practicing certain, if not all, asanas, your point of reference is very literal. By fixing your gaze a few feat ahead of you on a still object, you will likely find it easier to maintain balance in asanas. This point is called a Drishti. David Harshada Wagner, meditation teacher, provides insight into the deeper implications behind the yogic Drishti in “The Language of Yoga: Drishti” by Yogaglo. https://blog.yogaglo.com/2013/12/the-language-of-yoga-drishti/
“Smile live, smile well, despite the depth your ego fell!” :-)
How can Virabhadrasana III Help Us Move on in the Face of Failure?
It can be easier said than done to concentrate one's mind when we likely have a picture of what success and what failure looks like in our minds. In my mind there are painful things associated with failure, and pleasurable things associated with success. But focusing on what never was, is, or will be, will never help us to be firm, relaxed, and balanced in life because we either worry about failure or daydream of success, losing our footing in reality, slipping up and falling out of the present. So that is why Virabhadrasana III is so useful, it's results are rather immediate because you are balancing on one foot. As soon as my mind wanders away, my leg wobbles, and down I go!
However, I remind myself to focus on the process. Taming a wandering mind is what yoga is all about. Falling out of the pose from time to time, and sometimes many times, is going to happen, it is like pain, it is part of life.
As with the article on the Drishti, this is one about Virabhadrasanas that I mentioned in a previous article, is worth mentioning again. “Unpacking the Warrior Poses” by Julie Peters, yoga teacher and author, writes about how the warrior poses aid us in slaying prejudice, ignorance, and arrogance within ourselves. She also gives the Hindu mythology of the pose, which is very interesting when you compare it to the typical peaceful image of yoga. http://spiritualityhealth.com/blog/jc-peters/unpacking-warrior-poses
“The Physical, Mental, and Emotional Benefits of the Warrior Poses” by Ali Washington, registered nutritional counselor, yoga instructor, trained life coach, and published author, gives us the following insights into the benefits of Virabhadrasana III.
Physical Benefits:
- isolates and rigorously exercises the legs
- works all the muscles along the spine
- thoroughly stretches the hamstrings
- engages the core muscles
- activates the stabilizer muscles
- trains your mind to
- remain present with your thoughts
- focus during difficult situations
- relax and release unneeded tension
- let go of mental resistance
- staying emotionally poised a midst pressure and challenge
- teaches us to balance our emotions
- to stay present with our feelings without reacting to each and every little thing
Read the full article, which explores the benefits of the other Virabhadrasanas here: http://www.doyouyoga.com/the-physical-mental-and-emotional-benefits-of-the-warrior-poses/
Let's Practice Virabhadrasana III! :-)
CAUTION: Those suffering from high blood pressure should avoid this asana.
Technique
- From Tadasana ( learn how to perform Tadasana or mountain pose here: http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-make-2016-a-great-year-how-to-love-yourself-with-healing-and-hope ), step your left foot about 3 and a half feet backwards. Your legs should create a triangle with the ground.
- Bend your right knee forward, so that it is creating a 90 degree angle to the floor. You should resemble the stance of Shanti Virabhadrasana ( learn how to perform this pose here: http://forselflove.weebly.com/blog/-how-to-love-yourself-by-being-a-peaceful-warrior )
- If comfortable for your shoulders, raise both your arms above your head, so that each bicep is next to its matching ear.
- Clasp your hands together above your head if you are able. You are making a hand gesture similar in shape to a pistol. This is also known as Brihaspati Mudra or Jupiter Mudra.
- In this mudra or hand gesture our good luck and expansion become active, so that, together, they can focus our energy to break through barriers like prejudice, arrogance, and ignorance. This is the perfect mudra for slaying some troublesome parts of our personality!
- Here is an article from Nine Treasures, The Spiritual Lifestyle Shop, which gives us a good deal of information on the Brihaspati Mudra and its benefits. http://www.ninetreasures.com/pages/jupiter-kriya
- Shift all of your weight onto your right leg.
- Straighten your right leg, lift your left leg off the ground, and lower your torso down, so that you are pointing straight forward with you fingers. You may want to do this in two separate motions. You might feel more comfortable doing these three movements seperately.
- Remember to relax and breathe while in this pose. Hold this pose for as many breathes as you would like or are able to.
- Recommended feel good practice: First, only follow these suggestions if they help you relax more. Remember the goal is relaxation. Simply breathing is enough in many cases, but these might deepen your experience.
- As you breathe try thinking to yourself the following sentence with each breath. “Smile live!” inhale. “1” exhale. “Smile well!” inhale. “2” exhale. “Despite the depth. “3” exhale. “your ego fell!” inhale. “4” exhale. Continue this as long as you would like.
- Smiling will help you relax even more.
- Do your best to hold your body still, making your raised leg, upper body, and arms straight like a sign pointing the right way ahead. Are you finding it hard to keep your mind clear and true toward this goal? If so, what is distracting you? Are you afraid of falling or failing? Let go of that fear and just focus on holding Virabhadrasana III, and with practice you will eventually find that not only find peace and focus in this asana but in the asanas or postures of life. Feel at ease knowing that you have all that you need to learn how to get to where you need to be. Try listening to your favorite inspirational tune, the second tune listed above, or this classic from Survivor on the soundtrack of Rocky, “Eye of the Tiger” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYOXetfNEVY
- If you have not done both sides. When you are done with this side, lower your leg and straighten your upper body. Repeat all steps for the other leg.
- Once you are done with both sides, thank your body for carrying you through such a focused inspiring practice today! Remember to “Smile live, smile well, despite the depths your ego fell!” as you move on to whatever is next for you, smile with a clear eye of a warrior moving straight and true! :-)
Do you practice “Moving on in the Face of Failure?” Please share in the comments area here or on Face Book in the "For the Love of Self" discussion area some of the ways you have practiced “Moving on in the Face of Failure” in your life. How has it helped you find clarity despite feelings of defeat or anxiety? What are your tips and tricks for “Moving on in the Face of Failure”? Sharing our experiences can help us all find more focus and clarity to keep moving forward when we would rather run in fear. Thank you, my friend, and keep doing your best to stay true in the path you choose for your life!
If there is a topic you are passionate about or question that you would like answered about how to Love ourselves better, I would love to hear it. Please write a comment about it here or on Face Book in the "For the Love of Self" discussion area.
Thank you very much for taking time to explore “How to Love Yourself by Moving on in the Face of Failure! :-)” Writing this article has been a real help to realize how important it is to be mindful of my emotions, and to learn how to deal with them in a healthy way. With this in mind, I can keep on moving toward my goals! “Smile live, smile well, despite the depths your ego fell!”