When I was 12 years old my Dad asked me to read and write a book report on a book called “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. It was not a teen novel by any means. It was written for business people who wanted to make money. The concepts addressed goal setting, positive thinking and master mind groups. Hill even suggested using your imagination to call on the great minds, past and present, to get answers and guidance  from famous teachers. His  quote:  “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and  believe,  it can achieve”,  was pretty radical thinking back in the day but it has survived the test of time, as I see this book referenced many times to this day.
I didn’t know it then, but I see now that these concepts have helped me and have come to me in many forms over the years.  In my early 20’s I  studied with Jose Silva and learned to visualize. The “Silva Method” taught you how to get into a deeper level of mind and use positive affirmation to change your negative thoughts. “Every day in every way, I am getting better and better” was one that Silva taught. Louise Hay came on the scene in the 70’s and was one the most influential teachers bringing the use of affirmation to the general public. By 2008 her book “You Can Heal Your Life” had sold over 35 million copies worldwide and had been translated in over 30 languages.
In our yoga classes we use the power of affirmation to help students turn any negative thoughts around and plug in the positive. Through yoga, pranayama (breathing) and meditation you become more self aware and can notice thoughts and beliefs that no longer are true for you or that do not serve your greatest good. Every time you catch yourself in a negative thought you can “cancel” that thought and plug in a positive one. This takes time and practice. Saying a positive affirmation one,  two or even ten times will not change the tens of thousands of times you may have thought a negative one, but it’s a start! Catching yourself and consciously changing your belief system can heal you on many levels. I have proven to myself how the amazing power of the mind can bring me wellness and joy. When you realize how powerful your thoughts are, you realize that you can no longer go down the rabbit hole of worry as you are affirming and imagining the worst case scenario. Worry is just affirmation in reverse! Catch yourself, imagine the most positive outcome. Engage your feelings, imagine joy and wellbeing for you and the situation.  Call on your imagination for guidance and counsel and affirm the best outcome. Start a sentence with “I Am”…and fill in the blank. An affirmation is a declaration that something is true. Affirming you are well when you are sick or have money when you are broke is not denial, it’s turning on the power of attraction to work on your behalf. Rather than say: “This isn’t true for me”, say:  “Yes, I AM____!”

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Here are some of my favorite affirmations. It’s best to use ones that you personally can relate to. Please share any that you use and that have worked for you. Let’s spread some positivity.

I Am Open and Willing to Receive Everything I Need in This Moment.

Positive Thoughts Bring Me Benefits and Advantages I Desire.

I Love and Accept Myself.

I Am Strong from Within.

I Am an Irresistible Magnet, Attracting Everything I Need.

Money Flows to Me Freely, Easily and Endlessly.

I Am Beautiful and I Love Myself.

I Am Nurtured and Fulfilled.

I Am Grateful for My Many Blessings, Past, Present and Future.

Infinite Intelligence Leads and Guides Me in All of My Affairs.

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