"You mean I am a source of many wonderful things?"

Yes. Actually you are. Own up to it.

This leads me to believe that we are all indeed connected, a union—which is what the word Yoga means.

The human experience is so similar, and yes, I know the details are vastly different, and that the devil lies in the details, but, we still share the same weight on our shoulders. That weight would be diminished if we chose to forgive instead of harboring guilt or anger.

Do something every single day that makes you feel good, whether it is changing your thought patterns or taking a bath while reading a magazine in the tub.

Maybe it’s getting an extra hour of sleep or staying up late and watching Pretty Woman for the 50^th time.

Pleasure and joy are highly underrated and beating ourselves, up highly overrated. Flip it! Cultivate the opposite.

Be good to yourself. You will train other people to do the same.

And guess what? If they aren’t good to you, you will still have your old standby who is always good to you: YOU. Pretty much what matters most at the end of the day. You being good to you. The rest will follow.

Remember the 90’s En Vogue song, with the lyrics “Free your mind, the rest will follow”?

It will. So get up and dance.

***This originally appeared on the Tiny Buddha site***

“Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.”

~Leo F. Buscaglia

With more than 1,200 published studies—forgiveness research is a relatively new and exciting field that, along with other mind-body research, is encouraging a fundamental shift away from treatment of disease to focusing on the positive aspects of human nature as a basis for healing.

The latest research findings suggest that forgiveness works in several ways. 

One is by reducing the stress of unforgiveness—a toxic mixture of anger, bitterness, hatred, resentment and fear (of being humiliated or hurt again). These negative emotions have specific physical consequences, including increased blood pressure, adrenaline and cortisol levels, which have been linked to cardiovascular disease, immune suppression and, possibly, impaired neurological function and memory. 

A second way forgiveness works is more subtle, 

as shown in studies indicating that people with strong social networks—friends, neighbors and family— tend to be healthier than loners. According to psychologists, someone who is angry and remembers every slight is likely to lose relationships during the course of a lifetime, while people who are forgiving are more likely to attract and keep a strong social support system—to the benefit of their own health.

Letting go can be defined as: "A combination of accepting, but not denying; living in the present and looking forward to the future without regret for the past, and a willingness to move on and beyond.

Embarking on my 30th birthday this week, I will be starting what is called a Forgivness Project ... Working towards letting go and understanding what Forgivness truly means... 

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize that prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes

The ability to achieve forgiveness and let go of past hurts is one of

the most critical challenges many of us face on the road to attaining

personal peace and happiness.

While it certainly isn't easy, it is absolutely necessary for

long-term mental and emotional heath.

“Yoga: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”


~Anon