CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES

Barack Obama says 2010 is a year of exciting possibilities, and, if that man can see his challenges in such a remarkable light, the least we can do is actually try with ours.

Donna Hamilton, a well known psychotherapist says: "I started out helping people focus what was wrong with them, now a lot of what I do is focusing on what is right. There is a very authentic and powerful transformation that occurs when people focus on their successes and positive relationships."

While I don't believe in being in denial about serious problems, I do believe that, with enough accurate information, and a little bit of reframing, you can focus on the positive, or, at the very least the positive potential, of any situation.

Here are some ideas (taken from Arjuna Ardagh's book the Translucent Revolution) to guide your body and mind in helpful directions. It is really worth asking these questions of yourself. It's a practise, the harder the situation, the harder you apply the practise.

1) Are you fully aware of all your options? What have you done to research these? Do you have confidence in the people around you?

2)Are you honouring your need for connection with others, or isolating yourself?

3)Are you being kind and good to yourself? Are you nurturing and nourishing your body, or are you treating it as a machine?

4) Are you noticing and expressing your feelings or are you feeling stuck, depressed, frustrated and bottled up?

5) Have you explored the workings of your own mind, and can you see how your thoughts and beliefs affect the quality of your life?
Are you sure that everything you believe is true?

6)Do you feel connected to the meaning and purpose of your life? What do you really want to live for?

7)Are you taking time each day to connect to your deepest core and essence?

Yoga can be part of your life-style in many ways.

It may even be for you. Try a class and find out. visit www.loveyoga.co.uk for more information on styles of yoga, and the current timetable