In the spirit of Christmas, I've chosen the reindeer to represent abundance as deers are a symbol in chinese fengshui, in buddhist culture, in Japan and native america. https://worldbirds.com/deer-symbolism/
December - oh what a month you have been!
From the high of our UK trip last month to the dreariness of moving houses. Yes, a week right before Christmas!
The only christmasy thing I managed to put up is a wreath, that I newly purchased from Marks & Spencers, and I also stuck those Scentsicles sticks that made our entrance smell like pine trees.
We barely even started on the unpacking, as I've been busy running errands, waiting for the handyman, deliveryman, selling and buying stuff for the house etc.
To tell you the truth, I have not dealt with that many humans in a long time - it is energetically exhausting and if you are introvert, you’d understand what I mean.
But I did keep teaching my Tuesday Yin & Meditation classes, which was a good distraction from my long stress list, I mean, “to do” list. And during my last class, I asked my students to think about what are they grateful for and WHERE in their life, can they show more Gratitude and Abundance, where there isn't any?
“In order to experience Abundance, you have let it go.
Let go of the thoughts that doesn’t serve you or makes you anxious. If it is happening in the future, give it up; it’s in the past, give it up.
Give up the clutter, the noise, the things that get in your way of
Peace, Bliss and Growth.”
I realised that this move has taken a lot from me and maybe it's just an excuse for wanting to feel unworthy and ungrateful.
Because 2021 has been brutal.
I wanted to whine and lie down, but things need to get done.
So the whining has been happening in my head - and in one of the yoga sutras, Patanjali mentioned about how self-harm or violence can also happen in your own mind.
How can I be ungrateful when there are so many things to be grateful for? I do feel blessed, really I do, I count my blessings every day and yet I'm restless, resentful and insecure, when I don't need to be.
The mind can play horrible tricks on you. Like they say, the thoughts are real, and they may not be necessarily true.
Someone wise told me that in order to experience Abundance, you have let it go - let go of the thoughts that doesn't serve you or it makes you anxious. If it is happening in the future, give it up; it's in the past, give it up. Give up the clutter, the noise, the things that get in your way of Peace, Bliss and Growth.
Thank god for my yoga practice, which taught me an important tool of Opposite Thoughts and I have been working on these 2 words - Gratitude and Abundance for the past 2 months. They are my mantra to keep those ugly thoughts out of my head.
I am grateful for what I have.
ALHAMDULILAH
I am full of abundance and love.
INSHA ALLAH
“When you realise that you don’t actually create abundance because abundance is always present; you just create limitations.”
With that being said, let me invite you to take a breath with me, NOW.
Pause.
And let it go.
With a few days remaining of 2021, let's find Gratitude and Abundance by journaling the following:
What are your Wins for 2021?
What’s possible for you in 2022?
For a step by step guidance, read the following posts:
It just takes 10 mins people! And I have scheduled in 10 mins in my google calendar to do this next Monday .
It's not a matter if you can or cannot, it's more of if you are willing.
If you are no, know that you are a yes for something else. And I ask you to consider with curiosity and without judgement, what your yes is for?
And if you are a yes to creating Gratitude and Abundance, make this 10 mins commitment.
For some inspiration, here are my previous journals for the past 5 years:
And if you are interested to find a word or an intention to work with in 2022, here's a post on how to Discover your Word for the Year in 4 Steps.
Last if you truly wish to practice Gratitude and Abundance for life - DO MORE YOGA. Do it consistently and with steady and joyful effort.
——
xox Sophie
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”