I’m happy to introduce to you one of my dear friends and teachers who is going to be a featured expert in the Own Your Power Blog and Community. Her name is Dana Smith-Rogers also known as the “Yoga Diva”. Enjoy her posts as she shares doses of her wisdom with us!

carefree_smallHopefully this day finds you at peace. The warm weather has me looking forward to my first trip of the year to the beach. In preparation I decided to increase my physical activity by doing more at home. Since yoga and dance are part of my regular routine I decided to stir things up by getting acquainted with our Wii Fit. Instead of going right to the workouts I did the body assessment out of curiosity. To my surprise not only was my BMI (body mass index) borderline overweight but also my “real” age was eleven years older than my actual age. I immediately thought there had to be some sort of mistake. I eat well, drink enough water and am a yoga and dance teacher for goodness sake! I reset all of the information but got nearly the same results. My mood took a downturn and I found myself in a funk.

My meditation and yoga practice helped me feel better but my mood did not fully improve. I realized I needed to do more to shift my energy. Instead of allowing the negative thoughts to consume me I listened to my inner chatter and wrote down positive affirmations to counter self-defeating thoughts. Positive affirmations are powerful statements that transform negative energy by changing our internal dialogue. I recited my affirmations several times for the next few days and had a few written on sticky notes around the house. Slowly but surely my mood was lifted. One of my most helpful affirmations is “I am in perfect health and I am the perfect size.” This put everything into perspective and addressed what I was feeling.

The beauty of positive affirmations is that we can immediately shift negative energy by changing our inner dialogue. If you are stuck in a rut or need positive reinforcement, here are five simple steps for creating your own unique positive affirmations:

1. Make a short list of things that are contributing to negative thoughts/feelings.

2. Write the list again in a positive sense. For example “I am overweight” becomes “I am healthy,
happy and the perfect weight.” Be sure to begin each with “I” and write it in the present tense as
if it were already accomplished. Statements should be short and concise.

3. Believe in your affirmations! Don’t write an affirmation that you don’t believe in.

4. Put your affirmations where you can see them daily.

5. Repeat your affirmations (with conviction!) several times a day.

Negative thoughts and bad moods happen – we all have our moments; it is part of the human experience. Despite it all know and believe that we can create a life that we love.

Om Shanti,

The Yoga Diva
http://www.essenceyoga.net