pratipaksa bhavana ~ When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite {positive} thoughts should be thought of. ~

When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite {positive} thoughts should be thought of.

This is pratipaksa bhavana.

In verse 33 of Book/Chapter 2 of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we are reminded of how to invite in positive or opposite thoughts to the the thoughts that create disharmony.  

For example: “I love you.”

This allows us to love the ‘pure being’ within each one of us.

This is one example of how you may hold a pure thought that is filled with love.  You can find something in someone to like or love if you choose. 

You can also find something in another that you admire and appreciate if it is something similar to what you appreciate and value in yourself or something that you are seeking to become, inspired by what you see in another.

In the Yoga Sutras, this verse offers a practical method of changing the thoughts that cause us to suffer.  This is similar to what I teach in Cognitive Therapy.

You can also change your actions and your immediate surroundings (your environment) as further ways of adjusting your perspective.  Lean in to how you want to think and feel and live.  Practice living this as a way to create new habits and positive mindset.

You can create a positive environment for yourself by returning to the present moment, and in the simple witnessing of your breath for several moments, allowing your mind to quiet and to feel present in your body.

You can create a positive experience for yourself as you witness something in full appreciation of it (such as something in nature, a child, and as you hold gratitude for aspects of your life). 

You can remind yourself of the mindset and the feelings that you wish to live daily by creating a mantra that elicits what is most wanted.  This becomes a plan and a path for a positive state of being and new governing behaviors that you invite into your life. 

I also recommend for people to physically move themselves into a different space, to sit or lie in stillness, and to bring awareness unto the breath and for a time, simply follow this natural grace ~ this gentle movement that holds the capacity for you to feel grounded in yourself again, lifting any uncomfortable or negative thoughts or experiences away and bringing attention again into now.

You may also think about the aftereffect of a negative or destructive thought or habit. 

For example, “What will happen if I allow this thought/feeling/behaviour to continue?” 

Seeing the damage that you can cause yourself (and your relationships with others) is important as a means of holding self-discipline (tapas) and in reflection of your desire to not perpetuate the harm rather practice its opposite ~ (ahimsa ~ nonviolence).  This is always kindness and love.

Turn things around.  Consider how you will stop the unwanted and unkind situation from affecting you. 

You do this by holding presence and noticing the interconnections of your body and mind, and looking inward to the presence of your soul for the peace and tranquility that you want to feel and be.

namaste ?

Here is a guided meditation to help you with this practice.  It is a simple means of returning to the present in which you have the power to choose.