Tuesday Truth: Confronting Your Inner Voice

You know what I love most about the quote above? It's a quote by Mr. Vincent Van Gogh himself. A MASTER painter. And yet, it sounds like he heard negative voices in his head, criticizing his abilities and making him question himself...

We all have a track that plays over and over in our minds, all day long, without our even realizing it. Maybe your track tells you that you're not smart enough, or that you don't work hard enough. Maybe it tells you that you aren't a good friend, or a good employee, or a good singer. Maybe you criticize your appearance, you body, your abilities, your personality--all day long--without noticing. 

In yoga, we teachers often encourage our students to begin to notice what the mind says or where it goes while practicing; we try to focus on learning how to let go of the mind, and how to let go of any negative self talk that occurs--often under the radar of our normal awareness. It can be somewhat easier to do this on the yoga mat, since we're focusing only on the body and the breath, and are therefore more aware of what's happening in the mind--but we typically lose that sense of self-awareness throughout the day. Don't get me wrong, it's still not easy to turn off that voice on the yoga mat, as we often reach many barriers constructed completely by the mind (the mind tells us which poses we'll never be able to do, it tells us to compare our bodies or our practice to those around us, and sometimes it even tells us to push harder when we should really be backing off!), but, it can become an even bigger problem in our daily lives, as that inner voice is often just as active, but we're not as attuned to what is happening when it speaks. 

I bet if I asked you to sit down and make a list of 10 things that you cannot do--10 things that you're just "horrible" at, or areas in which you are lacking--it would extremely easy for you to do. But, how about if I asked you to come up with 10 things that you're absolutely wonderful at doing--10 areas in which you are gifted, talented, or extremely able?  I'm guessing that for most of us, that would be a whole lot harder. At least, I know it would be for me, and I don't think that's okay. Our inner voices are leading us astray, and therefore, actually keeping us from branching out or following our dreams in the long run. Why do we let this happen time and time again?

So, I think that we should all take some advice from Van Gogh. The guy did paint some of the most recognizable paintings in the world, didn't he? Therefore, the mind is obviously wrong. 

What yoga poses has your mind told you that you'll "never be able to do," only to find that you can easily come into them a couple of months later? What artistic or creative endeavors have you said you "could never do," only to later learn that you're actually pretty good at them? What activity have you completed that your mind told you "simply wasn't possible for you," whether it was running a marathon, doing a pull-up, riding a bike, or going scuba diving? For most of us, the mind has been wrong about a lot of things in our lives, so we shouldn't always trust it.

Here's what this simple quote reminds me:

1. We all have an inner voice telling us what we can and cannot do. Usually, it's pretty darn negative. 
2. If we begin to pay attention to our inner voice, we can begin to notice, and then undo, some of the negative thought patterns that guide our actions and our decisions on a daily basis.
3. Once we hear that voice, if it tells us we cannot do something, we shouldn't listen to it. We should do the opposite--push the edge, head out of our comfort zone, and silence that voice. 

And by all means, PAINT!!!!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine