Affirming: Putting the future into words

Sutra 2.33 is one verse from the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Just one verse, but with powerful implications. 

vitarka baadhane pratipaksha bhaavanam

Variously translated as

When negative feelings restrict us, the opposite should be cultivated. (Alistair Shearer) 

Unwholesome thoughts can be neutralized by cultivating wholesome ones. (Chip Hartranft) 

When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite, positive ones should be thought of.  (Sw. Satchidananda)  

Upon being harassed by negative thoughts, one should cultivate counteracting thoughts. (Edwin Bryant) 

vitarka = negative thoughts

baadhane = disturbing

pratipaksha = opposite thoughts 

bhaavanam = thinking of

One more aphorism, close in spirit to the sutra:

Think lovely thoughts. -- Tinker Bell

Oh, those thoughts that have the power to restrict, sicken, disturb, harass, and ground us.

Tinker Bell got a wonderful, almost immediate result from her strategy of thinking positive thoughts: "I'm flying!!!"

For the rest of us, the project of turning our thinking by replacing the bummers with the good things will usually take longer to give results. But it's possible.

I was in my third year of teaching, the crucial, make-or-break year, when I would either be granted tenure or be dismissed. My principal was infamous for denying tenure, just to flex administrative muscle. The pressure was on.

In a try-anything mindset, I turned to what I'd been learning about affirmations.

Affirmations, positive statements that describe a desired situation or goal, are repeated, until they get impressed at deep layers of the mind. From the subconscious, they can influence our behavior so that we're acting in alignment with our desired future. Phrase them so they're short and sweet, and include all your names.

Okay, if that could help me with Mr. Tough Administrator, it was worth a try.

I put Post-It notes in strategic spots in the house.

From this situation, only good comes to me, CKM. 

I, CKM, am safe. 

I, CKM, accept my good. 

I, CKM, love teaching, and teaching loves me. 

I, CKM, live by the Existence Principle: for every problem there exists a solution; for my situation, I have the solution.

True, that last one was a bit long. But I was inspired by the notion that this Existence Principle thing (learned about it from NPR) was one that inventors have faith in. If it could work for guys like Thomas Edison and Elias Howe, it could work for me.

When to repeat an affirmation? Whenever. While walking, a very effective time, as it’s reinforced by stepping and breathing. Whenever you start to taste the gray grit of worry. While breathing yourself to sleep, attaching the syllables to the rhythm of the breath. The words that name the future that you want -- they can be very powerful.

The other day I found one of those Post-It notes, a tattered little reminder from the past. Holding it, I remembered how much energy I'd put into repeating it. And how much work I'd put into improving every aspect of my teaching, not trusting in affirmations alone. I'll never know which proportions of which efforts bore fruit, but in the end, I was granted tenure. An immense, profound relief. Man, was I grateful.

So, I became an adherent of using affirmations, and have kept on using them to this day.

Thanks to Patanjali for the recipe.

I have a corollary sutra to offer. Until I can get an elegant, poetic, sonorous, Sanskrit version, I’ll offer up the English:

Upon being harassed by persistent worries, one should make brownies for one’s next door neighbor. 

Upon being disturbed by sinking hopes, one should go outdoors for a brisk walk-jog. 

And upon being restricted instead of uplifted, one should put on loud French-Canadian music and dance around the room.

Because marshalling the power of affirmation can be a long haul, and sometimes we all need a quick fix.