Follow Through on Your Commitments

“Commitment means moving through a door of change through which you do not intend to return.”
~ David Simon

Namasté began the New Year with an invitation to join us in making 2009 the most amazing year of our lives. Many of you wrote down your personal commitments and shared them here with Namasté readers throughout the world. We have been delighted and inspired by your deep intentions for peace, harmony, laughter, and love. Share your commitment here.

Now that you’ve made your commitment, what is the next step? How do you follow through with action that supports your evolutionary growth? This issue of Meditation Moment  is dedicated to transforming our intentions into conscious choices. No matter what has happened up until now, we have the greatest gift of free will, and we are all capable of making this year better than any we have known.

Let’s get started right now with a guided commitment podcast with The Chopra Center’s lead meditation instructor, davidji.

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How to Break a Habit

Habits generate biochemical and physiological changes that perpetuate behavior. Be assured, however, that it is possible to break a habit when you address its emotional and physical aspects. Here is a powerful process that can help you succeed:

1. Identify the Obstacle
   Acknowledge the unwanted habit by bringing it into conscious awareness. Take a few moments to identify a behavior that is getting in the way of your health and happiness. Close your eyes and ask yourself, What do I really want to change?
2. Present Moment Awareness
   When you engage in the habit, do it with your full attention. Stop whatever else you are doing and connect with your inner observer. As you smoke (or drink, shop, overeat, lose your temper, etc.), notice the sensations in your body and the thoughts in your mind and let go of all judgments.
3. Envision the New
   Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and envision the change you want to make. If your goal is to eat healthier, envision yourself getting rid of all the junk food in your house; buying fresh, organic ingredients. Create the new script in your mind and write it down. Read it each day, make revisions and improve the story.
4. Clear the Space
   Set a date for ending the habit. Whether you are withdrawing from a toxic relationship, job, or substance, the first three days are usually the most challenging, so we recommend starting on a Saturday morning so that you will have the weekend to focus on your changes. (see tips in box at right).
5. Filling the Void
   Habits fill deep-seated needs, so when you drop an unwanted behavior, you need to replace it with a nourishing one. Instead of “winding down” in the evening with a beer or hours of television, practice meditation or yoga. Find an activity that provides sustainable comfort that takes the place of the temporary relief your old habit provided.
6. Surround Yourself with Healthy People
   You may need to put some distance between yourself and those who continue to engage in the habit you are quitting. If you want to end a pattern of workaholism, for example, seek out people who have found a measure of work-life balance, for you will likely be influenced by their traits.

The Chopra Center Resources

Our Signature Mind-body Workshop. Journey into Healing is coming to Tampa, Florida, this February 3–7, where Deepak Chopra & David Simon will guide you in a four-day exploration of mind-body medicine and Ayurveda.

Finally Learn to Meditate with Deepak, David, and Davidji. Experience a week of deep meditation and inner discovery this March 8–14 at Seduction of Spirit.

Create Your Foundation with The Perfect Health Program. Experience timeless healing practices and treatments for physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Free Intro to Meditation. Learn about our free introduction to meditation class, offered each week in the beautiful setting of The Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California.

The Chopra Center On-Line Library. Read about Spirituality, Ayurveda, mind-body healing, and more at our on-line library.

Translate Good Intentions into Great Choices. In the spirit of both Eastern and Western traditions, David Simon shows how changing our mind-set from commandments to personal commitments can help us make the life transformations we have always wanted.

Speak with a program consultant at 888.736.6895
or ask your question here

Follow Through Podcast

A Meditation from davidji (23 minutes) Sorry, your browser doesn't support the embedding of multimedia.

Download podcast here (~23 minutes)

Sound:Seven Metals by Benjamin Iobst. You will need a free mp3 player like Quicktime or Windows Media Player to listen to this. Click here to subscribe to The Chopra Center's itunes podcast. (You will need to download the Itunes application if you don't have it already.)

Strengthen Your Inner Warrior

Virabhadrasana (veer-ah-bah-DRAHS-anna) or Warrior I is a powerful yoga pose that strengthens the entire body while improving your mental focus and capacity for self-control and follow through.

Breathing deeply, stay in this position for 30 seconds, gradually building to one minute. Repeat the pose on both sides.

Now Available Online - Exclusive Podcasts by Deepak Chopra

Listen here

Letting Go of Resistance

The purpose of Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word meaning “wisdom of life,” is to maximize the possibility of making healing choices. These Ayurvedic principles can help you move beyond resistance and fulfill your goals:

• Accept the now
  When you accept life as it unfolds, offering no resistance, you become aware of the choices available in this moment. This doesn’t imply giving up desires or being a victim, but discovering the freedom to respond creatively.
• Accept the signals of your body
  Feel all of your body’s sensations. Whereas the mind lives in the past and the future, the body resides in the now and never doubts itself. It knows the truth and will guide you toward the most evolutionary choices.
• Accept responsibility and commit
  With deepened awareness, you can make new choices, let go of habits that no longer serve you, and commit to doing something different.

Sutra Jewelry

Sankalpa is an ancient Sanskrit sutra that means "resolution" or "determination." This lovely amulet comes with a 16" leather cord.

Start shopping here

"Everything in the universe is within you.
Ask all from yourself." ~Rumi