Authenticity
AUTHENTICITY ~A LETTER
Instead of ‘mental health’, let’s start talking authenticity.
You are not broken. You do not need to ‘be fixed’. This emotional pain is not a bad thing. It’s your deepest truest self telling you ‘this way of living and thinking is not working for you’
You do not always need a ‘health professional’ to regulate your emotions
This is your responsibility, your birth right, and you can learn to do this
You can build your inner strengths to take control of your emotions
It’s time for change.
It’s clear that how we are living and thinking is not working
Take control back. Make boundaries, do what feels more like ‘you’ even if it causes chaos around you. You are not the victim of your circumstances
Take responsibility for your life. Responsibility breeds empowerment
We can reclaim our agenda.
Nothing burns more fiercely in our soul than the desire to be ourselves and pursue our dreams
And so….
The great joys of life come when we are spontaneous and authentic each day while engaging in activities that we care about
When you show up authentic
You create the space for others to do the same
Walk your truth.
With love and compassion,
Jo
What happens if we don’t live authentically?
We get addicted to substances and unhealthy behaviours. We turn to a couple of glasses of wine a night to sooth our difficult emotions and feelings of not enoughness. We buy more clothes, we scroll through social media, we over eat, we keep ourselves busy– all in our attempt to numb the pain of feeling like ‘there’s got to be something more in life than this’. We accomplish things, we get the new body, we get the dream house, the husband, the wife, the big job….but we still don’t feel any better.
Here’s the truth…None of these things will ever satisfy that place inside of you that never feels full.
So how do we satisfy the void?
Instead of looking outwards, we look inwards.
We do the inner work, we become more aware of the stories we are telling ourselves – that we are not enough as we are. We ask the bigger questions – Why am I here? What are my unique gifts?
Yoga helps us find clarity of mind, to get perspective and to help us through (the messy part!) of realising who we really are, and why we are here.
How can we take control of our emotions?
We think that we are the at the mercy of what happens to us – that we have no control, and that life happens to us. However, science has found that we are 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we respond.
Yoga helps us:
Notice our thoughts (awareness), so we can choose whether it’s a helpful thought, or whether we can reframe it.
Understand that we create stories about ourselves and the world around us to make sense of the world. We think that an event happens in life, and that it’s the event that causes us stress. But in fact, science has shown that it’s the meaning we place on the event – it’s the unique story we create about the event – that becomes our life experience.
See the opportunity: if it’s just a story, we have every opportunity to change the story to something more useful, and empowering.
Responsibility breeds empowerment
Yoga also helps us build our inner strengths
We can develop our bigger sense of self - so much that we can hold a place within it for even the most difficult emotions – but it doesn’t take over our whole self. Rather than blaming others and relying on others to help us feel ‘happy’, we take responsibility and develop our inner strengths such as building a positive outlook on life through gratitude and self-compassion practices, and heart opener poses.
We make time to get out in nature and move our body, and really take notice of the wonders of life, the abundance in the world – we ponder the beauty and joy in the present moment.
We fill up our own cup so we can give meaningfully to others. Therefore cultivating our ability to regulate our emotions is not only good for you, it’s good for the people around you, and for the world.
How can we live more authentically?
Sadly our society does not always educate us on the value of being inspired and living an authentic life. The great thing is we can start an experiment as an adult to get some clues as to how we live with more joy in our daily life. When you live by your own truth, you are not defined by your Mum, your Dad or societal norms. You can act and respond from a place of courage.
Here’s some questions I found helped me make some bold decisions in my own life, to live a more empowered life:
What does freedom feel like for me?
How can I put my own priorities first?
Is this what success looks like?
Is this the life I want to live?
Who do I want to be?
How can I contribute meaningfully to the world?
And some further questions for getting insight into living more authentically:
What kind of person am I?
How do I want to be known?
Do I define myself by what I own or by what I do? Or do I define myself by who I am?
Am I free from others expectations?
Do I respect other peoples truths or do I try to mould others to fit my needs?
Do I seek outside validation?
Do I feel calm and on the right path?
Do I feel brave enough to share my thoughts even though I might be judged by some and loved by others?
Jo Jarden is a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher in Christchurch New Zealand and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio - 13/21 Bealey Ave. She has 10 years experience in health promotion in New Zealand and Australia including management and promotion of national chronic disease prevention programs. She now helps people one on one with their wellbeing through yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellbeing workshops.
Check out whats on at the studio here
Jo’s qualifications include: Certified Yoga Teacher Santosha Yoga Institute, Registered Australian Yoga Alliance 2017
Certificate in Advanced Personal Training, Fit College New Zealand, 2016
Bachelor of Science with Honours Public Health. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2006
Bachelor of Arts Mass Communication and Psychology. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2005