Are you feeding the good wolf?
We often ignore so much of whats going right. We all have a 'bad wolf' and a 'good wolf' that we feed with narratives every day, and every moment. The question is, which wolf are you choosing to feed?
The story of the Two Wolves is a popular legend of unknown origin, sometimes attributed to the Cherokee people (the Indigenous people of the Southeastern woodlands of the USA). The story known as the ‘Tale of Two Wolves’ - features a grandfather using a metaphor of two wolves fighting within him to explain his inner conflicts to his grandson. When his grandson asks which wolf wins, the grandfather answers ‘whichever he chooses to feed.’
This Christmas is a good time to think of the different ways we can ‘feed the good wolf’ - and have more of a sense of thankfulness, enjoyment and general positive feelings in our everyday life. Dr Rick Hanson is a nueroscientist and founder of the course - The Foundations of Wellbeing. He explains that our brains have a negativity bias but we can overcome this by taking in the pleasures of everyday experiences to grow the good inside of us and rewire our brains for the better. Practicing yoga - both in the studio and in daily life - helps us build our inner strengths to become more mindful and have a greater sense of fulfillment in life.
Here are 3 ways we can ‘feed the good wolf’ and grow the good inside of us:
Receive the gift
How aware are you of the things you’ve been given? We can open to so many things that have been given to us such as the contribution by friends, the simplicity of clean running drinking water, and even the gift of human life. It’s really helpful to proactively take note of the gifts that we might otherwise take for granted.
Take in pleasure
Let yourself really enjoy whatever daily pleasures are around you. The gift of your sight - to see the bliss of the blue sky - or even the artistic masterpiece of the sky on an overcast day. Or the sound of birds around you, the feeling of sun on your skin. Taking in the pleasures of the ordinary, and making them extraordinary is what matters. I like to really enjoy that comforting feeling of snuggling into my sheets at night and appreciating the simple pleasure of a restful nights sleep ahead.
Help yourself feel successful
Can you recognise the millions of ordinary moments of goal accomplishments in your day? Its easy to get caught in the trap of noticing what else still needs to be done in your day. Its important to carve out moments (or mini habits) to allow yourself to celebrate what you’ve done well. Maybe you notice how you managed to hang out a load of laundry, or how you thoughtfully crafted an email to avoid conflict? We can proactively notice the many successes of daily life and let these experiences sink in again and again.
Being happy and grateful is not an automatically given quality reserved for a few hippy yogis (!) Just like learning to play the cello, we can all get better and better at the practice of gratitude. We just have to feel motivated enough to ‘feed the good wolf’ and carve out micro moments of noticing the good - and really let it sink in.
So how will you take in the good, and appreciate the gifts you already have this Christmas? I wish you all a fulfilling and pleasurable Christmas break.
Heart & Mind Yoga has a Christmas Party Alternative on Sunday 15th December at 7pm 13/21 Bealey Ave, Carlton Corner Christchurch. To learn more or book your spot follow this link
Jo Jarden is a personal trainer and yoga teacher and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio in Central Christchurch. With 10 years experience in health promotion, she now helps people one on one with their wellbeing. Services include, yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellbeing workshops.