Serenity Now – by Carrie-Anne Fields

Who remembers that episode on Seinfeld when George’s father Frank keeps exclaiming ‘Serenity Now’, intending on bypassing his frustrations and find a lasting solution to inner peace?  Of course by the end of the show he explodes and destroys everything in his path!  Such is the trap for many yogis who only use affirmations and positive thinking without actually acknowledging how they truly feel.  This Silly Season, let’s commit to both serenity and keeping it real!

Being a yogi often means being highly sensitive to energy which has it’s huge advantages and also it’s reminder to protect your aura when around large groups of people, or out of your normal peaceful routine. If you get overwhelmed easily when not given enough time alone to spiritually recharge and don’t understand some of the crazy out-of-control behaviours that may accompany the ‘silly’ season, here’s some tips to stay centred amongst all the parties and big family gatherings.

1. Don’t force yourself to be nice. Rather choose to see everyone as perfect in the eyes of LOVE and through this awareness, you will naturally find conversations with others will be empowering and you will be able to see the good in all. You will truly feel and know that everyone is doing the best they can with their current level of awareness.
2. Choose not to pretend. One of the interesting dynamics of being with all your family all at once on Christmas Day is you don’t know which ‘personality’ to put forward, since we unknowingly become a different character for different people. You may behave one way with your Mum, but a different way with your brother, different again with your cousin – you may be loving with some family members, hurt by some and competitive with others. It’s exhausting and leads to big frustrations and often family disagreements. So just DO YOU! Authenticity is not only a relief for you, it silently conveys to everyone else just to be themselves. Talk about your successes and your failures – we all have them, so keep it real and watch the positive response you receive.

3. Avoid buying into others’ egos. Ego behaviour is not just big-noting – it also includes victim mentality (feeling sorry for oneself), negative belief systems (the world and people are ‘terrible’), views that others’ are better off and more. If you feed others’ ego projections, you make their stories real when in fact the ego is based on illusion. This isn’t an easy task but do your best not to agree with ego-based stories you hear from others. Rather talk about all the good you have encountered throughout the year.

4. Take responsibility if someone irritates you. The way to stop the endless pattern of being annoyed by certain people is to accept they are in your life to teach you something. They may also be a reflection of the parts of yourself (albeit in a smaller way) that irritate you about yourself. Oh this one takes courage to apply but is well worth owning your stuff and transcending it!
5. Honour your True Self. Say no when you need to honour yourself first. You don’t have to go to every event, function or party over the festive season. If you need rest or just time out to find your centre, you have the right to put yourself first. Turning up to something that you are resisting actually blocks your energy field and can make you sick. It’s not selfish to say no.
Many magical moments for the festive season to you all and SERENITY NOW!

Carrie