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Shadow Work
Heal the deepest parts of your subconscious...
TOGETHER WITH:
Hello
Quote of the day...
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
In Today's Email:
Shadow Work: Heal the deepest parts of your subconscious…
Our Gift To You: 30-day Self-Love Challenge…
Yogapedia: Garland Pose…
IMAGE OF THE DAY
TODAY'S LEARNING
Shadow Work: Heal The Deepest Parts Of Your Subconscious…
We naturally prefer to avoid uncomfortable feelings, thoughts, and memories. However, that does not mean they vanish. Rather, they continue to exist in our unconscious minds in secret.
We must learn to heal childhood wounds and accept not only our light but also our shadow if we are to become whole human beings (because we all have them).
The world we live in is bipolar. No day without night. No hot without cold. No light without darkness.
If we keep undesirable parts of ourselves hidden, how can we ever be completely authentic? If we don't embrace our darkness completely, how can we ever love and accept others?
These days, the idea of "shadow work" is widely discussed and tossed about like candy, but there still appears to be a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding it all.
When we talk about the shadow, we mean all the parts we deny, hide or reject about ourselves.
Carl Jung describes the shadow as the hidden part of our human psyche.
How Does Your Shadow Manifest and Express Itself?
There are many ways our shadow parts show up in our conscious lives:
Jealousy, Addiction, Depression, Anxiety, Codependency, Creating or being part of a lot of drama in life, Self-sabotage, Power struggles, Lies, Procrastination, Resentment, Passive-aggressiveness, Bitterness, Aggression, anger and rage, Violent behaviors and abuse, Victimization , Guilt and shame, Reactive, Discontentment
Examples of the Shadow
Your parents didn't respect your opinions as you grew up. Little You came to the conclusion that your parents don't care about your thoughts, so you should keep quiet so they won't judge or blame you. This is a constantly changing component that teaches you to keep your ideas to yourself and makes you afraid to speak up, especially in school, at work, or on social media.
Or maybe you learned to not take all sweets from the table because you would be considered greedy. Alternatively, you discovered that being loud, wild, and expressive would make you appear foolish or bothersome.
You might criticize somebody for the same traits in both situations, such as being obnoxious or avaricious.
When you scroll around on Instagram and you see someone celebrating a 6-figure product launch or having just bought an epic home by the beach or getting married to their dream partner - and you notice yourself feeling jealousy. Or sadness. And you criticize them or judge them “Oh look at them boasting their big money egos” or “Who would need such a big house anyway?” or “Well, we all know how many marriages fail, so I’m sure they won’t make it far.”
So how do I do shadow work?
Journaling can be an excellent place to start if you want to spend some time with your shadow. The most straightforward way to do shadow work is to identify experiences or interactions where you felt inferior to others, tension in the body, or feelings of jealousy, envy, or anger. then write about them in a journal. Engaging in self-reflection exercises like this one enables you to identify the aspects of yourself that you might be hiding and begin to explore the reasons behind it.
Here are some journaling exercises to help you shine light on your shadow:
Are there aspects of your personality that you feel too embarrassed to discuss with others?
Have you ever been dishonest about who you are, your likes/dislikes, or your personality?
How recently have you experienced embarrassment, and why?
Are there times you don't want to share something you have with others (like your time or an item), but you don't speak up because you fear being judged?
Which presumptions about other people do you usually make?
By increasing awareness through this exercise, you'll be in a better position to make judgments and choices going ahead that are more in line with your values.
For example, maybe the last time you felt embarrassed was when a friend pointed out that you’re super talkative. You can analyze why this made you feel so uncomfortable and what it says about your values and how you want other people to see you by scribbling over that. From there, begin to pose questions to yourself, such as, "Where did I hear that being talkative was a bad thing?" and "What are some stereotypes about talkative people?" These inquiries will help you understand where this all began for you and what it might look like if you choose to embrace your talkative nature rather than feeling it had to be kept hidden.
DEAL OF THE DAY
The Ultimate Shadow Work Bundle (95% OFF)
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About: We all have parts about our personality that we tend to suppress. People also refer to it as the 'Shadow-self'. It's the part where our negative beliefs about ourselves and others dwell.
When we do 'Shadow Work', we shine a light on these dark parts of our being. And while this can be a very difficult and painful practice, exposing and accepting them will lead to enormous personal growth.
Doing shadow work allows us to deal with and overcome past trauma. It can help you realize the source of your negative beliefs and your worst habits. Surface memories you had long forgotten or have been suppressing, and confront them.
Our emotions are not something that should rule us. We should aim to live a more balanced life. Only by accepting our emotions as they arise, are we able to let them go. We don't need to react to our anger or hurt the way we are used to.
Benefits Of Shadow Work:
Self-love and Self-acceptance
Overcoming generational trauma
More awareness of your emotions and triggers
Peace of mind, general Happiness
Become more Compassionate towards yourself and others
Improved Social Interactions & Relationships
Become 'Un-Stuck'
TOGETHER WITH FINANCE BUZZ
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TODAY'S POSITIVE NEWS
Artist Creates Iconic Landscapes From Food–Then Donates to Hungry People (LOOK)
An artist used organic food to create these iconic landscapes—and they do look good enough to eat, because they were.
Made entirely from fruits and vegetables, the four tasty ‘paintings’ feature some of the UK’s best loved scenes—from Stonehenge, to Avon Gorge, with its famous suspension bridge, to Giant’s Causeway.
Marking the end of the 2023 harvest season, the edible exhibits were created by Welsh-based artist Nathan Wyburn to replicate the beloved landscapes in mouthwatering detail—along with the help of the Yeo Valley Organic’s chef, Ali Pumfrey.
ZEN STORY
GIVE, GIVE, GIVE
One evening as Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras a thief with a sharp sword entered, demanding either money or his life. Shichiri told him: “Do not disturb me. You can find the money in that drawer.” Then he resumed his recitation. A little while afterwards he stopped and called: “Don’t take it all. I need some to pay taxes with tomorrow.” The intruder gathered up most of the money and started to leave. “Thank a person when you receive a gift,” Shichiri added. The man thanked him and made off. A few days afterwards the fellow was caught and confessed, among others, the offence against Shichiri. When Shichiri was called as a witness he said: “This man is no thief, at least as far as I am concerned. I gave him money and he thanked me for it.” After he had finished his prison term, the man went to Shichiri and became his disciple.
OUR GIFT TO YOU
Every now and then we will be giving away free digital goods to our community. In order for you to see our digital gifts, make sure that you place our emails into your primary folder. Our goal is to give away something awesome at least once a week!
Today you get our 30-Day Self-Love Challenge. The self-care challenge is designed to help you improve your relationship with yourself and help focus on ‘me time’ daily. Finding time to focus on yourself can help you improve not only your relationship with yourself but also with others.
To download please click on the button below called “Download”.
CRYSTAL OF THE DAY
YOGAPEDIA
Garland Pose (Malasana)
What is Garland Pose?
Garland pose, or malasana in Sanskrit, is a squatting posture that builds flexibility in the ankles, hips and knees. It's an excellent pose to weave into a weekly asana practice, especially for those who spend a lot of time sitting in chairs.
Instructions
Begin standing with the feet slightly wider than the hips.
Exhale and bend the knees, lowering the hips so that they hover just above the floor. Widen the feet if needed.
Bring the palms to meet in prayer position in front of the chest and press the elbows against the knees.
Breathe while holding the pose.
DAILY MEME