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Let Go & Let Love

On January 14, 2014 in General by Celest Pereira

1. TURN IT OFF!

We are bombarded with so much negative information that unconsciously holds us back in life. You might say, “But it’s important to know what is going on in the world”. I used to say that all the time. It’s no surprise that I was always down and thinking about how bad the world is.

Is the world that bad? Maybe it is. The news makes it look that way. But the reality of life is that there are so many great people doing wonderful things that we just never hear about. I was smacked side-ways when I read the "4-Hour Work Week," and it advised to cut out all media. At the time my mentality was like many of you, keeping up with news is an important thing to do to be in tune with life and also socially accepted.

These days I focus on a different reality. Being a miserable, depressed, moody b*tch is probably the worst thing you can do to be accepted socially. This is what the news was doing to me slowly but surely. So I cut it out along with TV and the radio and instantly it was like a happier version of myself was uncovered. I also found that I had a more balanced view of life. I was now in tune with what was good and bad happening around me, not just the bad.

Turn off the TV and radio and instead start tuning into a happier you.

2. SAY IT NOW!

If you want to feel good, make someone else feel good. Don’t talk about yourself too much, especially if you talk about your problems. Look for what you think is cool, nice or awesome in others and then make a point of telling them. Write them email or text, or even better, make a phone call or tell them face to face. This will make you happier. That’s right, it will make YOU happier. You might think this is about elevating others, and it does! But the side effect of this process is that your happiness levels will elevate too.

When I was twelve my mom (an amazing woman) gave me the book to read, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I’m sure that book has had it’s fair share of a bad rep, but what it did for me was remarkable. I attribute so much of my success to that book. One of the simple suggestions in it was to notice what people are doing well and then take time to express your appreciate or admiration. At first when I read the book I made a special effort to do this to the people that I had contact with. It was a little stilted. I would scan the playground and notice the kids, thinking, “What can I say, with sincerity, that will make someone feel good?” Now that part of my personality is so highly tuned that there is no thought behind it. When I make contact with a person, within seconds, before I have even had a chance to realize what is coming out of my own mouth, I will be saying something I like about that person. It’s an ice-breaker, which is great because the world needs less awkward silence.

Some people are more quiet and just listen. That's cool, and I think these people have real wisdom. But many are just passively riding on the efforts of others. These people usually then turn around at the end of a night out and express how boring all the people were and unintelligent the conversation was. Maybe it was, but if you aren’t part of the solution you’re part of the problem. Make your voice heard to make others feel good, and you know what? Yup! You guessed it, you will feel GREAT!

3. I LOVE MYSELF :)

I am reading an amazing book called, "Choose Yourself," by, James Altcher. I highly recommend you read this book. In it the author describes a story of a friend of his that was on his death bed. Doctors were unable to find what was wrong with him. He had no hope. Dying, his business crashed and burned and all his relationships fell apart. His wife even left him. One day, as he lay in bed, for no apparent reason he started saying, “I love myself,” over and over again. Within weeks he was on the road to recovery. He rebuilt his business and met the partner of his dreams. He believes that this simple mantra is what made him regain his health, his wealth and attract better relationships into his life.

When I read this I couldn’t help but get a big smile on my face. For about a year now in many yoga classes that I teach I have been telling the students to say thank you to their body’s for being so incredible. I tell the students to say in their own minds, I like myself . I love my body. Wow, I am so awesome. It’s like magic. There is nobody that can say these things and not have a smile on their face. Science has shown that smiling releases happy hormones in your brain. Hey presto, you feel good! When you feel good you heal faster and your immune system is stronger. You treat others better, have more patience and higher levels of compassion. All in all, you feeling good is not a selfish practice. It’s about being a better person so that you can help the world be a better place.

It all starts in you. So let go and let in love.

By Celest Pereira

Celest is a trained dancer and martial artist with a BS in Physiotherapy and over 10 years yoga practice. Celest completed her Yoga Teacher Training in India in 2009 and has been teaching full time since then. Witnessing her classes really begin to buzz with increasing numbers of regular students she founded CITYOGI, a website aimed to make yoga more accessible to the city professional. Celest's greatest passion is to teach Vinyasa Flow Yoga. She has classes in top yoga centers in London, such as Triyoga and Evolve and regularly takes groups to exotic locations for yoga retreats.