mindfulness

I’d like to share one simple way to take care of oneself with you. Being honest and truthful to yourself is a powerful way to take care of yourself.

Ask yourself before you say and do anything.

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Is it kind?

Is it beneficial?

One of my old friend gave me a card about 13 years ago. On that card, there are only four lines. Those are the four gates to be truthful. I kept this card all those years but it was always in a pocket in my purse and this card didn’t get a chance to see the Sun . Then one day this card became a family treasure, when I shared this card with my husband. My husband saw a great value in this wisdom, he and I practice of being truthful with this card in daily life ever since then. Both of us mostly practice these lines when we speak. But the other day, I thought these lines can be practice not only in my speech but also in my action. I want to be honest and be truthful to myself. So I ask myself:

Is it what I truly want to do? (Do I truly want to eat this cookie?)

Is it necessary for me and others? (Is eating cookie this time of the day necessary?)

Is it kind to me and others ? (Is eating cookie kind to my mind/soul, body and digestion?)

Is it beneficial to me and others ? (Is eating cookie beneficial to my mind/soul, body and digestion?)

Asking these four questions to yourself, then if all answers are “yes” and your heart feels good about the answer, go ahead to enjoy what you say “yes” to do being honest and truthful to yourself.

Practicing being truthful needs a discipline. It easily slip away from your head. But once you know this wisdom and practice a few time, I believe you can feel the benefit of this practice immediately. Being honest to yourself is such a wonderful feeling and it’s liberating.

By the way, being truthful is one of the discipline of Ashtanga yoga; the eight limbs of yoga, called Satya in Sanskrit. But that will be another topic in the future blog…

Happy Practice!