15 Rules To Live By

As we closed our spring yoga retreat this past Saturday evening, I reminded the group to hold onto their sentiment of peace. I still to this day reflect back on when I departed from my two week yoga teacher training immersion inCosta Rica. I was committed to hold onto my sense of balance and peace. I was fearful of my return home. Would returning home ultimately encourage me to lose my commitment to my sense of balance; would I lose the feeling of being completely cleansed, energized, relaxed well and whole?

Then it dawned on me. The balance and vitality that I was experiencing throughout my time inCosta Ricawas merely a simple result of just being present. I could easily apply this mindset away from the retreat. Being present in everything I do became my daily purpose- whether it be from walking my dog, to stepping on my yoga mat each morning—and as I continued to hold onto my very own sentiment of peace, I began to recognize that if I simply let go of my daily expectations, I would no longer be entangled and/or unbalanced by the fear of disappointment. I became more peaceful as I let go of the constant mind traffic aka “monkey minding” or “mind wandering”. This allowed more space for purely being, thus I could simply BE more. 

We can all relate to this, right? In today’s modern society it is oh so common for our minds to be jumbled in various locations and or directions. We know we are living, breathing, moving, wandering… yet we don’t even take a moment to hear the sound of our vital force, our breath. We take no time to honor ourselves, respecting our personal needs as we generally find ourselves treading in a pool of chaos—either our own or someone else’s—whether it be shallow or deep—we instinctually dive in head first.

Continuing on the previous thought of hearing our breath, I am well aware that for many, including myself, meditation can be difficult. Taking a second to hear your breath may only create more chaos for the inexperienced mediators. Yet, I can fully attest that each time you spend a moment/s listening to yourself breathe it becomes easier and easier to quiet your mind and arrive in the present moment.  However, for the better intention of this blog, I am not going to require you to meditate. I am, however, going to share something that may help you become more present everyday: the 15 “Rules to Live By”, or better said “Amber’s Rules to Live By”. Some of these rules may resonate with you and some may not. My hope is that you may become inspired to devise your very own rules to live by. Therefore, this blog challenge is for you to devise your very own “Rules to Live By”. A set of rules that will help you become more balanced and more present everyday.

Rule #1: Be kind- “please”, “thank you”, and always smile more-it just brings happinessJ.

Rule #2: Be grateful- for what you have right now.

Rule #3: Accept everyone and everything- …“if you cannot change things, change the way you think about them and they in return will change.”

Rule #4: Do not expect- expectations only give rise to disappointments.

Rule #5: Love- show compassion daily.

Rule #6: Forgive- find peace in every situation and forgive yourself for not being perfect.

Rule #7: Listen more- ‘WAIT’…Why Am I Talking?

Rule #8: Have a sense of humor- laugh more!

Rule #9: Honor yourself.

Rule 10: Respect yourself.

Rule #11: Share- hold an open space for sharing with yourself and others.

Rule #12: Honor others.

Rule #13: Respect others.

Rule #14: Find beauty in all- look at things with a beginners mind.

Rule #15: Do/wish well. – do at least one ‘good deed’ per day, whether it be for yourself or others.

*And of course, bonus Rule #16: do more Yoga!

Please note: I hold an open space for your rules too. Please, I encourage you to share yours by posting them in the comments!

Love and Light~