Pratipaksha Bhavana

Here we are on this first day of a new year, ripe with potential.  With beginnings all things are possible, and you have the potential to be a co-creator of this fresh new year. With this in mind, we have chosen the practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana to kick things off.

 The meaning of pratipaksha is opposite and bhavana is thought/emotion.  The practice is to become aware of your negative thoughts then evoke a positive thought/emotion.  You acknowledge the detrimental qualities of anger, fear, judgments, greed, worry, tension, resistance, etc. and then align yourself to positive thoughts and emotions that build health and well-being for you. 

With this practice’s simplicity, for many the challenge of being mindful, aware of when you slip into a pattern of negativity, is difficult and complex. For others the challenge comes not from being aware of the negative thoughts but how to create a positive one, as the depth of the habit of thinking and feeling negative is deep. Begin by thinking of someone you admire who is the image of peaceful or remember the feeling of being relaxed in your favorite space, i.e. a beach, forest or comfortable room in your home.  Eventually you will begin to be able to call forth the actual opposite of what negative feeling or thought you are immersed in.

Another approach is to ponder on what the opposites are for you.  Examples of this would be the opposite of anger could be joy, fear could be faith, greed could be generosity.  This is a personal discovery for you to explore.  Each of us can be quite different in our thoughts around the opposite practice. Once you discover the positive thoughts/feelings you begin to use them to shift your focus to them.

Take time to develop first the awareness of when you are in the mindset of these negative thoughts/emotions, then discover what you can evoke that is opposite to them, and  finally elicit the feelings that go with these positive healthy thoughts.  You starve the negativity and nurture the positivity first for your own benefit but know that it will resonate beyond you and grow exponentially.