Some scientists say that some of us have the gene of addiction and some others not. If that is the case, then I definitively have it. Before, I had a lot of bad habits that, despite my conscience and my knowing they were bad, were an integral part of my life and had a detrimental effect on my physical and mental health. But that was before the liberation of my own towards well-being!
From my first cigarette at age 16 I became addicted and I quickly started smoking half a pack on some days and sometimes a whole one a day. Tobacco had accompanied me for far too long in my life but my bad habits did not stop there.
Another bad habit I had is that I liked having a little glass of wine for dinner, and as I was eating my meal every night, I drank one, two or sometimes even three glasses to accompany the dinner. Did you know that some doctors consider drinking even just one glass a day alcoholism? Ouch, that’s not one we want to hear. Right, let’s not forget that some others recommend a glass of red wine a day to improve the quality of our blood. Either way, I surely couldn’t keep away from it.
My third bad habit was laziness. It made me rush the preparation of my dinner to the point where I had only the simplest meals or a small frozen pizza. Not to mention the run-to-mill sandwiches I was having on the go between appointments. Fast and bad food has invaded our daily lives and dealt a lot of damage to our physical and mental health, yes, I did say mental! Soon I will share in more detail what yoga and especially ayurveda teaches us about our foods and how we can stay healthy.
And as for last, let’s talk about mental addictions. This incessant cycle of negative thoughts that loop in our supposedly developed brains and make us see life in black or at best in grey. All these constant tortures beg the question of what we “could have done better” – self-destructive and unappealing thoughts.
There are other types of addictions such as the addiction to work, the need for recognition of others, the addiction to success and etc. but all these will be the subject of a separate article soon.
I’m not close to being perfect now, but I’m so much better off than a few years ago and that is why I wanted to share the secret of my liberation from addictions.
For those who have already read my previous articles, you will think to yourself “oh no, here she goes again with these yoga stuff” and wouldn’t want to keep reading. Well yes, here I am again with these yoga stuff. For all the others that are interested, however, I invite you to read my subsequent articles to better understand my personal transformation that is solely reliant on the versatility of the yoga practice (« The first steps towards a new live » and « From dreams to reality »).
The practice of yoga, which is much more than a simple workout consisting of a few quirky postures (to read my article Yoga, the well-being science), and daily meditation have literally transformed my relationship to my body, my mind and my life for the better.
Yoga increases and energizes the circulation of pana, the vital energy that circulates in our body and feeds each cell. The awareness of our body and mind is brought to life through this practice, awakening and lifting the omnipresent fog in our three bodies, physical, mental and spiritual, – fog that we have unwittingly developed year after year of bad habits that were producing toxins within our whole being.
As my yoga practice developed, naturally and without any effort, my energy was transformed little by little into a positive and creative one and finally imposed the need of making different choices about my daily habits and this time around towards building my well-being and health.
I do not smoke anymore, I drink a glass of wine from time to time and most importantly I do not test the ability of my brain to overthink on what is good or bad, what I am supposed to do or not. I am on a path towards liberation, finding my well-being and health for the sake of my happiness and that of all those who are close to me.
If you also feel that you have adopted some habits that don’t serve you and have the desire to free yourself from them with care and kindness, why not start with Zen for Monday, your Sunday workshop for well-being and mindfulness.
