Alternative Exercises: The power of thought

Have you ever craved a chocolate ice cream cone so much that you’ve driven across town in your pajamas at 10 p.m.? Congratulations, you’ve just experienced the power of thought in motion. 

Our thoughts shape our lives - body, mind and spirit. These aspects work together to gift us with experiences that will forever remain with us. The majority of the earth’s population goes about their busy day unaware of the great power held by that silent voice within the mind. It weaves and paves the foundation for our words, actions and overall well being. It’s like a puzzle, all intricately connected and dependent on one another. 

Let’s try this exercise (not while driving): Sit comfortably and put your gentle awareness in the center of your head. Softly inhale and exhale. Imagine a warn summer day. You’re lounging under a beautiful leafed tree. The shade is just right. The warm summer breeze gently caresses your skin; the melodic singing of the birds soaring above fills your heart with joy. You pick up a red juicy apple and bite into it. Savor its sweetness. Stay in this moment for as long as you’d like. 

But the article continues so come back for now (giggles). How did this simple exercise make you feel? What thoughts, feelings and emotions did it evoke? Do you now want to find the nearest shaded tree or grab the reddest apple you could find? Maybe both? Food for thought, eh!

In this similar fashion we create our very existence. Any time we emotionally commit to making something happen, like the purchase of a house, it all begins with a “thought”. The thought of how much we want to pay. What the kitchen setup should be like, how many rooms, bathrooms and even the number of windows. Granted this can change but you search and search until you find that house that resembles that initial image in your mind's eye that stemmed from a thought. 

This is why our thoughts are so powerful. They fertilize our words and actions. Propelling us into physicalizing that desire for the red apple, that house or in my case that delicious chocolate ice cream cone. 

Thoughts should be treated with care, fed with positivity and corrected on the spot. We are human and make mistakes but the idea of mistakes is learning from them and applying whatever change into our future actions. Where do you think the corrected actions came from? Corrected thought patterns. 

Anytime you find yourself experiencing a discouraging though, stop it in its tracks immediately! Replace it with a happy and positive thought. Over time, as you repeat this exercise you will find that your thought patters will resemble more of a cup is half full feeling instead of a cup being half empty mode. And come on, don’t you want to embrace and bring about that greatness within YOU? 

As a bonus; do you know what he difference between the following words are:

•    Thoughts
•    Dreams
•    Wishes
•    Aspirations 

It’s only the spelling that’s used within the context of a sentence. Different words can and are used to describe the same thing or expression. Like a finger pointing, don’t get stuck with the finger, look beyond and see what the finger is pointing at. Simple don’t you think?

Have a question regarding this article or maybe you’d like to suggest a topic? Write to me at: m_arrieta@yahoo.com. Next article we will talk about F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing as real) 

Marcela A. Arrieta is an alternative modality practitioner with over five years of experience in this field. She resides in Downey.