Whenever I talk, read, use or write about affirmations I always think about Louise Hay, the founder of Hay House and author of the international bestseller “You Can Heal Your Life.” Louise is loved by millions of people across the world and I had the honour and pleasure of meeting her briefly a number of years ago while on a Hay House course. I thanked her for her astounding contribution to our journeys. Most likely everyone else on the course did the same.

Although I had heard about consciously using affirmations before I knew of Louise’s work, it was while listening to and playing Louise’s tapes to my yoga students throughout the last 25 years or so – particularly her tape ” Loving Your Self” (with Jai Josephs) that my awareness of their power sunk in – so to speak. We all know it is one thing to recognize something on an intellectual and intuitive level, and another to understand it in the body – to feel a visceral shift. The hatha yoga classes that I taught allowed me the experience of these affirmations on my own practice as well as the opportunity to hear about the experiences of my students.

We have learned from many teachers and healers over the years about the effects of repeated affirmations. When we repeat affirmations we are actually reprogramming the neural pathways of our brains. Affirmations can help us to change our energy and thereby change what we attract to ourselves. This changes our lives.

There are many other people who are writing today about the power of affirmations and many of these authors say that it was Louise’s work that inspired them. Louise encourages us to “learn to think in positive affirmations.” She reminds us that frequently we are thinking negatively and therefore, affirming negatively. She also instructs us to create our affirmations in the present tense, using words such as “I am” or “I have”. Using future tense can keep things future.

We can use affirmations as part of our daily actions that change the focus and direction of our lives. If this is what we desire. There are affirmations, if we are willing to heal, that can help us to shift deeply ingrained habits and beliefs that no longer serve us. Louise offers affirmations for work, success, prosperity, health and relationships and more – and she shows us how to work with them. However, she tells us that no matter what our problem is, ” the main issue to work on is LOVING THE SELF.” Louise calls it “the magic wand.”

I have found that doing conscious, positive affirmations is very effective. I do mine daily, have for many years and will throughout the rest of my life. I find that they really set up my day for me. I like to do them first thing in the morning before breakfast as I am feeling very peaceful and relaxed after a good night’s sleep. Affirmations are like the suggestions that hypnotherapists help you to plant in your subconscious mind.

Obviously, using positive affirmations is only one of the many tools we have for transformation; however, it is an extremely powerful one. Sandra Ann Taylor recommends that we “always make the last thought before sleep an affirmative one.”

In case you are not already doing conscious, positive affirmations and want to begin – sometimes it helps to think of the things that you do not wish to experience or that you wish to release from your life and invert the way you frame your thoughts about these experiences. For example, if you are feeling or seeing a lack of something in your life such as health or wealth – you might affirm “I am wealthy” or “I am radiantly healthy”. I find simple affirmations to be the most effective, but, that is me.

As you repeat these affirmations OWN the energy of what you are affirming. Ultimately, by repeating the affirmation with feeling and owning the energy of what you are creating – concurrent with the laws of the universe and your other actions – it will appear in your life in expected and unexpected ways. Why not create consciously, since we are creating our future every day?

Have fun with your affirmations. I keep mine in a pretty container and pick them out with a sense of surprise and joy and gratitude for what I am about to receive. Gratitude and play are attractive energies.

Blessings, Monica