Heart Openers; Courage to be Authentic

I love harmony. I love it so much it is hard for me to face the disharmony in my life. When it comes to personal disagreements, my inclination is to push the disharmony under the rug and hope it will go away.

The problem is that it often doesn’t go away. And even if it seems to, there can be an erosion of good faith that makes the relationship a little less safe, a little less satisfying.

Doing something about it can feel dangerous, though. I’m afraid that facing the disharmony head-on may well create even more disconnection.

And it may very well make for more disconnection in the short run. But eventually having the courage to be authentic may well lead to greater connection and understanding. At the very least, I want to be authentic with myself.

In yoga this week, let’s open our hearts to the courage to be real with ourselves and, hopefully, others. Heart openers help us to stand tall, loving, and accepting ourselves just as we are, in all our beauty and imperfection.

Hope you can make it to Willow Street Yoga from 11 am until 12:30 pm on this and every Wednesday. You can sign up in advance at https://willowstreetyoga.com/ or at the door.

Kathy

To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect—and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. I've learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude, and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity. ~ Brené Brown

That inner voice has both gentleness and clarity. So to get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty, and the inevitability of something. ~ Meredith Monk

Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. ~ Mother Theresa

To become authentic we require a thirst for freedom. ~ Don Mateo Sol

When you show up authentic, you create the space for others to do the same. Walk in your truth. ~ Anonymous

I am convinced that courage is the most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you cannot practice any other virtue consistently. ~ Maya Angelou

Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity. ~ Unknown