What do you value?

On Sunday we had the Bhagavad Gita session with CARE YTT, the online 200 hour yoga teacher training I created focusing on self care and social justice. The Bhagavad Gita is a historic text inside a bigger text called the Mahabharata. The Gita has two main characters, Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna is a warrior that is headed to battle and Krishna is his chariot driver taking him there. All 18 chapters take place before the battle. It highlights themes of duty, action, purpose, devotion, right, wrong, and values.

In the discussion we had on Sunday we were asked to think of 3 of our own values. One member of the training group spoke up about her realization that one of her values reflected something that she did not necessarily like about her self and what she perceived as her lack of self discipline when it comes to self care through routine. She contemplated aloud that maybe she wasn’t self disciplined. I reminded her that discipline is actually one of her values because when she is not being disciplined things feel off, her body feels off, and her mind feels off. Sometimes our values become clearer through noticing the shadow side of them. The side that may be uncomfortable to admit. Some people value environmental justice because they see the suffering humans have done to the planet.

Sunday was not the first time I had been introduced to thinking about my own values. I use these opportunities to check in and refine. One value that I hold in my top 3 consistently is beauty. Yes, I love to decorate my house with beautiful things and I can be brought to tears from a beautiful piece of writing. This also includes a deep appreciation for beauty in the natural world. With ease I see the beauty in everyone and can be deeply hurt by the ugly things people can do it each other. Beauty exists in everything, even the unusual. (That’s the best kind of beauty in my opinion;) Redefining beauty through challenging cultural norms and belief systems has been something I have contemplated since I was a teenage girl. Part of the reason I hold this as a value is because I have seen the opposite. In others and myself. The opposite often has nothing to do with the superficial just like true beauty is not superficial. I have gained clearer connection to its importance because I feel it so deeply in my heart.

This is a poem I read last week in classes. It reminds me of how my own challenges in life have made me who I am. In retrospect, I can see those challenges as the things that have brought me to where I am now. And in that way I am grateful and can hold the mystery of life on tip of my finger for maybe just a moment and take a deep breath before it is lost again by my own wind.

Wild Pansy

As a seed, I was shot out the back end of a blue jay
when, heedless, she flew over the meadow.
She had swallowed me in my homeland when she spied me
lying easy under the sun—briefly, I called her Mother
before I passed through her gullet like a ghost.
In a blink of God’s eye I was an orphan. I trembled
where I fell, alone in the dirt. That first night
was a long night, early May and chilly, and I remember
rain filled my furrow. I called out for mercy—
only a wolverine wandered by. I cursed my luck,
I cursed the happenstance of this world, I smelled
his hot stink, but he nosed me deep into the mud—
this was the gift of obscurity. I germinated, hidden
from the giants of earth, the jostling stalks,
the various, boisterous bloomers, and this was my salvation.
After seven days and nights I pushed through—
yes. Here I am, kissable: your tiny, purple profusion.

So, my consideration for you is to choose your top 3 values and why. Navigate the shadow side to become clearer about what is important to you. You are not alone in this journey, Amber

Here is a short list of values;)

• Integrity

• Family

• Freedom

• Security

• Loyalty

• Intelligence

• Connection

• Creativity

• Humanity

• Success

• Respect

• Invention

• Diversity

• Generosity

• Integrity

• Finesse

• Love

• Openness

• Religion

• Order

• Knowledge

• Patience

• Change

• Prosperity

• Wellness

• Finances

• Gratitude

• Grace

• Endurance

• Facilitation

• Effectiveness

• Fun

• Fame

• Justice

• Appreciation

• Willingness

• Intuition

• Giving People a Chance

• Patience

• Forgiveness

• Self-Respect

• Abundance

• Reciprocity

• Enjoyment

• Entrepreneurial

• Happiness

• Harmony

• Peace

• Fitness

• Professionalism

• Relationship

• Advancement

• Respect

• Joy/Play

• Forgiveness

• Work ethic

• Excitement

• Change

• Goodness

• Involvement

• Faith

• Wisdom

• Beauty

• Caring

• Personal Development

• Honesty

• Adventure

• Kindness

• Teamwork

• Career

• Communication

• Learning

• Excellence

• Innovation

• Quality

• Commonality

• Contributing

• Spiritualism

• Strength

• Environment

• Wealth

• Speed

• Power

• Affection

• Cooperation

• Love of Career

• Friendship/Relationship

• Encouragement

• Pride in Your Work

• Clarity

• Fun-Loving

• Charisma

• Humor

• Leadership

• Renewal

• Home

• Authenticity

• Contentment

• Friendship

• Courage

• Balance

• Compassion