Become the best version of yourself? What is the best version of you?
Well, we’ll get to that in a moment but first look at what went wrong.
As a child, we had big ideas of what our future was going to be. But by the time we touched that future, we accepted our average life.
Truth is, deep down inside no one wants to live an average life. But in the course of life, for different reasons, we convince ourselves that average is OK.
But let’s be clear about what is an average life in the first place.
An average life is a life of false dreams. Dreams you never saw for yourself but accepted them from the society and made your own, like –
– Taking a job that you will give your entire life to
– Getting married at a certain age
– Being a parent
– Making tons of money as a definition of happiness
– Figuring out your life at an early age and settling down
You are conditioned to look at these things with a twinkle in your eye. But in fact, these are not dreams but things that you should be doing to fit in.
Even being happy at all times is nothing but a myth. Life is all about duality, and anyone sane and not made of rock will be both happy and sad in life.
An average life feels like living without a real sense of fulfillment or a constant effort to protect what you have. Because if you do not protect it, your fulfillment goes for a six.
So, when I talk about becoming your best version, I am not talking about money, friends, or traveling around the world. In fact, I do not have a definition for it, because it is for you to define the best version of yourself.
But one thing is for sure, you do NOT want an average life. Because a smiling poor man is always better than a grumpy rich one.
So, before time runs you out, let me tell you 6 Yoga secrets that will help you become the best version of yourself, so you can live a life that is not average, by any means!
6 yoga secrets to become the best version of yourself
Secret #1. ‘What you fear’ should be your biggest fear
The 7 Chakras or the energy centers in our energy body define and govern the various aspects of our lives.
The lowest Chakra is Muladhara which is the Chakra of ‘security’. While being secure is necessary, you must learn to identify the line between security and fear.
Because when Root Chakra is in a state of inertia, it causes fear. Sometimes rational and at other times irrational fear.
Our state of energy defines our life and vice-versa; whatever the cause of the fear, you need to get over it to get the energy going.
And I am not talking about fear of heights or fear of closed spaces here – but fears that control your life on a day-to-day basis:
– Fear of losing love if you do that and not this
– Fear of losing respect if you behave that way and not this way
– Fear of not being the hero that you think others can be
It is time to stand up for yourself, and be what you want to be. Start with one step in that direction, but do start.
By doing so, you will automatically become the best version of yourself.
Secret #2. Stop being pushed around and take control
No, not by others, but by your own desires.
And how do you do that?
By empowering your Chakra that governs desires.
Our desires are pushing us here and there all the time. Distracting us when we are trying to focus and taking us where they go.
‘You are working on your laptop, but with an underlying urge to look at your Insta page to see how many people liked your latest picture.’ Sounds familiar?
And worst of all, your happiness depends on the number of likes you get. Desire for approval from others.
Well, that is the nature of this Chakra. With its element as water, it keeps flowing in all directions unless you learn how to channel it in the right one.
While you should enjoy the pleasures of life, becoming a slave to them has its consequences.
Learn to practice self-control and channel your energy in the direction you want to. So, say instead of chasing a social definition of romance at a certain age, you decide to focus your energy on inventing a new ocean plastic collector system and change the world!
Also, it is mostly the simple things that change the world. From Facebook to the invention of the ‘lever’, the point is to develop attention and involvement, leaving distractions behind.
Secret #3. All that talk about loving others is useless, unless…
As a kid, you were the upcoming star at the center of your life. But as years went by, and the world told you otherwise, you believed.
Even if you were fortunate enough to grow up all confident, you had one big financial or emotional blow and you gave up on yourself.
Somewhere down the line, most of us start doubting our self-worth. Well, there goes your Manipura Chakra out of bend.
A person lacking self-worth may seem too confident in life, putting people down and brushing them aside. But, that’s just because putting others down is the only way he can feel elevated.
To truly gain your self-worth back, you must accept both your strengths and weaknesses. Improvement of your current self is an option, but unacceptance is not.
Non-acceptance of any aspect will never let you become the best version of yourself. Because if you cannot love yourself unconditionally, loving anyone else is nothing but a myth.
Secret #4. Start by including others in your version to make it the best
The best version of yourself can not be complete without compassion and forgiveness.
The Anahata or Heart Chakra needs you to open up to others and accept them. That doesn’t mean you do not draw boundaries where needed, but you are surely not allowed to keep grudges.
I remember a time when I stopped feeling any connection with anyone around me, I felt so closed!
In the middle of the crowd, I could feel alone.
And all along I thought, it was other people who weren’t accepting of me.
But as I started on the path of Yoga, I realized it was me, not them. And so, I decided to reverse the equation between me and the world around me.
Instead of waiting for people to approach me, I started being the first one to make a conversation, to say hi, and to pass a smile. And I realized, the world out there is just waiting to open up to me and so it did.
And it wasn’t always perfect, people have their follies just like we have ours but that is the whole point. Of being open and yet forgiving.
So. go ahead and revive some lost connections. And remember to never stop making new ones to become the best version of yourself.
Secret #5. No one understands me… wait, do you understand them?
Are you someone who is always suffering from a feeling of ‘No one understands me’? Or the one who finds themselves at a loss for words when trying to express themselves? Especially something important.
Well, you need to work on your Throat Chakra, called Vishuddhi – the Chakra of purity.
Start making a sincere effort to understand others instead of trying to make yourself understood. Become someone else’s voice if you struggle with expressing yours. You will see how things take a turn for you.
Remember, there are always ways of expressing your truth while respecting others. Try to be kind and creative with your communication and you are guaranteed to heal.
Secret #6. The Best Version of Yourself is Beyond Intelligence
A wise man once said intelligence can only take you so far…
So what will take you beyond? Let’s see.
We live in a dynamic and multi-layered existence.
To think that everything will happen to our understanding or to our control is childish.
Even if you do not believe in God, there is something, some power, some hope you call for when you feel out of control in times of despair.
Energy that goes around and babies are born making you wonder about the miracle of life. The same energy which when leaves a body that was breathing a few minutes back, lies lifeless in front of your unbelieving eyes.
The power that governs life and death that science has not been able to decode.
Surrender to that higher intelligence when things seem out of control, or out of comprehension.
Learn to live in that surrender, and stop trying to run the show. Relax take a break.
This is the secret of elevating your 6th Chakra to a different level. When you elevate your chakra of intelligence, a whole new world of possibilities will open up for you.
So, who is a hero then? The best version of himself?
Einstein said, ‘I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.’
A hero is the one who has the guts to LET GO OF OTHERS’ IMPRESSIONS ON HIM AND OF HIM. He is the one to open himself to all possibilities in life to become what he is meant to be.
To do that makes him feel fulfilled, every day. Because how else can you rock at anything unless your heart is in it?
A hero is one who knows how to bring balance in life so everything goes around efficiently.
So get up, be a hero – become the best version of yourself, do your own thing!