Rethinking the Back Burner

Lovingly caring for our worries.

“Sweeping a worry under the rug”. 

“Keeping your troubles behind closed doors.”  

I totally get why these are not healthy reactions.  But I’m starting to rethink, “putting it on the back burner”.  

Yoga encourages us to learn about a part of our mind called the Ego.  Our Ego thoughts bounce around from situation to situation, giving us the thumbs-up when things are good, and giving us the thumbs-down when they are bad.  When life is hot our ego thoughts say things like, “I’ve worked so hard and my life deserves this”.  When life is cold our ego thoughts say things like, “I’m just not measuring up.  That’s probably why my life is not measuring up”.   Our ego thoughts are our front burner thoughts - constantly firing on and off.

Yoga also teaches us about our unchanging self, or higher power.   We find this part of our self by meditating, praying, running, hiking in silence, doing yoga…   And the more we do these things, the more space we create for our True thoughts.  Our True thoughts say things like, “my stomach is clenching.  I’m feeling worried right now.”  Our unchanging, higher self doesn’t try to undervalue the worry, or overvalue the worry.  It acknowledges the worry.  It lovingly cares for the worry, like a pot of homemade soup simmering on the back burner.   This is because the unchanging, higher self knows that in real life, worries happen.  

I’ve got a few worries on the back burner right now.  Instead of biting my nails or hitting the wine, I’m trying to let my unchanging, higher power lovingly care for them.  

Until next time, 

Laura