Namaste

Author : Lisa Hayes
I read a study in a parenting magazine years ago that has stuck with me. The basis of the study was that if a teacher had an advance preconception that a particular student was of above average intelligence, the child would perform to that standard more often then not. They proved this theory out by taking fourth graders who were struggling in school and transferring them to another school district. Their transcripts were altered to show straight A's. The parents were instructed to meet with the teachers and express how concerned they were about the quality of their child's education. The parents told the teacher how well they were doing in the last school and expressed to the teacher the child was "exceptionally gifted" .These students often continued to struggle for a few weeks. However, most teachers assumed it was adjustment phase and thought nothing of it, continuing to believe the child was gifted. Within one grading period, the vast majority of the students who had struggled before had improved their grades significantly, many of them to straight A's. With very little time, they demonstrated that they were in fact "exceptionally gifted" students.As, we are headed full throttle into the holidays, a tremendous amount of attention goes into gift giving. Holiday gift giving is an industry all of it's own and how much we spend in November and December can sway the economy for months to come. However, by February most of the gifts we gave are long sense forgotten. Maybe the best gift we can give our loved ones is free.The reason this study stuck with me all these years was it illustrated the power of positive projection. By seeing the people we love in the most positive light we can create a space for them to become that which we anticipate from them. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you can have direct influence to change a person. What I am saying is that holding a person in a sacred and perfect space shifts an energy for everyone involved. Bottom line is, in most cases you get what you expect from everyone. This phenomenon goes both ways. When you expect the worst from someone, chances are that's what you'll get. When you expect the best, chances are you'll get that too.So, this year consider the fact that the most valuable gift you can give is to see our friends and family in the best possible light. Holding them in our minds in a sacred space, anticipating that their highest selves are shining through may provide them a space to thrive and grow. That is a gift that keeps on giving.My son has an extreme learning disability. When he was in the sixth grade we moved. I walked into his councilor's office at the new school and told them he had an above average IQ, explaining he was an "exceptionally gifted" student. Ask anyone who knows him now and everyone believes that. The most important thing is that he believes it. He has grown into that space I created for him. That gift has impacted him way more then any Christmas toy he ever got from anyone.In the yoga tradition when we bid each other farewell, we say, "Namaste". Loosely translated that means, the sacred in me recognizes the sacred in you. This year, instead of Merry Christmas or Happy New Year, or Happy Birthday, or anything else, maybe our greeting for everyone should be Namaste.Lisa Hayes is a mind, body, soul, practitioner who views the person as a whole -
with meditation for the mind, yoga for the body,and as an ordained minister, for the soul, Lisa works with women to help them achieve peace and bliss in the chaos of their every day lives.
Lisa is also a partner in an independent technology firm and is a single mother of a teenage boy, so she understands chaos. Chaos is a part of everyday life. It is a part of the contrast of life that makes the zen seem so much more precious.
Lisa began the pursuit of the healing arts more then fifteen years ago when she completed her degree in natural health and nutrition. She continued that path as a yoga and meditation instructor before becoming a life coach.
Lisa believes that zen is our basic nature. All we have to do is release it. She has dedicated herself to assisting women in finding whatever tools work best for them individually to become their most blissful and beautiful selves.
To contact Lisa email her at lisa@moderngirlsguidetozen.com
or call her at 360-490-1411
Keyword : prayer, meditation, zen, appreciation, contemplation, thankfulness, faith, faithfulness, nameste