We have all had them. Thoughts that float into our heads telling us that we can’t do something or be something we’re not meant to be. We want to move forward but we’re stuck in between panes of glass seeing the future but reliving past failure. Where do these thoughts originate from?

Limiting or false beliefs are something we or others tell us that eventually becomes part of our mindset. We believe it to be true. These beliefs can come from parents, social media, friends, family - anyone can have an influence. Perhaps it’s something that you heard when you were a child. Something like ‘You will never be good at math’ or ‘You are not pretty’. We, ourselves, create limiting beliefs based on our own perceptions about situations or relationships that we are in. . Such as “I am not lovable’ or ‘I am invisible”. These limiting beliefs can lodge in your soul and create emotional blocks that lead to sadness and disharmony within yourself and relationships.

These statements, whether heard once or a multitude of time, can get so embedded in your mind and go unnoticed for a long time. But then one day something happens and you find yourself saying AND believing any of the statements. I, too, am guilty of creating my own self limiting beliefs. I’ve done a lot of ‘shadow work’ and have uncovered reasons for these beliefs. These beliefs stem from childhood experiences of feeling that I went unnoticed or not having confidence. I started telling myself that they limit my capacity to enjoy my life and my family. That they hold me back from growth, moving forward in my path and to truly be in alignment with what I want to create in my life. I stopped looking for external validation and, instead, started to appreciate who I truly am as a person and all of the things that I offer.

A belief that I often hear as a yoga instructor is that ‘I cannot do yoga because I’m not flexible’. Everyone is flexible. If a person wasn’t flexible they wouldn’t be able to walk or sit. That self created limiting belief prevents them from experiencing the benefits that yoga can have on their body and their mind. My role, as a yoga teacher, is to create and awareness within my student and provide them with the knowledge on how to experience yoga within their own bodies. Also, provide the space where they can grow in their practice both physically and spiritually.

Being aware that you are telling yourself these false or limiting beliefs is step 1 towards eliminating them. When we ‘pause’ and hear those words we can stop and think of where they might have originated from. We need to question why we are telling ourselves these things. Was it our parents, childhood friends, something you saw on television or social media? Social media can easily create false beliefs because we feel that we may never attain the status, or the looks or the perceived quality of life that some of these people may have. Are these beliefs coming up because we’re at a certain stage in our lives or going through a life challenging experience?

Most of the time we can work on ourselves to remove these limiting beliefs. Repeating affirmations are a simple, yet, powerful way to start. Guided visualizations or meditations also are helpful. However, if feelings of self-doubt linger and you feel as if you are struggling then getting professional help is always an option. There is never anything wrong with asking for help.

So, what limiting beliefs do you have? Where do you think they originated from? The next time you hear yourself saying them PAUSE, and say the opposite. Flip the Script as I say. Tell yourself you are beautiful, you are worthy, you are appreciated. You are all these wonderful things and more….because you truly are.