What does it mean to appreciate something?

Here are a few definitions:

‘To recognise the full worth of’
‘To recognise with gratitude’
‘To understand fully’
‘To have sufficient understanding to enjoy and admire a things excellence’
or...

‘Appreciate’ can also mean to increase in value.

So, to appreciate something we have to ‘re-cognise’, so we can understand something fully. And by doing that we come to admire it and therefore increase it’s value.

How can we apply this to Yoga or in life?

When we experience something, a sensation, a pain, or a tension in our body - our immediate reaction is often one of aversion.

But what if we take time to understand it? What if our body is just trying to let us know that it’s in pain and needs our attention. Perhaps it has something important to say to us we have been ignoring. Perhaps it just needs to be listened to?

If we can approach everything in our experience with empathy and a real desire to listen, perhaps we might come to a new understanding, a new insight and a new sense of appreciation for that experience. 

This is where our ‘aha’ moments arise. Suddenly that sensation is not just a tension, it’s a memory or a realisation, or tears, or joy. When we see part of our experience in a new light and come to a new sense of understanding, our appreciation grows.

And what of ourselves as a whole? Can we have empathy for the parts of ourselves that struggle? Can we appreciate all that we have and do ?

If you want to arrive at a new sense of appreciation for who you are, join me this

on my upcoming events,

21 day challenge,

Live online sessions or

our Escape to Connemara retreat.

21 days, I am in

Perfect for me!

I appreciate ME