How to Embrace the Art of Receiving for More Balance in Your Life ✨
🎶 Thank you, thank you, silence. 🎶
From the song, “Thank U” by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard
✨ In this article, we explore our theme of the month, RECEIVING - what is receiving, how receiving can help you, and how to cultivate receiving in your life!
Keep reading my friend as we explore the idea of accepting life's many, multi-faceted blessings with open arms, so you can bring more joy and harmony into your life! ✨
• Originally written: 29 December 2023
• Last updated: 11 September 2024
• Written by: Suzan Alakas
Suzan is Growtharmony’s Founder and Editor-In-Chief. She is passionate about spreading the amazing work and inspiring stories of heart-centered, women entrepreneurs with effective, kind communication. When Suzan’s not writing, finding leverage points or learning something new - you can find her in the garden, playing in the snow with her family, or in the kitchen cooking up a nourishing meal!
What is Receiving? 🤗
Receiving is about welcoming, being open and accepting!
Many ancient philosophies categorize receiving as a feminine energy - the counterpart to the masculine energies of giving, working, and doing.
If you’re familiar with the yin/yang dynamic, receiving is the yin dynamic.
And in science as well, we see receiving when we breathe in, experience the autumn harvest and feel love from others. 💕
How can Receiving Help You?
In our modern culture, most of us are focused on doing as much as we can. We are conditioned to “push through”, “try our best”, and “work hard”. These are commendable and powerful approaches, though perhaps they are are incomplete if we consider the two part equation that philosophies and science show us.
Perhaps you have experienced frustration and burn out after pushing, trying and working hard - after being very much in your masculine, outward energy.
Consider how coupling this outward, masculine energy with inward energy such as attracting, allowing and resting could bring more ease to your life.
Below, we explore different words that describe the nuances of receiving.
You’re invited to consider the reflective questions to start embracing this practice for more balance and harmony in your life! ✨
Gratitude
Quite simply, gratitude is feeling appreciative for gifts of life! 🤗
Reflective Questions:
Think about something that you are grateful for. How do you express this gratitude?
Consider something that is a challenge in your life. Explore how you might be grateful for it.
Allowing
Allowing is a relaxed, open state where you let life unfold naturally. It involves trusting your journey, even when the path isn't clear, and trusting that you’re being guided towards your best outcomes.
Reflective Questions:
Think of a time when you allowed things to happen without interfering. What was the outcome?
How could allowing enhance your experiences and relationships?
Surrender
Surrender does not mean defeat or giving in! It’s a conscious choice to trust that a larger plan is coming together for your life with loving forces beyond your control.
Reflective Questions:
How do you feel when you surrender to a situation instead of trying to control it?
Can you identify an area in your life right now that could benefit from a bit of surrender?
Pausing
Pausing gives you an opportunity to reflect, heal, and grow. In this space, you can take stock of what is and isn’t working, tune in to how you feel, and recalibrate if necessary.
Reflective Questions:
How do you incorporate pauses into your life?
Reflect on a recent time you paused before a decision or action. How did it influence your perspective?
Rest
Rest takes you out of an active state and gives your body, mind and spirit a chance to run their own programming of healing, remembering and rebuilding energy. Ahhhh….! 😊
Reflective Questions:
How do you feel about resting?
When is the last time you rested intentionally? How did it benefit your well-being?
Openness
Embracing openness means being receptive to new ideas and perspectives, instead of only focusing on a specific opinion or outcome.
Reflective Questions:
How does being open to new experiences enrich your life?
How could being more open improve your relationships and interactions with others?
Quiet
Quiet can refer to external noise, opinions and activity - or to the internal chatter in your minds. In moments of quiet, you can connect with your inner voice and experience more understanding and wisdom.
Reflective Questions:
How could you benefit from a practice to quiet your mind?
What have you discovered about yourself during moments of quiet reflection?
In Summary
When you embrace the energy of receiving, you might come to realize that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply to accept what is with grace and faith.
And by practicing the art of receiving (for example with gratitude, allowing, surrender, pausing, rest, openness and quiet), you can intentionally create more balance, growth, and contentment in your life - with so much more ease!
If you’re tired of the constant go go go, give receiving a try and see if it works for you! 😎
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