Understanding How to Use the Power of Affirmation
From Scientific Healing Affirmations, by Paramahansa Yogananda
Man’s word is Spirit in man….Words saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs, which, when set off, shatter the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired.
Each thought of depression or happiness, irritability or calmness, cuts subtle grooves in the brain cells and strengthens the tendencies toward sickness or well-being.
The subconscious idea-habit of disease or health exerts a strong influence. Stubborn mental or physical diseases always have a deep root in the subconsciousness. Illness may be cured by pulling out its hidden roots. That is why all affirmations of the conscious mind should be impressive enough to permeate the subconsciousness, which in turn automatically influences the conscious mind.
Strong conscious affirmations thus react on the mind and body through the medium of the subconsciousness. Still stronger affirmations reach not only the subconscious but also the superconscious mind — the magic storehouse of miraculous powers.
Declarations of Truth should be practiced willingly, freely, intelligently, and devotionally. One’s attention should not be allowed to lag. Straying attention should be brought back again and again like a truant child and repeatedly and patiently trained to perform its given task.
Patience and attentive, intelligent repetition are wonder-workers. Affirmations for curing chronic mental or bodily afflictions should be repeated often, deeply and continuously (utterly ignoring unchanged or contrary conditions, if any), until they become part of one’s profound intuitional convictions.
Choose your affirmation and repeat all of it, first loudly, then softly and more slowly, until your voice becomes a whisper. Then gradually affirm it mentally only, without moving the tongue or the lips, until you feel that you have attained deep, unbroken concentration not unconsciousness, but a profound continuity of uninterrupted thought.
If you continue with your mental affirmation, and go still deeper, you will feel a sense of increasing joy and peace. During the state of deep concentration, your affirmation will merge with the subconscious stream, to come back later reinforced with power to influence your conscious mind through the law of habit.
During the time that you experience ever-increasing peace, your affirmation goes deeper, into the superconscious realm, to return later laden with unlimited power to influence your conscious mind and also to fulfill your desires. Doubt not and you shall witness the miracle of this scientific faith.
How to Practice Affirmations
- Choose an affirmation for your particular need.
- Sit with spine erect.
- Close your eyes and gently focus your gaze and concentrate at the point between the eyebrows.
- Then, Paramahansaji said, “take a deep breath and exhale it, three times. Relax the body and keep it motionless….
- Cast away anxiety, distrust, and worry….
- Repeat all of the affirmation, first loudly, then softly and more slowly, until your voice becomes a whisper.
- Then gradually affirm it mentally only, without moving the tongue or the lips, until you feel that you have attained deep, unbroken concentration — not unconsciousness, but a profound continuity of uninterrupted thought.
- If you continue with your mental affirmation, and go still deeper, you will feel a sense of increasing joy and peace.”
Further Reading
Scientific Healing Affirmations by Paramahansa Yogananda
I am another you