Cultivating Good Habits

This morning, as I reviewed Paramahansa Yogananda's writings, I felt myself drawn to his insights on the cultivation of good habits, and so I was inspired to post a few of them in an almost rapid fire manner, to Facebook and Twitter, before my students arrived for yoga class. As always, I found much food for thought in his words of wisdom, and they seemed to elicit some reflections on the part of some of my readers as well.

Here are the ones I posted, and a few more added in for good measure:

"Those who are attracted to calm and serenity attract the same...

It takes 5 to 8 years to substitute a good habit for a bad habit...

Don't let unhealthy ideas float down the stream of your habit forming thoughts...

The sin of all sins is ignorance...

You are the sole creator of good or bad habits...

Avoid surroundings that encourage wrong actions and never deliberately bring evil thoughts into the mind...

Strengthen your will power...

Exercise good judgment and discrimination...

People of bad habits seek bad company...

People do not intentionally turn to evil, nor do they really enjoy being evil. They are evil because they do not know the greater of charm of good habits...

If you have a bad habit of telling lies and by so doing have lost many friends, start the opposite habit of telling the truth. It takes time to form either a good habit or a bad one...

Evil cannot keep man under the influence of error forever, because he is made i the image of God..."

So today, reflect upon your habits, and dedicate yourself to working on one. See if you can shift one, so that over time, it may become ingrained...

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