How to Work with Affirmations

by Gyandev & Diksha McCord

from the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda

Affirmation is a powerful tool for self-improvement. An affirmation is a statement of a higher truth of your own being. Even if this truth is not now manifesting in your life, it still holds on a higher level. Done often, and with deep concentration and energy, affirmations can “re-program” your subconscious mind and help you connect with those higher truths.

How to Find the Affirmation You Need

First, identify a specific mental or emotional pattern that you would like to eliminate or develop, then choose an affirmation to help you make that change. You can select one from a good book of affirmations (e.g., Scientific Healing Affirmations, Metaphysical Meditations, or Whispers from Eternity by Paramhansa Yogananda; Affirmations for Self-Healing by Swami Kriyananda) or make your own affirmation.

Here are some guidelines for creating your own affirmation:

Be realistic. You should believe in at least the possibility of success. To affirm, for example, “I am losing five pounds every day” could raise a doubt that’s too strong to overcome.
Usually, affirmations are formulated as positive statements. A negative statement such as “I am never restless or agitated” could lead your subconscious mind (which can be rather literal) to focus on “restless and agitated” instead of “never.” This point is not absolutely vital; some of Yogananda’s most powerful affirmations include negatives. The most important thing, always, is the feeling underlying your practice, not just the words.
Usually, affirm in the present tense. The future tense (“will”) can rob your affirmation of definiteness and immediacy. For example, “I relax into deep, peaceful sleep” is preferable to “I will relax into deep, peaceful sleep.” (Note: Sometimes, however, “will” works well.)
Use language that appeals to your feeling nature, not just to your intellect. This helps you more easily become absorbed in the state you seek. For example, if you affirm a sense of security and freedom from worry with, “I am safe, I am sound. All good things come to me; they give me peace,” imagine the feeling of being secure and cared for, the contentment of knowing that a continuous stream of beneficial people, events, and circumstances is coming your way. A “feeling visualization” like this can be a very powerful aid to affirmation.
Affirmations can be of any length. Short affirmations require less memorization effort and may help you stay focused. Longer ones also can be effective, perhaps by conveying a more vivid or complete image; just be sure that they do not over-engage your intellect or make memorization too difficult.

If you need help developing your affirmation, seek it from an experienced practitioner.

How to Use Your Affirmation

For an affirmation to be most effective, you must make it a living reality within you. This requires much more than just a single repetition. Yogananda recommended taking your practice through five stages each time you do it, putting even more energy into each repetition:

Say it several times loudly with great energy and vigor.
Say it softer and softer a few times, until you are whispering it.
Say it mentally over and over.
Through continuous mental repetition, it will go into your subconscious mind where it begins to repeat itself through no effort on your part. Listen to it intently.
Go beyond words, immersing yourself in the essence of the affirmation, the feeling of it—into the superconscious mind, where it will be infused it with divine power.

Going deeply into the affirmation will take you toward the superconscious—the true source of the power of affirmation—where you see the truth it expresses as your reality.

Don’t let your mind distract you with thoughts such as “This isn’t true” or “It’s denial.” There is a difference between a fact and a truth. The body or mind can be unwell or upset, but never the soul; go beyond mere facts and outward circumstances; tune into the higher truths.

If you are musically inclined, set your affirmation to music. That’s what chants are: prayers or affirmations set to music. Music bypasses the brain and works on a heart level. Find a chant that expresses what you want to affirm, learn it, and sing it as much as you can.

Change your affirmation as needed, but it’s better to take one powerful affirmation and work with it for a while. It took time to embed the negative thought pattern in your subconscious mind, so it may take time to remove it. However, the more energy and concentration you employ, the less time it will take.

You also can use affirmations defensively: When a negative thought arises in your mind, or a negative situation develops in your life, use a positive affirmation to “change your energy.”

What Is the Best Time for Affirmation?

Any time you can remember to do it! Or any time you need a boost. But certain times can be especially effective: at the beginning or close of your meditation, as you are falling asleep or waking up, while doing yoga postures, walking, exercising, driving, vacuuming, eating, doing the dishes, or even brushing your teeth or showering. (For affirmations designed specifically for yoga postures, see Swami Kriyananda’s Spiritual Yoga: Higher Awareness through Ananda Yoga [due 2011] or The Art and Science of Raja Yoga.)

Post your affirmation where you’ll see it often: On your altar, nightstand, refrigerator, bathroom mirror, computer, office cubicle, car dashboard—or all of those places. If you can’t say it out loud because people are nearby, say it mentally with as much energy as you can.

All the while, seek actively to mix with positive, spiritual, life-affirming people. Join a prayer, meditation, or affirmation support group. Yogananda said, “Environment is stronger than will power’’—and the people with whom you spend time have a strong influence on your thoughts and actions. If you can’t find any nearby, visit The Expanding Light retreat at Ananda Village. And when you’re at a distance, you can still get support from Ananda’s website, Ananda Online Classes, Ananda's free Clarity Magazine, or by participating in Ananda’s Healing Prayer Ministry.

Moving Forward

Never underestimate the power of affirmations—both positive and negative! They are going on in your mind all the time anyway, whether or not you are conscious of them. Therefore take charge of your mind, filling it with positivity and encouragement. When you catch yourself in negativity of any kind, summon the energy to change it immediately, before it “takes root.” This will re-train your habitual thought processes. It may be difficult at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. When a positive attitude and positive affirmations become a way of life, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for less.

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