The Importance of “I Am” Statements

I am strong and courageous.

And I’m not just making that up, either — that’s literally the meaning of my name.

The thing is, I didn’t always connect with that part of my name, or of myself. I used to be really negative, engaged in harmful self-talk, and kept myself in a cloud of darkness with no thought of ever finding a light.

It’s weird to think back on those days sometimes, especially when I think of all the times people told me the same thing I’m about to write in this post.

The Importance of “I Am”

The first thing we’re going to talk about today is the importance of “I am” statements.

Try it out:

I am…..?

What do you use to fill in the blank? What word or words do you choose to define yourself? Do you say things like “I am a failure?” Or are you more on track with my opening “I am strong and courageous” type affirmations?

If you’re rolling your eyes, it’s likely you’ll fall in the former category. Trust me, I get it. Even if it may not seem that way anymore, I used to be in your shoes. I used to think “I am worthless, I am useless, I am unloveable and I am a mistake.”

I shudder to think of the times I allowed myself to speak to myself like that. And if you are one of the people who engage in such negative self-talk, I have a question for you:

If that negative self-talk were to manifest itself into words said by a physical person you called a friend, how fast would the friendship be over?

How fast would you say, “Excuse me, but I’d rather hang out with people who uplift me? Please kindly exit stage left.”

You might choose different words, but there’s a template for you to consider.

Regardless, it’s still likely that you wouldn’t want to hang out with people who berate you or bring you down. Why would you?

The flip side of that statement, however, is this:

How many people in your life are already like that?

Where the mind goes, the energy flows. Thus, if you’re spending your time talking down to yourself, that’s the type of energy you’re putting out into the universe, or to God, or to whatever you may (or may not) believe in.

You’re basically saying, “I deserve to be treated poorly, please send me more,” while conversely saying, “Why does this always happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?”

If you have a lot of people around you who talk down to you, first of all, get rid of them. Second of all, you can still have people around you who uplift you and bring out the best in you but still suffer from horrendous negative self-talk. Surrounding yourself with positivity doesn’t automatically mean you get a pass for calling yourself ugly.

The Science Behind Positive Self-Talk

I’m not the only person out there who talks about the importance of “I am” statements. If you’d have talked to me more than six months prior to the writing of this post, I’d have been one of the eye-rolling, tongue-gagging, “Yeah, okay, sure” type of people who thought it was all a bunch of quack.

And maybe it is.

Maybe there’s a certain amount of faith involved in the belief of the “I am” statements because the results are not tangible. Perhaps, though, there’s even scientific evidence to back up the claims of brain systems activating through self-affirmation.

If we ever feel threatened or out of place, self-affirmations have the ability to restore our confidence by allowing ourselves to reflect on our self-worth and core values. Affirmations have also been shown to decrease stress and increase overall well-being.

There’s bound to be some internal resistance to that, but it’s better to treat the practice of positive self-talk as a process more than something you have to “get right” straight away.

Connecting Affirmations and Yoga

When I teach chakra-based flows in particular, I like to offer up several “I am” affirmations that my students can use to repeat to themselves and connect back to the theme or physical focus of the class.

Challenging poses especially provide a perfect time to practice them. Say you’re in an Eagle Pose, and perhaps you’re having a hard time wrapping your arms around each other or taking the bind with your legs. Maybe all the binds are fine, but you’re still having a hard time sinking into your standing leg or drawing your elbows higher. Balance could equally play an issue here, as well as a potential struggle with tight hips or shoulders.

When you’re in a pose like this or something that you define as challenging, it can be easy to give up and say, “I suck at this. I am a loser. I am never going to get this pose and I am never going to try again because I am never going to make it work in my body.

Pump the brakes, friend.

Take this moment to pause, reconnect with your breath, and try out something like, “I am content with where I am in my body today. I embrace the struggle and I am focused on the end result. I am confident that with determination, I can reach this and all my goals.”

Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom.

And yes, it may be true that you can run into poses that you anatomically can’t do. I’m six-foot-six, and I don’t think I’ll ever get along with arm balances. Trying to get my knee over my shoulder is… an interesting sight. It hurts me, but it is what it is. While I have had my fair share of frustrations in certain poses, the more I connect back to positive self-affirmations, the easier it becomes to bring that focus to both the mat and the outside world.

You’ve got this, friend. I am confident that you will succeed. Just know, above all else, to always put yourself first and foremost, starting with your self-talk.