The Art of Allowing Yourself to Receive
by Sylvie Olivier
How do you allow yourself to receive?
Receiving is an often neglected art, because modern society values action and effort over reception itself. Yet allowing others to give to us and to welcome what is offered is essential to cultivating a sense of Plenitude and connection with the world around us.
- Have you ever noticed how you allow yourself to receive gifts from loved ones or colleagues?
- Are you aware that the Universe uses the people around you as instruments to offer you a multitude of resources and gifts of all kinds?
- Do you allow yourself to receive resources and gifts little by little, or do you open your arms wide and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way?
Perhaps you unconsciously distort and interpret what you receive?
Perhaps you feel you don’t deserve what you’re offered?
Perhaps you feel that by accepting, you’ll be beholden?
Perhaps you automatically say “no” to what you’re offered?
We’ve been programmed to assign ourselves a “value” that determines what we deserve or don’t deserve.
As I gently point out to workshop and program participants:
“You have NO value!”
Of course, the first time they hear this statement, they’re surprised and unsure…
Once they realize that a value will always have to be re-evaluated according to society’s standards, they begin to open up to looking at this statement differently.
And that’s when I tell them:
“You’re P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S!”
If a being is priceless, that means we can’t measure it, quantify it, compare it, judge it or value it… all criteria that feed the ego and give it more power.
The simple fact of being alive gives you the RIGHT to Abundance… you don’t have to deserve it because you’re a good person or you take care of others or you do the right things. All you have to do is open up beyond the beliefs perpetuated from generation to generation and recognize the greatness of the being you are in your uniqueness. Nobody in the world cocreates in the same way. So we can’t compare ourselves to anyone else.
Considering Abundance as a Birthright is a powerful perspective. It means we have the Certainty that it’s natural for everyone to have a rich and fulfilling life, filled with all the beautiful things the Universe has to offer. By adopting this statement as true, we allow ourselves to receive fully and without reservation, knowing that we are worthy and capable of living a full and satisfying life.
What are you ready to receive?
What you receive from the Universe depends on what you are ready and open to receive. Since it is in its nature to be constantly expanding, the Universe will always give you more and more. It doesn’t judge or label things as positive or negative. It simply expands what is truly present in your life.
If you have accepted lack in your life, the Universe, in all neutrality, will give expansion to what you have already accepted, i.e. more lack.
If you bring your attention instead of the Appreciation of ALL that is already present in your life, the Universe, in all neutrality will expand what is already vibrating in you and offer you more opportunities to appreciate.
So, what is important in your life?
Here are a few things to consider to assist you in RECEIVING with greater ease.
CULTIVATE OPENNESS
One of the keys to allowing yourself to receive is to cultivate an attitude of openness towards others and towards life itself. This means being ready to receive without preconceived expectations or judgments, simply by being open to what comes your way.
Suggested exercise for Cultivating Openness
During your breathing practice:
- Inhale deeply through the nose, expanding the belly.
- Hold for 6 beats or 6 seconds.
AND SIMULTANEOUSLY
- Exhale through the mouth, expanding the thorax forward.
- Position your shoulders slightly back to accentuate the opening.
- Repeat for a few minutes, until you feel a difference in the opening of your ribcage.
This exercise sends a message to your mind to welcome openness at all levels!
STOP HOLDING ON TO CONTROL
Often, we have difficulty receiving because we want to control every aspect of our lives. Ceasing to hold back and recognizing the Universe as your co-creative partner can assist you in being more receptive to the gifts, opportunities and resources that come your way.
Suggested exercise for Ceasing to Hold Back
During a pause:
- Take a few deep breaths.
- Close your eyes if you feel like it.
- Bring to awareness a situation in which you’re afraid of losing control.
- Take this situation in your hands and close them.
- Feel the heaviness, pressure and discomfort of the situation.
WHEN YOU FEEL READY
- Raise your arms in front of you, fists closed.
- Inhale deeply.
- Exhale through your mouth, opening your hands.
- Let whatever you’ve been holding in your hands flow to the ground.
- Become aware of the space being created.
PRACTICING APPRECIATION
Appreciation is a vital element in allowing yourself to receive. By acknowledging and appreciating every gift you receive, no matter how big or small, you open your heart to greater abundance and connection.
Suggested exercise for practicing Appreciation
As soon as you wake up:
- Before you even open your eyes, appreciate having woken up.
- As you open your eyes, appreciate this sense of sight.
- As you stand up, appreciate your supportive feet.
- As you take your first step, appreciate your legs for following movement.
- As you listen, hear the sounds of your home.
- And of course, the list goes on and on.
Appreciate every moment you’re given, because Life is a Privilege!
RELEASING GUILT
Sometimes, it’s difficult to receive because of the guilt you feel about various situations that have occurred in your life. Releasing guilt by feeling it and breathing through the discomfort opens a door for you to receive more abundantly.
Suggested exercise for Releasing Guilt
At the right moment:
- Pause and feel the guilt.
- Allow it to expand.
- Breathe like a baby, making your belly swell.
- Give yourself permission to feel what’s going on inside you.
PRACTICE THE 4 BREATHING TECHNIQUE
- Do 5 Beta breaths *
- Do 5 Alpha breaths *
- Do 10-15 breaths Theta *
- Do 5 Delta breaths *
* The 4 Breathing Technique is available in the Client area of your GHW account.
PRACTICING THE QUALITY OF PRESENCE
Practicing the Quality of Presence can assist you in becoming more aware of your thoughts, actions and habits that are generated by the autopilot. By being more present in your life, you open yourself up to being more receptive to the gifts of the Universe, and are better able to notice and appreciate what is offered to you, no matter who is the instrument or messenger.
Suggested exercise for practicing the Quality of Presence
Every day, if possible:
- Close your eyes to avoid distractions.
- Breathe naturally, without forcing.
- When you feel calm, open your eyes.
AND SIMULTANEOUSLY
- Bring your attention on what’s right in front of you.
- Feel what’s all around you.
Quality of Presence is different from focus.
With focus, we focus our attention on 1 or 2 degrees and close our senses to everything else. Focus is mental, and as the mind is easily distracted, it can’t access more without losing connection.
With Quality of Presence, we bring our attention to our activities or what’s in front of us, while feeling what’s going on around us, at 365 degrees.
The Quality of Presence is connected to the heart and enables us to remain present and aware of what we are feeling through all our senses, without being distracted.
OPENING UP TO VULNERABILITY
Allowing yourself to receive can be a vulnerable experience, as it involves being open and receptive to others. By welcoming the vulnerability that makes you feel a certain kind of fragility, you allow yourself to receive more authentically and deeply, and give yourself permission to be loved and supported by the Universe.
Suggested exercise for Opening up to Vulnerability
Take a moment for YOU:
- Move to a quiet place where you can sit comfortably without being disturbed.
- Close your eyes.
- Breathe deeply and slowly.
- Bring your attention to the movement of your breath.
- Let go of any tension in your body.
- Bring to your awareness a situation or emotion that makes you vulnerable.
- Feel this emotion consciously, without judgment or resistance.
- Let it be present within you, and watch how it manifests itself in your body and mind.
- As you feel this emotion, offer yourself Compassion and Love.
VARIATION
- If you feel it, share the emotion with someone you trust.
- Welcome the other person’s reaction with openness: listen attentively to their response, with openness and without judgment.
- Recognize that everyone has their own unique way of reacting or responding to other people’s emotions.
- Repeat this exercise regularly to practice feeling vulnerable in the face of others.
Remember to be gentle with yourself and go at your own pace.
IN CONCLUSION
Allowing yourself to receive is an act of Openness, Vulnerability and Appreciation.
It’s also an act that allows you to stop holding on to fear of losing control and guilt, and to practice the Quality of Presence on a daily basis.
By cultivating these qualities, you open yourself more to Abundance as your Birthright, to fulfilling relationships and to Plenitude in your life!
Cheers!