 Photography by William Walther WjW Photography “Nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease… with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease.” ~ Deepak Chopra
We practice the Law of Least Effort on Wednesdays. It is one of everyone’s favorite laws from the book Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. Deepak tells us, “Do less, accomplish more, do nothing and accomplish everything.” This is what happens when we meditate. When we meditate we do less. We can’t meditate effectively if we are putting a lot of effort into it. Meditation is the greatest tool we have to be effortless. We have been conditioned all of our life to put as much effort into everything that we do to be successful. We hear the declarations of “No pain, No Gain.” However, through a yoga, meditation and mindfulness practice, I have learned that the complete opposite is true. I achieve so much more when I practice the yoga positions (asanas) by listening to my body and moving with strength, ease and grace. I have a more meaningful day when I go with the flow and don’t resist what is happening and practice acceptance. This law reminds us to look at nature – nature doesn’t try, the sun doesn't try to shine, it shines and the flowers don’t try to bloom, they bloom – it is their intrinsic nature – it happens spontaneously. Just like your hair grows without you trying make it grow. Today is the day to enjoy the effortlessness flow of life. A life aligned with the laws of nature is not only easier; it brings love, creativity, and bliss into the forefront. Wednesday is the day I pull back - it is the pattern interrupt day. I accept the moment as it is and surrender. On Wednesdays I don’t struggle - it is the day to I give myself a break and let go of negative self-talk. I don't impose my will on others. I don't prove myself right, defend my position, or assert myself on Wednesdays. I let go of the ego’s need to be right. The mantra for the Law of Least Effort is “Om Daksham Namah” which translates to “My actions achieve maximal benefit with minimal effort .” The affirmations for success are:
Do you ever practice acceptance for the things that happen in life? How can you practice the Law of Least Effort on Wednesdays?
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 Photography by William Walther WjW Photography “Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind… what we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.” ~ Deepak Chopra
Tuesday is the day that I focus on taking responsibility for my actions. This is known as the Law of Responsibility – even if our choices are not conscious. On this day I realize that my actions have consequences, so I pay attention to what I eat, what I think, what I say, what I do, and what I don’t do. I accept responsibility for my actions. I understand that actions have consequences. So I have an awareness of what I am doing. The best way to maximize the Law of Karma is to become consciously aware of the choices we make in every moment. We make so many more choices each day than we realize - we just need to pay attention. In the book, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra gives the example that if he insulted you, you could be offended and if he complimented you, you could be flattered. But each of those is a choice. The ego is involved. You want to get to a place where you are not dependent on what others think for your sense of self. He tells us that if someone insults us, it is usually more about them than us. So, on Tuesdays I really pay attention to my ego and not let it run the show and have anything to do with my sense of self. And the great thing is that after practicing this on Tuesdays for so long, it has transferred to other days of the week as well. Any challenging situation gives you two choices. You can see the situation as a problem and waste your life complaining about it, or you can recognize that it happened and ask, “How can I learn and grow from this?” If you see something as a problem, you can get drawn into lower energy, which recreates the same Karmic energy, and you make no progress. If we look at every situation as a problem and ask, “why is this happening to poor me? Then we have released the karma, but we are just recreating that karma over and over again and we are not making any progress. I have learned that the same thing keeps happening over and over until I learn the lesson. Again, after practicing this for years, when ever something I would, in the past, have typically labeled as “bad” happens, I stop and ask “what am I supposed to learn from this?” and proceed. The mantra for the Law of Karma is “Om Kriyam Namaha” which translates to “ My actions are aligned with cosmic law.” The affirmations for success are:
On Tuesdays I make conscious choices – I look at the consequences and see how it will impact me and the other people involved. Do you make conscious choices? Do you take responsibility for your actions? How do you deal with challenging situations?  “Giving engenders receiving, and receiving engenders giving. Reciprocal action keeps the flow of love alive. For so many of us, however, learning to give is difficult.” ~Deepak Chopra
According to Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, the law for Monday is the Law of Giving and Receiving. This law is all about flow. One of the key lessons that I learned about this law is that it is just as important to give as it is to receive. I was very good at giving, but not always good at receiving. When someone gives you something, even something as simple as a compliment and you don't accept it, you are stopping the flow of energy. I know if someone told me I did a good job or they liked my outfit, I would minimize their compliment and say “oh it was nothing” or “this thing, I got it on sale at Kohls.” I have learned that they were offering me a gift and if I minimized it or denied it then it was as if I was saying they were wrong. After learning the importance of accepting a compliment and gifts, it was difficult for me to change that pattern. So, in the beginning, I would just say “thank you” and now that I understand this law, I fully accept their love and appreciation. Monday is a great day to focus on gratitude. Start every Monday with gratitude and practice gratitude throughout the day, and at the end of the day with gratitude. The more time you spend being grateful, the more you gratitude you will find in your life. See the abundance in everything and be grateful, thank your body for all it does, thank your friends, thank nature and thank the universe. There is so much to be thankful for in life. You might think that the Law of Giving and Receiving means that Monday will be an expensive day if you have to buy a lot of gifts, but, that is not the case. On Monday’s you can express appreciation, compliment others, send affection, give hugs (this is the true meaning of this law, for when you give a hug, you will also be receiving a hug –so give a lot of hugs on Monday), provide loving touch, truly listen to someone, shower the world with smiles, send gratitude emails, phone calls, or texts, offer prayers to those in need, find your passion and be of service to others, and be open to gifts from others. Do remember that the intention behind giving is to always bring happiness, otherwise it is not true. The mantra for the Law of Giving and Receiving is “Om Vardhanam Namaha” which translates to “ I nourish the universe and the universe nourishes me.” The affirmations for success are:
Do you have more difficulty giving or receiving? Which do you prefer? How can you practice the Law of Giving and Receiving on Monday’s?  “True success is ... the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us.” ~Deepak Chopra
One of the teachings from the Chopra Center that has positively impacted my life is the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Dr. Deepak Chopra wrote the book Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams over 20 years ago, but the laws are just as pertinent now as they were when he wrote them. Deepak’s teachings are refined into seven simple, yet powerful, principles based on nature that can be implemented into your life with ease. When I learn something new, I usually want to try and implement everything in my life at once and it becomes overwhelming and then I lose focus. What I love about the Seven Spiritual Laws is that each day has a focus. For example, Monday is the Law of Giving and Receiving. So, on Monday’s I focus my attention on giving and receiving in all possible ways, but on Tuesday, my focus moves to The Law of Karma or cause and effect. Having practiced the laws for years now, there is a flow of the laws between all of the days, but having a focus on each day reminds me of the importance of each law. My favorite laws are The Law of Least Effort and the Law of Detachment because they have helped me to realize that I achieve the most with the least amount of effort and that I can set my intentions, but I need to detach from how they are achieved. For the next seven weeks, I will share about each of the spiritual laws and my thoughts, feelings and experiences about them. I hope that you can begin or continue to implement these laws into your life. To give you a preview, here are the laws:
Prior to beginning this journey, there are several questions you should answer for yourself:
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Peggy Steffens is an artist and Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor My goal is to build a community with like-minded individuals who want to grow, share and learn from one another. Please post comments to enrich the experience for all.
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