My dear friend (and very first yoga teacher), Checka, did an amazing experiment that I would like to share with you. When she first presented the pictures in 2012, she wrote, “These are photos from an ‘energy experiment’ that I did with a group of teenage boys with whom I have a meditation group each week. We directed kind thoughts and positive energy towards one jar, and taped the corresponding positive words to it, and did the same with unkind thoughts and negative energy directed towards the second jar. Each bottle had the exact same amount of water in it prior to freezing. Pretty interesting stuff…”

Negative energy jar one day after freezing

Positive energy jar ice one day after freezing

Positive energy jar one day after freezing

View of how the ice formed in negative energy jar one day after freezing

After the jars had been in the freezer for one month, I melted the ice and this is what happened.

Today, she reminded us of this experiment, writing, “*Every* one of us will struggle at certain points to maintain clear and calm hearts and choose positive, gentle energy over the alternative. Was this [experiment] done in a lab as a perfectly controlled scientific experiment? No. Will it offer you a moment to pause, and wonder? I hope so:). Having witnessed it firsthand myself, I found it to be and incredibly powerful lesson in my journey as a student, teacher, and human.”

Dr. Maya Angelou believed words are things and that someday we will be able to measure their power. “They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs and your upholstery and your clothes. And finally, they are into you.”

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible” – Dalai Lama

I am interested in trying this experiment myself! Who wants to join me?