Mantras for all 9 Enneagram Types
I will be teaching an Enneagram workshop at Southern Soul Yoga in Chattanooga, TN on Saturday, August 21 from 2-6pm. The cost for this 4 hour class is just $30. Here is a link with more information about this workshop: https://bit.ly/enneagramworkshopwithChristy
If you are new to the Enneagram, it is a personality system that can help you to grow in your understanding of yourself and others. If you would like to take a free enneagram test try this one: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test
In India and in yoga, the word Namaste or Namaskaar is a salutation. When people say Namaste to one another, they put their palms together to greet others and show them respect. Saying Namaste or Namaskar is essentially a way of saying: I see you, I bow to you or I revere you. Sometimes I like to say Namaskar instead of Namaste, because the skar in the Sanskrit word Namaskar is pronounced like we say scar in English. This reminds me to see or revere not only someone’s beauty, but also their scars. In a similar way, the Enneagram is a personality typing system that says there are 9 personalities that each have strengths and a shadow side. As you start to understand the gifts and growing edges of each of the 9 personalities, you will start to have more understanding and admiration for both yourself and others.
To give you a taste of some of what you will learn at the upcoming workshop at Southern Soul Yoga, I would like to share some affirmations or mantras for each of the 9 types.
Type 1: The Perfectionist or Reformer
Mantras the 1 needs to hear:
I embrace imperfection
Releasing anger is hard work, but holding onto it is even harder.
Mantras a 1 offers the world:
Be the change you want to see in the world (Gandhi)
I pursue integrity and seek justice
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear, “I embrace imperfection.” My 1 year old daughter is not a great sleeper. We have had many loved ones implore us to try sleep training and we have tried this approach. But despite our efforts, our 20 month old still wakes up an average of 1 time per night. And even though waking up one time a night is much better than her previous sleeping habits, the lack of sleep seems to accumulate and has been really hard. Even when I soothe her to sleep at 3 am, I still sometimes struggle to fall back to sleep and the result of this is that I have felt more scattered than I have in a long time. Recently, I have missed several important appointments and because I have always been a responsible person who keeps my commitments, these mistakes have left me feeling embarrassed and guilty. I have had to talk kindly to my inner critic and remind myself that is is okay to feel guilty when I make mistakes I deeply regret, but I need to be careful to not let my guilt turn into shame or the belief that I am a mistake. The mantra, “I embrace imperfection” reminds me that I am very human and need to allow for my imperfection on this journey, but especially during this season of little to no sleep!
Type 2: The Helper or the Giver
Mantras the 2 needs to hear:
Receive love from others
I can’t take care of others, if I don’t take care of myself
Mantras a 2 offers to the world:
I choose kindness, for everyone has wounds and pain
I see, affirm and celebrate others
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear the mantra, “Receive love from others.” I tend to be the type of person who struggles with receiving help or love from other people. I am great at giving it, but my pride sometimes keeps me from allowing others to take care of me. I worked as a chaplain for about 15 years. Early in my career as a chaplain, I met with a committee who would decide whether I would be accredited as a board certified chaplain. During my committee meeting to become a board certified chaplain, the committee told me they were going to certify me as a chaplain, but the chair of the committee asked me to promise the committee that I would work on one thing. My ears perked up as they told me they wanted me to work on “mutuality” and allowing the interdisciplinary team I worked with to care for me. I nodded my head and told them I would do this. As I look back on this meeting, I know I am now a wiser version of myself and I more fully realize what they were asking me to practice. My chaplain certification committee were asking me to be vulnerable with my co-workers about the pain and struggles in our work and to receive help, affirmation and advice from them. The committee was keenly aware of my tendency to be there for others, but to not allow others to be there for me. I still have to be intentional daily to allow others to help, affirm and care for me.
Type 3: The Performer or Achiever
Mantras the 3 needs to hear:
Image isn’t everything
I let go of my many masks, to be my one true self
Mantras the 3 offers the world:
I’m gonna shoot for the stars
The glory of God is the human person fully alive (Irenaeus)
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear the mantra, “Image isn’t everything.” Growing up in the Southern States, I heard the message, “Image is everything.” I grew up in a family where most of the women in my extended family did not walk out of the house without their make-up applied. By my freshman year in high-school I regularly wore make-up to school. Recently, I went to a hot yoga class and after the class I talked with several friends. When I went to the bathroom I realized in horror that I had so much mascara surrounding my eyes that I looked like a racoon monster. As I looked in the mirror, I was initially embarrassed, because my face was a mess. This messy image wasn’t what I wanted to present to the world. But after a moment of shock I laughed and smiled at myself. No wonder a woman in the hallway had just told me I looked like I had taken a heated yoga class! And so I embraced my messy self. Image isn’t everything. I don’t need Lululemon yoga pants (although they are nice) or perfectly applied make-up. I am enough just as I am. Image isn’t everything.
Type 4: The Individualist or Artist
Mantras the 4 needs to hear:
Wrap gratitude around you like a cloak (Rumi)
I let go of the belief the grass is always greener somewhere else
Mantras the 4 offers the world:
I embrace my creative side
My feelings are worthy of exploration
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear the mantra, “My feelings are worthy of exploration.” For more than seven years I struggled with infertility and usually when I went to see my gynecologist or fertility specialist, I felt on the verge of tears. During my battle with infertility, I don’t think I always allowed myself permission to be curious about why I felt so vulnerable in the doctor’s office. If I could talk to the younger me sitting with the fertility doctor, I might whisper to her, “Of course you are sad. Allow yourself to cry and feel all of this.” Whenever I walked into the doctor’s office, I was carrying the pain of past fertility treatments that did not work, the fear I may never become a mom and so many other feelings. It is so important to be curious about our feelings and to give ourselves permission to feel them.
Type 5: The Observer or Investigator
Mantras the 5 needs to hear:
I am connected and engaged in the world around me
I welcome others ideas and knowledge
Mantras the 5 offers the world:
I am a life-long learner
I am worthy of rest and renewal
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear the mantra, “I welcome others ideas and knowledge.” Sometimes out of your own fear of being inept or out of a need to be right, do you ever feel resistant to people who think differently than you do? I know I can be guilty of this. Recently, a friend of mine passionately shared an opinion she had about parenting and I felt very resistant to her viewpoint. I let her know I appreciated her thoughts and I definitely saw where she was coming from. I also shared with her my own different way of seeing the issue. As I think back to the exchange with my friend, I think even though I was calm and kind as I responded to her, I probably could have been more even more welcoming and open-hearted to her viewpoint. I have to remind myself often that I see through a mirror dimly and I do not hold wisdom or truth in my hand. I need to let the ego go and welcome others ideas and knowledge.
Type 6: The Loyalist or The Skeptic
Mantras the 6 needs to hear:
I am safe
I choose to live in a state of faith, trust and courage
Mantras the 6 offers the world:
I am, because we are (The African philosophy of Ubuntu)
I am loyal and trustworthy
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
The mantra I need to hear is, “I am safe” or sometimes it is, “My daughter is safe.” When my daughter, Isabelle, was born I definitely struggled with Postpartum anxiety. I was a little more obsessive than I would like to admit about checking her in the bassinet to make sure she was breathing. I am sure some of my anxiety was related to hormones, but I believe it was also connected to counseling several parents who had experienced the death of a baby. Empathizing with the pain and loss of others over the death of their babies, had heightened my own fears about what might happen to my daughter. Perhaps you have seen a news story about a shooting at a grocery store in another state and then you are surprised the next time you are at your local grocery store and you feel on edge. I think when you start to find yourself catastrophizing, it is important to breathe, picture something calming in your mind’s eye and remind yourself that both you and your loved ones are safe.
Type 7: The Enthusiast or The Adventurer
Mantras the 7 needs to hear:
I am grounded in this very moment
I release the fear of missing out
Mantras the 7 offers the world:
I invite adventure and playfulness into this day
Seize and embrace the goodness and joy of life!
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear, “Seize and embrace the goodness and joy of life!” On a recent Sunday, I ran into an acquaintance and I have always wondered if he could be an Enneagram 7 because his presence is always so positive and joyful. I asked this individual how he was doing and he responded he was great because it was Sunday and half the weekend was left. I told him I loved how this thought reframed Sundays. Instead of being mopey that you had to go back to work the next day, a Sunday meant half of the weekend was still waiting for you! Sometimes life is hard and we need to embrace the pain of it, but sometimes a joyful 7 can remind others that how you choose to view life, correlates to the way you experience life.
Type 8: The Leader or The Boss
Mantras the 8 needs to hear:
I release my need for power and control
I open my heart to the world
Mantras the 8 offers the world:
I am a voice for the voiceless (Oscar Romero)
I am strong
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I need to hear the mantra, “I am strong.” I have always been a little jealous of friends who are an 8 on the Enneagram, because they seem so strong and confident. As a 2, I tend to have a lot of the feminine nurturing energy, and it is important for me to tap into my masculine side so I can feel more assertive, strong and confident. There is some research that suggests when you do yoga poses that take up space on your mat, like 5 pointed star or Goddess pose, the act of this “power-posing” creates a more confident you. Obviously making your body bigger creates more confidence, but there is more to it. In fact, the science says that power-posing leads to a dramatic increase in testosterone and a drop in cortisol (the stress hormone). So take a moment to raise your hands in the air and pretend you are wonder woman and then say to yourself, “I am strong.” I promise you will feel empowered!!
Type 9: The Peacemaker or Mediator
Mantras the 9 needs to hear:
There is no life in people-pleasing
My voice, presence and needs matter
Mantras the 9 offers the world:
I choose peace in my mind, words and body
I am easy-going.
No matter your type, which of these 4 mantras do you need to hear today?
I constantly need to remind myself, “ There is no life in people-pleasing.” As a people-pleaser I have a hard time saying no, I avoid conflict, I worry too much about what other people think of me and sometimes I say yes to things I really don’t want to do. Does any of this connect with you? If so, the medicine for any people-pleasers out there is to stop considering only what others need and to ask yourself, “What do I need?” Also remember that when you start to voice what you really want and say no to others, you end up with time to say yes to yourself. Your presence, needs and voice matter just as much as the needs of others.
The 9 personalities show up in such different ways in the world and yet even though we are all so different, we are also so much alike. I see and honor the beauty and scars in myself and in each of you.
Namaskar,
Christy
