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As a yoga practitioner for over 40 years and someone generally interested in self improvement, I have tried many different practices. While most of them have been beneficial, one has made me fundamentally happier and more relaxed in the world, in a way the others have not. This same exercise is perhaps the easiest to perform. All I had to do was to set aside 15 minutes each day to reflect on three good things that I had experienced during the day just that passed. This discipline of reflection is not one I learned from my guru, but my time with him made me sensitive enough to recognize the value of this fantastic idea, when I saw it. One of the things I like best about the traditional Raja Yoga I practice is that it is a "living tradition". While its roots and the thrust of its philosophy date back to thousands of years before the birth of Christ, it is inherently open to new influences. The following story illuminates the balance that is critical to a healthy yoga practice. I had spent years training at the feet of Sri Yogi Dharma Mittra. I loved the fact that he often told us how people had been doing certain practices for millennia and that these rites were charged by the energy of the throngs of people who had done them before us. It made me feel comfortable to know that there was consensus around the value of what we were doing. Then, one day, while talking to Dharma after a workshop, he revealed a secret to me that stunned me and also made perfect sense. What he told me is that some of the postures, he now teaches, he invented himself. I had been doing yoga by rote for many years. I tried to do my yoga exactly the way it was "supposed" to be done. I revelled in the idea that these were time tested and honored practices. Now, I knew that some of them Dharma had made up on his way to the class! Whoa. What a shocker. And yet, it made perfect sense. Parts of the tradition guided me to always check things with my own heart and to listen to my inner voice, even to ignore the teacher's advice if it felt wrong. Sometimes that voice suggested I modify a pose to help with my comfort or growth or just because it felt great that way. If I was stuck doing it in some "one size fits all" framework that rigidly declared there was only one way to achieve bliss, I was going to have to ignore the stirrings of my own heart and that, in our tradition, is the biggest sin of all. So, when I was at my desk, at work, eating my lunch and reading Yahoo! News and I saw a notice that Martin Seligman, a Psychology Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, had discovered a simple practice that makes people happier I was ready to explore it with an open mind. Intrigued, I read the article and realized that Seligman's simple practice fits right in with the type of work the Eastern Masters call us to do. The moment I heard of it, it sounded right. Years later I can vouch for its effectiveness. Here are the instructions as I understand them after also reading Seligman's book on learned optimism and consulting his website many times. Each day, for one week, set aside 15 quiet minutes to reflect on the last 24 hours and choose three good things that you experienced in that day. (Rather than do this all in my head, I chose to write mine down, but it is not necessary.) Then take each one and reflect on it individually and think of the causes of this good experience. Reflect on the efforts you or others made to create it. Also consider what may flow from it, the benefits you or others may receive as a result of it. You may also savor the sheer good fortune of the event, but keeping in mind what lead to it and will come from it should not be left out. Then, move on to the next good thing and repeat this process. And then the next. When you are done with all three, you are finished until tomorrow. Studies have shown, that people who do this simple practice, each day, for one week are happier six months later than they were before they tried this. Long term studies are not in yet, but it is possible that the effects are indelible. For my part, I enjoyed doing it so much that I continued regularly doing it for many months and continue to do it still, when the spirit moves me. Here's what I have experienced. For most of my life I've been a person who rarely savors the good things all around me. While I strove for things and achieved them, when they happened, I spent little time acknowledging positive outcomes. Rather, I would look immediately for the next challenge and begin pursuing it. Here is the key point, I would let my mind always be full of the obstacles ahead of me, rather than the happy events I was hoping for or had just participated in. I'm sure you can imagine how tense and uncomfortable I was with my brain always processing my problems. Once I tried the practice of reflecting on the three good things, my mind liked doing it. Very soon, I was spending my day cataloging the good things when they occurred. It made me more generous with my praise for myself and others, since I was more present for and aware of these positive events and eager to share about them. It also made me more energetic, since I looked forward to discovering the next good thing. You can see how each day became more rewarding. You can also see how obstacles when they arose could immediately become further opportunities for positive outcomes and not the energy sappers they had been. And here is something else I discovered. A small event, like success changing a burnt out light bulb, could be as satisfying or even more satisfying than landing a big account or meeting a new girlfriend. Based on the joy I took from it and the benefit I realized I was creating for myself and others, I might value a small act of service, more than something that I would normally brag about with friends or family. Wow! Viewed in this new light, I found that I really value a life full of little joys rather than one marked by dramatic outcomes. Oddly enough, while following my heart in this way, I have found that the big things arise whether I emphasize them in my thinking or not. So here is the Yoga Life Style challenge. I dare you to try this. If you are a person who thinks there is room for more happiness in your life then you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl. And I want to hear from you about your experience. Try it for a week and let me know if you do or do not agree that this is a strong positive practice. Here is my email address ray@yogalifestyle.com. I look forward to hearing your good news. Peace, Yogeshvara OM Owner Yoga Life Style Yoga Supply PS This is not some gimmick or marketing ploy. I won't try to sell you anything if you get in touch. I just enjoy sharing things that work for me and I like knowing the how others do with them.
Article Source: http://www.articlemetropolis.com
Yogeshvara OM, owner of Bhakti-Bheka and Yoga Life Style, has been practicing yoga for over 40 years. As a student of Dharma Mittra he participated in Dharma's first teacher training, graduating in September, 2000. Yogeshvara is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and has made his living as an Art Publisher and as the owner and chief executive officer of Yoga Life Style Bheka. Yoga Life Style Bheka is a supplier of Yoga Gear, Posters, Books and much more to studios, ashrams and individuals, throughout the US and the world. www.yogalifestyle.com
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