To be Happy or not to be…
Whether we are happier in the pursuit than in the act of being…that truly is the question.
Why do so many people spend their life chasing after happiness and never quite find it? The Declaration of Independence expresses every citizen’s right to: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” implying that happiness is something that must be chased.
We have all been conditioned by the media to look outside of ourselves for happiness, as if our happiness was dependent on “things” and events. And the endless chase begins with the conditions we establish for achieving happiness:
• When I have that healthy and fit body, then I will be happy.
• When I have that perfect relationship or ideal career, then I will be happy.
• When I have more money, more time, more…fill in the blank, then I will be happy.
It seems that most people will chase the escalating promises of happiness right to their grave. The ancient sages and yogis taught that true happiness is found inside a person, and is not dependent on any outside circumstance. Every day when we wake up we face two choices: to be happy or not to be. Some days it is easy to feel happy, but other days the uncertainty of this economy and worries about family, health or money get the best of us.
Being happy requires daily practice and just like a muscle, the more we exercise, the stronger and easier it will get. Yoga and meditation practices are excellent tools to awaken and strengthen the illusive sense of well-being from the inside out. It allows us to become less dependent on external circumstances in order to feel good about ourselves and life in general.
Another tool I always come back to is gratitude. Don’t we all want to feel good and excited about our lives? To be able to jump out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead? Here’s an easy daily exercise that can help. You can do this upon waking, before you even get out of bed:
* While still in bed (lying or sitting up), make gentle fists with your thumbs tucked inside your closed hands.
* For a few seconds, squeeze your thumbs and put a big smile on your face (fake it ‘til you make it!).
* Then relax your fists and begin to think about the things you are grateful for in your life right now.
* For each thought, open one finger, until you have both hands open. It’s okay to repeat the same thing more than once if you can’t come up with 10 things. Some days you may need to repeat the same 2 or 3 things over and over, other days you will run out of fingers!
* As you lay or sit with your palms open and that smile still on your face, take a few more slow breaths while enjoying this feeling of gratitude.
* Then, while laying on your back, put your feet and hands up in the air (if you can) and shake them vigorously for as long as you can. Laughing is definitely allowed!
* Now get up and choose to have a happy morning!
If you repeat this exercise every time you start to feel grumpy or gloomy, you’ll see how your life starts to shift from the pursuit of happiness to the joy of actually feeling happy. I should warn you that this condition is contagious!
Remember to take time to breathe, laugh often and En-Joy.
You can review some of the breathing exercises by going to www.louiselavergne.com (under “Relax”) and read previous articles at www.joyfull-yoga.com under Joyfull Living.
© Louise Lavergne 2001-2009
www.joyfull-yoga.com; 899-0707 Louise is the owner of JoyFull Yoga LLC in Jacksonville where she offers group and private sessions. As yoga provider for Triune Integrative Medicine in Medford, Louise works with patients of Dr. Robin Miller. She is also a Motivational speaker and creator of the stress management program YOGA on the GOTM. She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for over 20 years.
