Celebrate the Gifts of Life - Yogic Style!
by Joyce d’Souza
We are all created to be happy. But, are we all happy in the truest sense of the word?
If you look around, you will notice that 99.9% of people are suffering either physically, mentally, emotionally and, or spiritually. What is the reason for this? What is it that we clamour for? Why do we encounter problems as we sail through the journey of life making us unhappy, sick, diseased . . . enduring suffering in some form or the other.
We are all born to be happy. And it is our birth right, to be happy. Happiness is a state of mind. It’s a very personal feeling or emotion. No outside force can interfere or alter this state of mind, if you choose to be happy, under whatever circumstances. It’s when you aren’t happy, that this negative emotion creeps into your system and upsets the balances in your body, which gives rise to illnesses or disease. An illness is merely a disorder or an imbalance in your body. It is, therefore, important that we live fuller lives, happier lives in order to maintain this balance and avoid illnesses. Here’s where Yoga steps in . . .
Says Patanjali - the Father of Yoga - Yoga is a complete control of the human personality. It is not just Exercise, it is not just Meditation, it is not just Relaxation!! It is an artistic combination of all, worked upon simultaneously.
There are times, whenever I’ve told people that I am a trained instructor of Yoga, the first thing they say to me is, “Hey Joyce, I am so stressed out. Teach me a couple of asanas to relax.” I am so stumped, when I hear this, that I do not know what to say to them . . . for I realise, that they don’t know the very first thing about Yoga. Moreover, to relax completely and develop the feeling of ‘let go’ is no mean feat. It comes only after focused, dedicated and continuous practice when you let go of your attachment to an object . . . which brings calmness and serenity within oneself, which in turn culminates into Happiness . . . and into a state of a healthy mind and a healthy body . . . and thus free from all illnesses.
The purpose of Yoga is to gain a complete control over our whole personality the Body, the Mind and the Spirit. One of the first steps towards attaining this, is to develop the mind to an absolute state of consciousness and awareness, and as a result a good understanding of things around us; thereby enlarging our horizons where we see things in its true form, life in absolute terms, understand them thoroughly and act correctly.
Most of us have a wrong notion about Yoga. When one talks of Yoga, one thinks of Yoga as mere physical exercises. But then is Yoga mere physical exercises. or relaxation techniques or Asanas . . . as we call them in Yogic terms? Is that all there is to Yoga? No way! Would you think, by just doing asanas and keeping your body fit, you’d find happiness? Happiness, in fact, is a far-fetched term. It is important to have a healthy body but to have a healthy body you first need to inculcate a healthy mind. Happiness denotes a healthy mind and a healthy mind is part of a healthy body, which is developed through the practice of Asanas. So if you are ready for asanas, in order to attain a healthy body, you first have to work on developing a healthy mind.
A complete balance of a healthy mind with a healthy body culminates into clarity of mind, increased concentration, strong memory, a relaxed, stress-free zest for living, a state of inner peace and tranquillity, love for all and enough happiness to spread, generously, around you. When there is an imbalance in this working, disease sets in. Disease or sickness either physical or mental - is nothing but an imbalance of your body system. It is important to maintain this balance of a healthy mind within a healthy body and that is through regular practice of Yoga. Y O G A . . . in its complete sense.
Joyce d’Souza is a regular contributor of Yogic Arcles to Six Senses Yoga Society. She is a trained instructor of Yoga, and a Yoga Therapist having studied Yoga at the Gurukul and at University level. Joyce lives in India.
© 2007 Six Senses Yoga Society