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Inner peace: How to enjoy life more
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Cloudy skies?
Many of us can probably remember living through days of such good spirits that it truly did not matter where we were or what we were doing. We would be undisturbed even when having to face people or circumstances that would normally put us a bad mood. We were either not bothered by them, able to simply focus on the positives that WERE there, or we simply refused to stop feeling good no matter what.
However, these highs are often created by external influences: new job, new boyfriend, a raise, a new car, etc. Generally speaking these states of absolute joy also pass as soon as the newness of the causal factor becomes part of the same-old, same-old or when they turn out to be not what we expected. In addition, since the peaks do not exist without the valleys, these highs would usually leave one slipping down the far side of the peak into the associated lows.
History has shown us people who were so full of love and compassion that their names have been remembered throughout history. There thousands more whose names may never reach our ears. Yogis or not, these are special people who love life no matter what; light simply radiates from them. While we all have the same capacity, most of us have a harder time appreciating and loving life when faced with unpleasant circumstances or people. So what does the average non-saint do to be more pleasant and less susceptible to life’s unceasing little annoyances? What does on do to enjoy life more?
Here’s the big secret: do something that makes you feel good! Often! And yes, you’ve guessed it, Yoga makes you feel good! It makes the body feel refreshed and alive, the mind calmer and more focused, the emotions more balanced. When you feel good, things don’t bother you so much. When we consistently feel good, we can maintain a more constant, more consistent state of joy which is independent of anyone or anything (well…except for the practice that is) and less affected by the influence of others.
When we feel good, we are nicer. We are more respectful even to the people who generally upset us. They are therefore more respectful to us, continuing the positive cycle. Since Yoga helps calm the nervous system, when faced with an upsetting circumstance we don’t over react. Instead of making a bad situation worse, we stay calm and wait for it to pass or actively look for a solution. Not stressing keeps us … less stressed. This keeps us in a positive state of mind. Yoga also teaches us how to slow down and be more patient, so that we accept that transitioning form one pose/situation to another will simply take as long as it will take. And let’s face it, lives don’t depend on most things which stress us out. Not feeling pressured keeps us light. Yoga teaches us that it is the individual that needs to adjust in order to make a pose feel more natural and comfortable. When we know that it is our own behavior that needs controlling, it removes the stress we get from unsuccessfully trying to control the behavior of others. And as surprising as it is, with practice, changing ourselves (not to be confused with surrendering our moral values) causes much less distress than the upset we get when others won’t be the way we want them to be. Maybe we are not happy, but we are not upset; this keeps us feeling better by default. When none of these things work, we breathe. Breathing calms the nervous system – we feel better.
Noticing that the “dislike” is really more about our own personal state of mind, we see our part in the drama. When we realize that our dislikes are really a reflection our own personal not-so-good feelings, we can choose to actively and continuously pursue practices which make us feel good. Perhaps it is not that all of a sudden we love everyone and life is all roses, but that we notice that when we feel good of mind and body, we are able to better enjoy life and everything in it.
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