Every person has certain values that are important to them and by which they live. In our new series we want to introduce you to the values of our society and our coexistence through yoga teachers. Today with Sandro , yoga teacher and co-founder of Find Your Yoga with Value:
happiness
A definition compiled from Wikipedia and dictionaries:
Happiness noun [die], the state of being happy.
Meanings: State, mood of a person or group full of recognizable joy
Related words: cheerfulness, cheerfulness, fun, amusement
Opposite words: depression, discontent, ill-tempered
I recently became aware of happiness as a value again when I read a book announcement in a yoga newsletter about a book by Swami Sivananda " How to Develop Virtues and Overcome Vices ": " The power of happiness is wonderful. Good mood is one Strength. A happy person has great stamina. He does more in the same time, does it better and is more persistent than a cheerless person. "
This saying kept me busy for several days and I dedicated a yoga class to the topic. When preparing, I thought a lot about: Am I a happy person? Is happiness just a state of mind? Are there people who are always happy? How do I recognize happy people? Can you see happiness in people's body language even if you can't see their facial expression?
Shortly afterwards I was standing in the Berlin subway and looking at the people around me. At first glance I couldn't see much happiness, either on their faces or in their body language. Just from one corner, a pair of bright eyes glared at me. You could clearly see the happiness in the eyes and the body language was open and upright, yes you could say sublime.
Happiness through yoga
This meant that the physical focus for the yoga class was found. On the one hand, I tried to motivate the participants in cross-legged sitting and asanas to remember moments when they were happy and to express this through their posture and facial expressions. On the other hand, I did more exercises during the lesson to open the chest and straighten the spine, as this signals an expression of well-being for me.
The following days I spoke to several people about the word happiness in general and as a value in our society. I can now say that it is very elusive and has many dimensions. Here are some of the insights we gathered:
- Happiness is actually a state that is more short-term than the word “happiness”. Nevertheless, some people are said to be or have a cheerful nature.
- For many, the word is an older word that has now been replaced by the word happiness. In colloquial terms, being happy is more of a desirable goal than being cheerful. We still use the word in some situations, such as “ Happy New Year ” or the children’s song “ It takes little to be happy, and whoever is happy is a king.” “
- Happiness is very much associated with lightness. It is easier for me to be happy when I am in a life situation in which I take life lightly and can mentally distance myself from challenges, problems and stress.
- In English the word is more synonymous with happiness, which immediately reminded me of Bobby McFerrin's song “ don't worry, be happy ”. This reached #1 in the US, Germany, Austria and #2 in the UK and Switzerland upon its release in 1988, which shows me that there is a need for happiness and good vibes.
To sum up, I can say that for me happiness is a very important value in my life because for me it embodies lightness and positivity. I want to be a happy person and lead a fun life. I would like to radiate this to others, spread a good mood and thus have a pleasant influence on the world around me.
Yoga exercise for happiness
A yoga exercise that expresses happiness for me is the bird – Shalabhasana . Opening the chest and lifting my legs, arms and upper body always puts me in a very nice mood. Here are the instructions:
- The starting position is the prone position. The arms lie next to the body, the forehead, the palms of the hands and the backs of the feet lie on the floor.
- As you inhale, lift both legs, upper body and arms off the floor. Feel free to turn your palms and arms upwards so that your chest can open even further.
- Breathe deeply into your stomach and chest while stretching forward and upward.
- Stay in this position for a few breaths and then relax your back in the abdominal relaxation position.
I wish you lots of happiness and joy in your life!
Best regards
Om Shanti
Sandro from Find Your Yoga
Ps.: And here's another "exciting" song: " Every cell in my body is happy... " on YouTube .
--------------
Text by: Sandro, former operator of Find Your Yoga
--------------
Would you like to share your thoughts on a value in our society related to yoga? Then please send us an email to mail[at]findedeinyoga.org . We are happy!
You can find all previously published articles in the “Values and Yoga” series here .
.jpg?w=172&h=172&mode=crop)
.png){kind=logo}