Every person has certain values that are important to them and by which they live. In our 'Yoga and Values Series' we want to introduce you to the values and values of our society and our coexistence through yoga teachers. Sunita , yoga teacher and blogger for Yogareich from Hamburg, writes today about the value:
gratitude
Gratitude, what is that anyway? You can find the following on Wikipedia:
Gratitude is a positive feeling or attitude in recognition of a tangible or intangible benefit that one has received or will receive. One can be grateful to the divine, to people, or even to existence, or to all of them at the same time.Gratitude can also lead to an increase in positive social behavior in the benefactor. For example, one experiment found that jewelry store customers who were called and thanked after a purchase subsequently purchased 70% more. In another study, regulars at a restaurant tipped more when waiters wrote “Thank you” on the bill.
...amazing, right?!
Gratitude is possible everywhere, I can be grateful for many things, for health or well-being. But also for very tiny things in everyday life, a smile from someone else, a flower or a nice thought. Gratitude is always and everywhere. And the best thing about it is that gratitude can not only positively influence the emotions of the person I'm talking to, but a grateful attitude towards life can influence much more than we can see at first glance.
For me, this wonderful feeling is what makes a happy life. If I manage to see something in everything that I am grateful for, then I can be infinitely happy. Even though I am fully aware that this is not easy in every situation, I am firmly convinced that it can have an incredible impact.
I feel a deep gratitude towards life, all the good and not so good things that I have experienced make me the person I am now. And I like myself the way I am. That's why I'm grateful for all the strange things I've experienced in my life.
Yoga and gratitude
You can also be grateful in and during yoga, and not just for your (hopefully) healthy body. Even if you don't feel fit, you can practice yoga. Therefore, this feeling also applies to yoga, because let's be honest. There is hardly another sport, another way of life that we ALL can practice. Yoga offers something for everyone, if you like it quieter, then there are wonderful calm yoga styles or meditation, if you like something more demanding, then you can go to Vinyasa or another demanding class. If you can't do it the way you're used to, there's ALWAYS an alternative in yoga. I think that's perfect. And I'm super grateful for that.
Interestingly, you can also find gratitude in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. There it says 2.42 under 2.42
संतोषातनुत्तमस्सुखलाभः saṁtoṣāt-anuttamas-sukhalābhaḥsaṁtoṣāt = frugality
Gratitude anuttamaḥ = unsurpassed, incomparable
sukha = happiness, joy lābhaḥ = attain, win
Loosely translated: Through satisfaction and gratitude you gain happiness and well-being.
My advice, be grateful. Be grateful for all the little things that we all too often hardly notice or don't notice at all. Think about the things around you that make you feel good, be grateful that you can notice them and that you recognize what is good for you and what is not and if you are in a situation that is not good for you then be grateful that you recognize it. Even if it is not always easy to change them. That's not the point at all. It's about recognizing what is, perceiving what is and reflecting on what we can be grateful for.
Asana for serenity
A wonderful yoga asana to deal with the topic of gratitude is the seated forward bend/Paschimottanasana
- Sit on the mat and stretch your legs forward, bend forward with a rounded back and cushion your knees with a rolled towel.
- Then stay here for a few minutes and breathe. (Yin Yoga variant)
To sit in this asana you simply need calmness. The more often you practice it, the deeper you can dive. But in order to get there at all, we should be grateful that we can practice it at all. One thing is clear: prevention brings us serenity and a certain humility towards our own bodies. And that's exactly what I'm grateful for.
My name is Sunita, I love and practice yoga whenever I can. Some days it goes great, other days I fail miserably. But yoga always enriches me. I am passionate about teaching and love training yoga teachers. You can find out more about this on my blog Yogareich.
You can find courses, training and workshops in Hamburg and the surrounding area at
- Website: www.yogareich.de
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yogareich
- Instagram www.instagram.com/yogareich_hamburg
- Email: sunita@yogareich.de
- Podcast Living a good - healthy - life
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 .
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