Practice Hatha Yoga for happiness

Does life feel like a carnival ride? How do we deal with life’s challenges? What do you consider happiness to be? Can Hatha Yoga really open the “Door to Happiness”? Let’s see solutions to happiness, which you can find in your Hatha Yoga practice.

Life is often compared to a carnival ride. The “ups and downs” of life bring us pleasure and pain. To some degree, we all need a certain amount of stress, but practicing Hatha Yoga can help you gauge how much stress you are under.

Think of stress like water: You need some water to live, but too much water can turn into a flood. Hatha Yoga controls stress, like a dam controls water. We want a constant flow, but not too much.

How do we deal with life’s challenges? Many people want to avoid challenges and stress, but in the right “dose,” challenges are what keep us going. Start or end your day with Yoga and you will face life’s daily challenges with positive energy in your heart.

What do you consider happiness to be? Is it money, possessions, power, fame, retirement, or something else? All these things tax our spirit. The more we have, the more we want, the more bored we get, and the more to worry about.

Happiness cannot be bought. Look at the lives of the “rich and famous”, if you need proof. Happiness is a choice, and Hatha Yoga can help anyone find the path to happiness.

Can yoga really open the door to happiness? Absolutely! All forms of Yoga teach meditation and Pranayama. In Hatha Yoga, these concepts sometimes become secondary to the Yoga postures (Asanas). However, these three concepts combined will help you feel more joyful, even in moments of disappointment.

Yoga can be practiced throughout the day. When you show acts of kindness, it will be gratifying to know that you helped someone. Loving-kindness is a universal yogic concept. This is just one of the many “Yoga off the mat” methods.

You can practice loving kindness by giving to others. Let someone pass you while you are in traffic, or help someone in need. If you don’t have money, loving-kindness doesn’t have to be material.

Karma Yoga is self-service; all you have to do is help or listen to someone in need.

Lastly, every time you give, help or listen, “give back”. This should not be your main motivation to help others, but giving is always rewarded in one way or another. This is just one example of the law of cause and effect, which we also know as “Karma”.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications