Tag Archives: happiness

Meditation made easy – calming the monkey mind

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Often the difficulty we have in trying to meditate is when we are attempting to concentrate on not concentrating on anything at all. It’s a conundrum that leads us in circles. It can be especially frustrating when it’s our restless “monkey mind” that we are trying to relax in the first place.

lhatha-yoga_dot_com_monkey_mind-5-really-fix-blacksThankfully, sometimes in life things can be a lot simpler than we think. And meditation is one of those things.

Calming the monkey mind

As Tibetan Buddhist master Mingyur Rinpoche explains, instead of trying hard to focus on getting rid of all your mental chatter, all you have to do is to give your monkey mind one simple job…focus on breathing:

What’s equally as helpful to know is that you don’t have to be in sacred spaces or attend any special classes to meditate. You can meditate just about anytime, anywhere, for as little time as you want.

So take a breath, and relax, even for a few moments if that’s all you can spare. It can really provide some rest to your mind that it so very well needs and deserves, and in turn improve your overall happiness.

Power down for downward dog

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I recently read an article where a New York Times writer remarks on how yoga typically gives her anxiety because she wonders how long she has to stay in position before she can check her twitter feed. It occurred to me that she’s exactly the type of person that would reap some of yoga’s greatest benefits.

hathayogadotcom-unplugging

One side bonus of practicing yoga is being away from all external demands, all distractions, all social media. Sure, many of us rely on staying as connected as possible for our work. But if we’re not dealing with a life and death situation, it would help us a great deal if we allow ourselves to unplug for at least Continue reading →

Yoga for recovery from addiction – Mel’s story

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My name is Mel, I am 32 and I’m a mum to George, three, and Harry, one. I work full-time as a writer and I have been a fervent yoga practitioner for ten years. Nowadays, it is common to read about the many benefits that yoga bestows on our physical and mental health, but back then, it was my last hope, for I had just finished a stay at rehab and I had already had two relapses one month later.

Yoga for recovery from adiction

When I was a child, ‘conflict resolution’ was basically non-existent in my home. When Dad passed away, Mom raised my sister, Evelyn and I, desperately struggling to pay the bills and Continue reading →

Yoga and Creativity

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Did you ever think to yourself: “I wish I could write, paint, act, sing, dance, garden, bake, create some specialty cuisine, etc.?” Well, the possibilities of what you can do are endless. That’s because they are there within you, but perhaps just hidden.

Yoga and Creativity

There are often many distractions or excuses for not activating your creative chakras. Yet there is no real reason for not being creative since everyone has the ability if the desire is there. However, one can often feel stuck, as if something is in the way of you “getting there”, or even just getting started.

HathaYogaLeeSalutationYoga can be a good friend to help you open up these closets of creativity. There isn’t one specific yoga exercise, or in Sanskrit “asana”, Continue reading →

The Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation…five minutes is all you need!

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Thanks to YogaDork for sharing this must see infographic. It’s the Skeptic’s Guide to Meditation and it was created by happify and ABC news anchor Tim Harris, author of 10% Happier.

It shows how just five minutes of meditation a day can have a profound positive impact Continue reading →

“Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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I just finished the book “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Yes, that is the correct spelling. Yes, it’s impossible to pronounce!). Wow, what an amazing book. It’s a challenging read, but incredibly rewarding. Pretty much all 240 pages are packed with really profound insights on how to be happy. I wish someone would write “Flow For Dummies”!

"Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Flow occurs when you’re doing an activity where the challenge matches your skill. When that happens the focus required absorbs you completely. When you’re playing tennis and you’re totally involved in the game, that’s a flow activity. You forget everything else but the game. That’s flow.

Yoga is arguably one of the best flow activities, and the book has a section specifically on flow and yoga. But almost anything can be a flow activity, from sports to music to reading.  If it’s something you enjoy focusing on, it can be a flow activity.

Flow makes you happy

In spite of all the wonders of modern technology, humans aren’t any happier now than they have been throughout history. We are healthier and live longer, but we aren’t happier. So what can we do about it? Csikszentmihalyi shows that how often Continue reading →