Week 35: Happiness

I'm reading an excellent book by Robert Holden called Be Happy. It was one of those random pick ups from the library from the shelf  of recommended non-fiction reads. I partially think its the cover that drew me to it - colourful dots in a circle. Nonetheless, it has been an excellent read about his happiness course. My favorite quotes are:

"Your ego can desert your heart, but your heart cannot leave you. Thus, the enduring qualities of the heart - such as love, wisdom, courage, strength and hope - are available to you the instant you make yourself available to them."

"You do not deserve happiness because happiness is free - there are no conditions."

"...the more grateful you are, the more present you become."

"Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past."

"To be happy is to love. To love is to be happy."

There has not been one mention of yoga in Holden's book yet, to me the connection is obvious. The ideas in his quotes align with what my understanding is of the philosophies of yoga. Has anyone EVER left a yoga class unhappy? I harbor the guess that the percentage is low if not insignificant. It has been a pleasure exploring my happiness with his book and as I read, my yoga practice almost always pops up in my head.

Now I alluded to the fact it is "my understanding" of yoga philosophy. And with that, I just started to crack the spine of another book - Yoga Sutras of Patanjai. I know very little about Patanjai and thus, have one of the many interpretations of his Sutras. Thank you library, again.

I dove in head first with my eyes searching for the word happy or happiness. I didn't have to go far to find it...

"By cultivating attitudes of friendliness towards happiness,  compassion towards suffering, delight towards virtue, and equanimity towards vice, thoughts become purified, and the obstacles to self-knowledge are lessened."

 I, 33 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Happiness, as individual as it is, fits well with yoga in my books. It is one of the main reasons I do it and want to share it one day with others as a teacher.

Happy,
LW