Ten Tips to Increase the Positive in Your Life

Moving your life in a healthy, happy direction does not need to be a drastic change of every single thing you do. As charming as it sounds to pull an Eat, Pray, Love and travel the world for a year coming out completely peaceful on the other end this is maybe just a little bit too big of a step for most of us. Thankfully, I fully believe that happiness and peace can be allowed into our lives anywhere, especially in the small day to day things we do. More than that, even though I fully advocate yoga and meditation, a lot of people might not be ready for or interested in that. So, here instead are just some little tips for the every day that I've found to be incredibly easy, yet powerfully effective, in helping to let some positive energy flow in.




1. Make Your Bed

You might read this and think, "What?! I'm done already. This girl is crazy." but, bare with me. We see this concept often, perhaps some are familiar with the bible quote, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" which, I have to admit, used to make me roll my eyes. Yoga also posits that cleanliness is important and part of a yogic life style. As a naturally messy person this was one of the harder yogic principles for me to integrate. Now that I have, though, I notice such a huge difference. I can really tell that the energy feels different in my room when it is clean and organized versus messy and cluttered. When it is clean I want to hang out in there, do yoga in there, I am inspired to be creative, and when I come home into my room I feel a sense of relief. On top of this, we also know that having a daily routine is very good for your body and mental health, so this adds to it. Every morning after I wake up and do yoga, I make my bed and make sure my room is clean and then head out to face the world. I have generated my first bit of positive energy for the day. Try it, maybe you won't find me so crazy after all.



2. Dedicate Your Day to Others 

One of my absolute favorite parts of the day is saying the Shanti Deva dedication prayer. It brings tears to my eyes to think that people all over the world are wishing for others well being and dedicating their lives to others. If dedicating your entire life to others seems a little much, you can start by just dedicating certain actions, or the good you do during the day. This includes things that do things for you and your happiness. For example if you go on a run, or learn something new, you're improving yourself which is in turn helping others. You can say something like the Shanti Deva dedication prayer or you can just think in your head, "I am doing this for the benefit of others." Either way, you are definitely bringing positive energy into your life.


3. Set a Watch/Phone Alarm


 

I think one of the biggest problems of our society today is how un-present we are. We are constantly thinking about the past or the future, constantly absorbed in anything else but what is going on right now. A great way to combat this is to set a phone or watch alarm that beeps at random intervals throughout the day. When the beep goes off you take 10-20 seconds to be present in whatever you're doing. Fully present, in the moment, thinking about only that thing and how your body feels doing it. It might seem silly but being present, in this author's opinion, is one of the biggest keys to lasting happiness.

4. Buy a Bamboo Plant 

Or, take care of something in general. My personal favorite is a bamboo plant. What's not to love? They are incredibly easy to take care of, are super cheap, are said to be good luck, and they brighten the room. And get this-- they grow better if you talk to them. So I talk to mine everyday (I know now you really think I'm nuts) and tell it I love it and that I hope it grows. Therefore I am forced for a certain amount of time each day to have positive, loving things coming out of my mouth. Plus, I feel great for caring for and nurturing something, even if it is so small.


5. Stand in the Longest Line in the Grocery Store 

I know, I know, it just keeps getting crazier. This little tip I picked up from my beautiful Swami yoga teacher who radiates love out of every one of her pores, so I know it must have a little merit. She was giving us tips how to practice yoga off the mat and told us to take the opportunities that life gives you to practice things like kindness and patience. A perfect example of this is purposefully choosing the longest line at the grocery store. It automatically gives you time to slow down, to practice patience, to chant mantras if you have some, or to just reflect on the day. It seems insane, but it has potential to really make a difference.

6. Learn One New Thing

One amazing thing about the time we live in is our sheer access to information. Google is pretty much my best friend, especially with my tendency to want to know random facts like what in the heck babywearing is or what I can use as an egg alternative. And so, I suggest making a conscious effort to learn something new everyday. Learning is growing, and making yourself better, which in turn makes the world better. Of course, you don't have to get it from Google, you can read a book, or go to a class, etc. but, we definitely don't have any excuses for not taking 2 minutes to learn something new and this 2 minutes gives you the opportunity to feel accomplished. 


7. Say Hello

This might seem like such common sense to a lot of people, but we all know we have seen or have been the people who see you walking their way and get all awkward and look at the ground, or their phone, or anything not to have to look you in the eye and just simply say, "Hello." We are social animals and we receive happiness from interacting with others.  Smiling at strangers and saying hello or how are you to them, and actually meaning it, is one of the easiest ways to add some light to your day and make you feel good. Plus, if you actually strike up a conversation you'll often find that person has something very interesting to teach you. Some of my most profound realizations about life have been sparked by a 3 minute conversation I've had with a stranger.

8. Change the Song

Once again I am not an advocate of extremism when it comes to making life changes. So, I don't necessarily think it is a great idea to delete all of your music and completely quit watching TV and movies, etc. That being said, I do think that the media and things that we surround ourselves with constantly are really affecting us, even if we like to think that they aren't. My suggestion? Slowly remove media with negative content. If you notice a certain song makes you super depressed, or a certain TV show has a lot of violence... just watch or listen to less of it...change the song, change the channel. This is all a personal decision, but in my life I've noticed a huge change by just filtering out some of the stuff I used to watch and listen to.

9. Hang up a Quote

On the flip side of slowly getting rid of the negative there is slowly letting in the positive. Does this mean you have to transform your whole house into a spa complete with a Zen sand garden and Buddha statue? No. But, hanging up some positive quotes, especially ones that make you inspired or really feel something, could be a great first step. It could help to put one right above your bed, or where you can see it when you wake up to start and end the day with something positive.

10. Be Thankful (For Food!)

It's obvious that not everyone is interested in doing something like 'praying'. But, no matter what your beliefs or opinions something that can be universally accepted is being thankful. Since it's a little hard to just start being thankful for everything right off the bat, I think starting with the food we eat every day is a great step. Take a cue from your Thanksgiving dinner and spread the love to the other 364 days of the year. Take a moment or two, before you eat, to close your eyes, or however you feel comfortable, and just be thankful that you have food, remembering that way too huge a portion of the human population does not. What a wonderful wonderful way to realize how much we have and to add positive into the day at least 3 times.



I wish you all love and light and as much positivity as you can possibly muster. :)

Essential Yoga Asanas

"Yoga is far from simply being physical exercises. It is an aid to establishing a new perception of what is real, what is necessary, and how to become established in a way of life which embraces both inner and outer realities. This way of life is an experience which cannot be understood intellectually and will only become living knowledge through practice and experience." - Swami Satayanada Saraswati (left)

"After all, you can spend twenty minutes criticizing each other, watching television, and gossiping, so why can't you spend twenty minutes in a constructive involvement which helps uplift the mind and emotions?" - Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati (right)
 

My health and happiness I owe to yoga (more specifically, for me, Satyananda yoga). Although yoga is not just physical exercises it is the physical that is familiar to most people and therefore a good place to start on the yogic path. I thought I would put together a list, created from the advice of the Gurus of Bihar School of Yoga and personal experience, of essential yoga poses for daily life. These asanas (physical poses) are great because although they might seem basic, they are doable for everyone and have a profound effect. As an added bonus a lot of these poses can be done in the office, in traffic, waiting for gas to pump or any other time through out the day when one has a minute or two.


**DISCLAIMER**: It is much preferred to learn yoga from a qualified yoga teacher in person. Most of these yoga poses are easy enough that you should be able to do them with awareness but it is essential that you do not strain yourself, and stop if something hurts. Please listen to your body and help yoga help, and not hurt, you.


These yoga poses and suggestions are all from these two wonderful books (which i highly recommend):

For Everyone/Beginners

Satyananda yoga posits that most everyone has gross energy blockages that impede their physical health. Doing yoga asanas that work your joints, with intense awareness, is the best way to help your energy flow freely again. These poses might seem 'easy' but I can assure you that they are way more important than being able to do a headstand, or any other 'hard' yoga pose. I still do them every single day.

These poses are also beneficial because they can be done quickly every morning, or almost anytime through out the day when one is waiting, sitting, at the office, etc.

For all yoga asanas make sure that you only breathe through your nose and focus your whole awareness on the specific part of your body that you are stretching/moving. If you feel comfortable closing your eyes this can be a very nice way to intensify your awareness.

1. Base Position (Prarambhik Sthiti)

Sit with your legs outstretched, feet close but not touching.
Place the palms of the hands on the floor to the sides, just behind the buttocks.
The back, neck and head should be comfortably straight.

2. Toes and Ankles (Padanguli Naman & Goolf Naman)

Start by sitting in the base position (above). First do your toes by moving the toes of both feet slowly forward and backward. Repeat 10 times.
Next bend your foot at the the ankle forward and backward, keeping your awareness in the ankle joint. Repeat 10 times.

3. Knees (Janu Naman)

Stay in base position. Bend your right knee, bringing
thigh near the chest and clasp hands under right thigh.
Straighten right leg.
Keep leg 10 cm off the ground.
Practice 10 rounds with right leg and 10 rounds with the left.
Breathing: Inhale while straightening legs. Exhale while bending.

4. Hips (Ardha Titali)

Still in base position bring your right ankle up unto your left thigh. While breathing in move your right knee toward your chest, while breathing out push it toward the floor. Slowly practice 10 up and down movements and then switch to the left leg.

5. Fingers (Mushtika Bandhana)

Next, while still sitting in base position, extend both arms straight out in front of you. Extend the fingers on both hands while inhaling, and close the fingers into a fist while exhaling. Practice 10 rounds.

6. Wrists (Manibandha Naman)

Keep fingers straight and palm open and bend hands backward from the wrist while inhaling, then bend the hand forward from the wrist while exhaling.
Repeat 10 times.

7. Elbows (Kehuni Naman)

With open hands and palms facing up bend the arms at the elbow and touch the fingers to the shoulders while exhaling. Inhale while straightening both arms out. Repeat 10 times.

8. Shoulders (Skandha Chakra)

Place fingers on shoulders. Rotate both elbows at the same time in a large circle. Try to touch the elbows in front of the chest on the forward movement and touch the ears while moving up. Stretch the arms back in the backward movement and touch the sides of the trunk while coming down. Practice 10 times clockwise and then 10 times counter-clockwise.









Intermediate

While these asanas aren't exactly hard, I still, again, really recommend that you perform asanas with care and only when your body is ready. This especially applies to the final recommended inverted asana Sarvangasana (shoulder stand).


Swami Niranjana recommends this group of asanas in his book Yoga in Daily Life. These should be done daily before eating breakfast, but if you are not able to do that just try to fit them into your day at some point.



1. Tadasana (palm tree pose)

Stand with feet together or 10 cm apart. Steady the body and equally distribute weight on both feet. Raise the arms over the head. Inhale and stretch arms upward. Raise the heels, coming up on to the toes. Hold the breathe and position for a few seconds. Lower the heels while breathing out and bring the hands to the top of the head. Repeat 10 rounds.
















2. Tiryaka Tadasana (swaying palm tree pose)

 Stand with feet more than shoulder width apart. Interlock the fingers and turn the palms outward. Raise  the arms over the head. Bend to the right side from the waist while exhaling. Do not bend forward or backward. Inhale while coming up. Repeat on left side. This completes one round. Repeat 10 rounds.











3. Kati Chakrasana (waist rotating pose)

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and the arms by the sides. Raise arms to shoulder level, then twist the body to the right.
Bright the left hand to the right shoulder and wrap the right arm around the back, bringing the right hand around the left side of the waist.  Look over the right shoulder as far as is comfortable.
Return to starting position.
Repeat on other side to complete one round.
Practice 5 to 10 rounds.










4. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)

In Satyananda yoga sun salutations have 12 different positions performed in a rhythmic flowing sequence, reflecting the rhythms of the universe; the twenty-four hours of the day, the twelve zodiac phases of the year and the biorhythms of the body. Different forms of yoga practice different versions of sun salutations and I think that any form of sun salutations would be hard to learn from a book or website. For this reason I suggest learning from a qualified teacher, or practicing a version you already know. 

5. Sarvangasana (shoulder stand)

Sarvangasana should also be learned in the presence of a qualified yoga teacher, or by those who feel experienced with yoga. Lie on your back on a folded blanket. Check that the head and spine are aligned and that the legs are straight with the feet together. Place the hands beside the body with the palms facing down. Relax the entire body and mind. Contract the abdominal muscles and, with the support of the arms, slowly raise the legs to the vertical position, keeping them straight. When the legs are vertical, press the arms and hands down on the floor. Slowly and smoothly roll the buttocks and spine off the floor, raising the trunk to a vertical position. Turn the palms of the hands upward, bend the elbows and place the hands behind the rib cage, slightly away from the spine, to support the back. In the final position, the legs are vertical, together and in a straight line with the trunk. Close the eyes. Relax the whole body in the final pose for as long as is comfortable. 

Finally, Swami Niranjana recommends at least one pranayama for everyone. Pranayama is generally defined as breathe control. It helps to influence the flow of prana (energy) in the body and can provide a balancing or energizing effect. The one pranayama Swami Niranjana recommends in Yoga for Daily Life is:

6. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama 

 
Hold the fingers of the right hand in front of the face. Rest the index and middle fingers gently on the eyebrow center. Both fingers should be relaxed.The thumb is above the right nostril and the ring finger above the left. These two digits control the flow of breath in the nostrils by alternately pressing on one nostril, blocking the flow of breath, and then the other. The little finger is comfortably folded. When practicing for long periods, the elbow may be supported in the palm of the left hand, although care is needed to prevent chest restriction. 

Sit in any comfortable meditation posture. Keep the head and spine upright. Relax the whole body and close the eyes. Put your hand into the above described position. Close the right nostril, breathing through the left. Close the left, exhale through the right. Close the right, in hale through the left. Close the left, exhale through the right. This is one round, practice 5 to 10 rounds. 

Bonus:

I thought I would throw in one of my favorite yoga asanas: Vayu Nishkasana (wind-releasing pose). I find that it stretches out my hips, back and legs nicely for meditation and helps strengthen as well as stretch.

Squat with the feet about shoulder width apart. Grasp the insteps of the feet, placing the fingers under the soles with the thumbs above. Inhale while moving the head back. Direct the gaze upward. This is the starting position. Hold the breath for 3 seconds, accentuating the backward movement of the head. While exhaling, straighten the knees, raise the buttocks and bring the head forward towards the knees. Hold the breath for 3 seconds, accentuating the spinal bend. Do not strain. This is one round. Practice 5 to 10 rounds. 

Hopefully these suggestions on essential yoga poses can add a little to your practice, or help you start if you've always wanted to. Doing a few simple yoga asanas daily can have a huge effect on the body and mind; the best part being that it is not even necessary to set aside a huge chunk of the day to be able to fit them in. I will repeat for a final time that I strongly suggest also learning yoga from a qualified teacher (sometimes it takes quite a few tries to find one that you really love) and listening to your body 100 percent when performing any type of physical movement. As always I would love to start a conversation with you over email or answer any questions. I wish you all love, light and the pure joy that yoga brings. 

Perception of the World

"We create our friends and enemies as well, but we forget that it is so. Because of our lack of mindfulness, our creations are transformed into something solid and real, and we become ever more entangled. When you fully realize, not just intellectually, that everything is your just your creation, you will be free." - Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse (What Makes You Not a Buddhist)


Namaste and welcome. It's so hard to decide what topic to broach next. I was looking over this amazing book that is going to be on a recommendation list that I'm creating:

And found a lot of things I had underlined about thinking patterns, personality, and the way we interact with the world. I think this is so important for so many people to realize, and so it seemed to emerge as the next topic.

What we first have to ponder when thinking about how we react to the world is how we perceive the world. As Dr Rishi Vivekananda says, "Each of us perceives the world differently. It is impossible for people to be aware of everything that is in their field of the senses such as sight, sound, touch, or even smells or taste; there is just too much. So perception chooses those objects and events that have meaning for us as an individual, concentrates on those, and ignores the rest."  When we actually think about what this means we have to realize that Dr Vivekananda is also right when he says, "When we are with another person, we assume that they are experiencing the world as we are, but this is just not true."

This is simple enough, and not even necessarily a "big deal", until we combine it with other thinking patterns that we have. For example, habitual thinking, and fixed opinions, convictions and attitudes.

We end up taking our perceptions of the world, and convincing ourselves that they are 100% true, and the only truth. People, things, actions, behaviors, take on the labels 'bad', 'good' and 'neutral' and we end up believing that these things really, inherently have these characteristics. Once we form these opinions we never think to question them, and we hold onto them tightly, even if they cause us trouble, which they often do.

An old Indian story illustrates this point. It is the story of 6 blind men, who all discover an elephant. They return to their village and the first one describes the elephant having felt only it's ear, "It was large, and flat and smooth, about twice the size of my head." Another speaks up, having felt only it's tusk, "What?! You are an idiot. It was hard and long and sharp at the end." And so it goes. We are always interpreting the world from our own senses, perceptions, definitions, memories and opinions. A minuscule part of the truth, at best, is instead transformed into the whole truth, and nothing but.

What yoga and meditation offer is an ability to develop the 'witness position' - the ability to stand back and get a new view of events, situations and even our own thought patterns. We can then question the real truth of all our valued opinions and decide whether we should keep them or not. We can slowly realize that often it is not events that hurt us but our attitudes towards them. 

Yoga philosophy recommends, as a counter to such destructive thinking patterns, the trio of acceptance, non-expectation of outcomes and equanimity.

Dr. Vivekananda elaborates:

Acceptance

- See things as they really are; don't resent them because they are not as your want, or waste time fantasizing that they are better. See events and people realistically- one thing in your power is your attitude towards them- either accept them (and get on with life) or reject them.

Non-expectation of Outcomes

-"Contentment and fulfillment begin with a clear understanding of one principle- some things are within our control and some are not." (Epictitus, Stoic philosopher of Ancient Greece)

-" Lord, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." (The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr, a 19th century American clergyman)

Equanimity

- Develop the ability to accept the ups and downs of life as they are. Swami Satyananda said, "Life is full of ups and downs, but for the yogi every 'up' is a joy and every 'down' is an adventure."

-"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift in its hand for you. You seek problems because you need their gifts." (Richard Bach)



By meditating, thinking about, and reflecting on how we perceive and create our world we can find freedom in realizing how much control we really have over our own reactions and happiness. We can realize thing like "annoying" people are not inherently annoying (to someone else they might be the most charming person in the world), and that WE are creating that annoyance in our own minds. With this realization of the control we possess, we can paint the world however we want, and take control of our own emotions, and lives. How incredibly liberating.

Reflecting and meditating on these concepts is great, but it's also doesn't just transform us over night. We can  understand intellectually that we create situations, but that doesn't help at all the second someone hits our car,  or annoys us, etc. We  suddenly find ourselves reverting to pure emotion that doesn't feel created at all. My suggestion for daily life, on top of meditation and discovery, is to start to be aware of at least one situation per day (or even per week if this is too much for you) where you find a strong emotion coming up and really pinpoint it, and focus on it, and think to yourself something like, "Is there a different way I could react to this situation?" or "What part of this situation do I have control of?" or "Is there any part of this situation that is being created, being made bad by me?" etc. If we can start, even on a small scale, to be more aware of our reactions and interactions with people and the world I think our lives will start to improve drastically.

Below is an Equanimity meditation from a 10 day Introduction to Buddhism class that I took in May. It is quite long, especially for a beginner, but I think it's really nice to have someone guiding you through a meditation, and Jonas, my meditation teacher, covers the topic beautifully. Hope you enjoy! As always feel free to start up a discussion with me or ask any questions (mekenziesutton@gmail.com).

Starting and Ending the Day Right

"Everything starts happening when you close your eyes." - Swami Satyananda Saraswati


India has changed my life in the most dramatic way. I have found love, light, happiness, peace, patience. I now see the most amazing joy and beauty in every thing around me. Life is now dedicated to others and trying to spread this light. I thought I would post some links, book recommendations, meditations, chants, quotes, etc. for anyone interested. I've been exposed to a lot of different types of spirituality and religion, in India mainly Hinduism, Yoga Philosophy, and Buddhism. I will be on the search to learn as much as I can about every type of religion and spiritual path for the rest of my life. My ears are always open to listening to your questions and thoughts. Love and Oms.

I think I'll start with a few small things that people could easily do without altering their life or schedule, but that I find make a huge difference in my life and outlook on it.


Starting the Day Off Right

The ashram where I went to yoga school (Bihar School of Yoga) teaches yoga not just as a one hour class, but as an entire lifestyle. Part of this lifestyle is starting and ending the day on a positive note. We do this by chanting three beautiful mantras before even getting out of bed.


The Gayatri Manta 12 times for wisdom and the ability to discern what is right:

The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra 12 times for health and healing:

The 32 names of Durga 3 times to remove obstacles:

These chants are in Sanskrit which is one of the oldest and most sacred languages in the world. The vibrations from speaking Sanskrit are said in and of themselves to have a healing and changing effect on the body.  I think, especially for Westerners, it is important to keep an open mind when starting something like chanting. It can seem very foreign and like were maybe praying to or worshiping gods we don't even believe in, or something like that. I promise you that you can chant these mantras without believing in the existence of any god at all, and I encourage you to give them a try and see for yourself if you can feel a change in your own energy throughout the day.

Here also is a link to a dedication prayer from Buddhism that I say every morning after my yoga and meditation session. No matter what things you believe or don't believe in it's beautiful to wish others well and dedicate your life to them:

Dedication Prayer


Ending the Day Positively 

My ashram also suggests ending the day similar to how it was started: on a positive note. This way our days both start and end in a good way. I usually do this in 3 steps:

1. Writing in a Journal

I write in a journal every night. I usually try to reflect on what my goals were for the day or month, and positive things that happened throughout the day. I also usually write where I saw God (for me) that day. For example, " June 6 2013- Today I saw God in so many ways. In water on my head, in finding a cute cafe, in reading Anne Frank's words, in not being afraid of but welcoming the rain, in the long tip of burning incense, in how quickly the pages of this diary fill up.."
I also have three journals. One is for the above mentioned reasons, focusing more on spiritual life, goals, and the positive, one is for writing a poem that describes each day, and one is for less often use when I need to write more about a subject, or need to get out more negative things, or things that I just don't feel belong in my spiritual diary.
You'll figure out what works best for you, but journaling is definitely a great way to keep your goals in sight, and to remember all the small beautiful things each day has to offer.

2. Meditating 

I usually do my long meditation at the beginning of the day, after my yoga session. But, when it was recommended to me to meditate for a short amount of time every night to let your mind bring up whatever it wanted to, I started trying it and loved it.
When I'm ready to go to bed I sit up in bed and meditate for around ten minutes. You can have your eyes closed or open, and focus on your breathe either by feeling it come in and out of your nostrils, or by doing something called Ujjayi breathe. In Ujjayi breathe you focus your awareness on the throat while breathing, and slightly contract your throat to make a soft snoring sound that should barely be audible. It should sound like a baby snoring. Remember to always breathe through your nostrils only when meditating or doing yoga.
The function of this ten minute meditation session before bed is to allow your mind to have whatever thoughts it wants about the day, the past, the future, stressors, etc. so that it won't bring them up in your dreams or cause you to not be able to sleep. So, don't suppress! For ten minutes (or however long works for you) focus on your breathe and let your mind think and bring up whatever it wants, allowing the thoughts to exist, and then pass. Hopefully, you'll find like I did, that this assists in a more peaceful sleep, with less, or less dramatic, dreams.

3. Reflection

Finally, after my meditation I lie straight down into Shavasana which is a relaxation pose in yoga:

Have your hands slightly away from your body and facing toward the ceiling. Make sure your body is comfortable, warm, and symmetrical. Then, once again focus on your breathing, either in your nostrils, or in the rise and fall of your abdomen. With each exhalation let your body relax deeper and deeper. And then, play your day back in your head. It's exactly like pressing rewind on a movie. Try to picture the meditation you just did, and what you did before you got into bed, and continue from there. Replay every interaction, and every action and see how you spent your precious day. Note what you did well, and what you could improve on if you run into that situation again. Try not to be to hard on yourself if you realize you acted or reacted in way that you really don't like, just note it and remember to work on it, and make sure you also note positive parts of the day as well.
Once again, hopefully you'll find that this practice puts you in a deeper state of relaxation for more peaceful sleep, and helps you to see the beautiful small things through out the day, while also helping you work on being the person you want to be.




I'll try to post more often now about things I learned when I was in India and things I continue to learn. Don't hesitate to e-mail me to discuss anything and everything life related. I wish you all love and light.