The Garden Steps by Pierre Bonard |
Yoga jeevana (jeeva=life; jeevana=living/lifestyle) is a traditional yogic lifestyle that is a key to a happy, healthy, and abundant life. If you are looking for more clarity and balance in your relationships, home, and work life, or if you wish to take your busy, always-at-the edge, stressful life to a life of balance and harmony, a yogic lifestyle might just be the answer. A yogic lifestyle allows you to nurture positive emotions, have a clear mind, and maintain a healthy body. Optimal health and fulfillment arise from attention to all three levels of our human experience: physical, mental, and emotional. Yoga jeevana relies on a comprehensive, personalized program that includes virtuous habits and behavior, harmonious observances, optimal diet, quality sleep, an affirmative disposition, and selfless service. This comprehensive yogic lifestyle is meant to bring clarity to the emotions, calm the mind, and strengthen the body, thereby sustaining the emotion-mind-body nexus.
- The next time you hear or see an emergency service vehicle, close your eyes briefly and silently wish that the vehicles and its occupants reach their destination safely (dharana, dhyana and Karma yoga).
- The next time you see or hear a firetruck or an ambulance, direct your meditative energy towards the injured individuals and silently wish that they receive help ASAP (dharana, dhyana and karma yoga).
- Try to see the good in everything and everyone. Appreciate and give thanks to those around you for who they are, even if they are imperfect (yama, niyama and Karma yoga).
- Be honest and straightforward in business, at work, and in your personal life. Work with integrity and do not cheat, deceive, or circumvent to achieve a task (niyama).
- Avoid using negative language (like “life sucks”) that builds the negative emotions and dulls your sense of gratitude (yama and niyama).
- With shelter-in-place, now is the time to learn a new language or to play a musical instrument. Not only does this strengthen the neural connections, it also promotes happiness and joy. Wind instruments, in particular, promote diaphragmatic breathing and require powerful airflow. Playing a wind instrument actually engages the mind, abdominal muscles, lungs, and heart, a perfect example of exercising the brain and body (pranayama, dharana, dhyana).
- Engage in the above tasks with attention, focus, and awareness to reap the greatest benefits.
- When you sit to eat, pay attention to what is on the plate and activate your senses. Notice the colors of the food as well as the textures. Pay attention to the tastes and smell of each ingredient. Listen to the sound of the food as you chew. Do not entertain any negative thoughts and be conscious of what you are eating. This is mindful eating (niyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana).
- Working from home is now the new normal for many. Notice if your work requires for you to sit for long hours. For every 2 hours of sitting, take a break from work and do some light stretches for 15 minutes. Check out this mini yoga series.
- A lot of my colleagues are complaining about poor sleep in this new normal setting. Remember, good quality sleep builds emotional, mental, and physical immunity. So developing a routine can serve as one of the best natural sleep remedies. Do your best to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, since this works well with your internal body clock and helps to improve sleep.
For more information on Good Emotional Practices, Good Mental Practices, and Good Physical Practices, see Ram’s book Good Living Practices which is available as a paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Copperfield’s Books, Target, and other online bookstores.