Every year, I teach a yoga class on Thanksgiving morning.
The class is usually small, but the group is always grateful for the time we
spend relaxing and focusing on what is really important in life. We take a
moment to give thanks. We work on gratitude by giving thanks for our health,
our prosperity and our families. I remind my students that although this is a
day for giving thanks for all our blessings, every day we should take a moment
and give thanks for all that comes into our lives. For everything has an
element of good and an opportunity for growth. Sometimes, however, gratitude
gets lost in the stress of the Holidays.
Thanksgiving is a time when Americans give thanks for
family, food, safety and health. It is time of gathering for the sole purpose of
giving thanks and celebrating with family and friends. It is about breaking
bread and sharing a meal. But it can
also be a time of strife, anger and confusion. Families after all can and
sometimes do, bring out the worst in all of us. Stress becomes the watchword of
the day.
Stress affects us all. One of
the things I learned early on in my studies was that stress is a perceived
notion. This simply means that what may be stressful to me may not be stressful
to you because the level of stress is measured by the perceiver. Yes, illness,
divorce, money problems, work problems and family can bring on stress; but it
is how we view these events and how we react to them that will determine the
level of our stress. One of the best ways to manage stress is through the
practice of yoga. Why? Yoga teaches us to quiet our minds and when we quiet our
minds things take on a level of clarity. Clarity reduces stress.
When the mind becomes quiet
the autonomic nervous system gets a moment of balance. Somewhere between
passivity and agitation we experience an opportunity to observe without
judgment. It is known as the middle way.
The middle way means to not become identified with
anything; love or hate, happiness or depression, attachment or detachment, but
simply to come back to the present moment putting aside all attachments to any
position. When we take a hard and fast
position we slip from the sharp edge of the moment and risk hurting or getting
hurt. Right now one thing may be
important, but circumstances will change and in a moment what seemed important
may lose its significance. Stay present
and in the moment – that’s the middle way.
Sit quietly, close your eyes and take in three deep
breathes. Then sit for a moment and observe what happens to your body-mind.
There is stillness and a balance. This is the middle way.
So when that weird relative shows up uninvited, the
dinner is so, so, someone is in bad mood, the turkey is dry, your sister and
her husband are fighting, dinner is late or whatever, the family drama might
be, remember to take a breath, step back into the middle way, observe without judgment
and smile as you give a moment of thanks for the opportunity to be a part of something
bigger than yourself…gratitude.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Namaste
Doctor Lynn
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