When was the last time you felt truly happy, when you smiled unrestrainedly because of you? The unfathomable feeling of self-fulfilment and that state of pure bliss is attainable in this lifetime. All you need is to achieve the deepest connection with yourself—journey to the depths of your soul and build a deep, unbreakable bond.
According to Dr Chris James, visiting master at Ananda In The Himalayas, it's important to connect to something greater than yourself each day. "Yoga, meditation and prayer are three simple ways to achieve this connection. It can be as simple as a 10-minute morning yoga practice or 10 minutes of deep breathing or stopping to give thanks for your food."
Moreover, these positivity catalysts give your soul the sustenance it deserves:
1. Focus on the gut: It is the connective stem between the mind and the body, and therefore, to maintain spiritual health, focus yoga practice on this area of the body. Dr James' method of 'mind body cleanse' emphasises twists to stimulate digestion and peristalsis, backbends for stimulating bioelectric field, and inversions for improving the flow and elimination of waste. "To stimulate your circulation and boost lymphatic drainage, you need to think of your diaphragm and stomach muscles as a piston when practicing and breathing," he explains.
2. Try the 'standing forward bend' pose: A cleansing tool in yoga, this pose is the simplest way of letting go. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hinge forward from the top of the groins, keeping a slight bend in your knees. Lay your chest on your upper thighs as you let your head fall toward the ground. Engage the quadriceps and slowly straighten legs, making sure your knees don’t lock and your hips stay over the centre of your feet. Hold for five-eight slow, deep breaths.
3. Practise gratitude: Even on the worst days, always remember that there is something to be grateful for. Dr James suggests, "List down 10 such things daily, and keep adding to the list. Eventually, you'll have enough to turn into a novel."
4. Walk barefoot: Stroll on dewy grass at dawn and watch the sun rise. According to Dr James Oschman, this exercise is called 'earthing', the process of allowing the earth's negatively-charged electrons to course through the body and cancel out positively-charged free radicals that cause cellular damage.
5. Laugh: Heartily, uncontrollably, truly. It lowers blood sugar, improves immunity, aids sleep and relieves stress.
6. Read: The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse—the greatest book that explains the simplicity of loving and togetherness in a child's words; The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle—find your deepest self; Spiritual Junkie by Gabrielle Bernstein—a New Yorker party girl's journey and transformation to spirituality; The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche—explore the Tibetan way of meditative living; Becoming Enlightened by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama—how do you live free from suffering?
7. Get these mobile apps: Headspace, for meditation on-the-go; Happify trains your brain to be happier; whereas Personal Zen is a game that helps you focus on the positive.
8. Listen to: Ravi Shankar's "Raga Charukauns"; "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann; and on Ted Talk, to Guy Winch on 'Why we all need to practice emotional first aid' and Srikumar Rao on 'Plug into your hard-wired happiness'.
9. Go green: Start a life—sow a seed and watch the sapling take shape.
10. Learn: Go out and learn something new every day, you’ll experience personal growth like never before.
11. Dig a little deeper: Get to know yourself better, not only will you discover something new about yourself but also your subconscious mind. Strengthen it to reach the point of self-sufficiency.
12. Detox, digitally: It is scientifically proven that the web world is a serious addiction and social media, the cause of depression for many. Try 'digital detox' for as long as you can and you'll find yourself admiring the double-rainbow instead of trying to capture it in a camera frame, before it disappears.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: 5 ways to become a morning person
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