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This week our theme is ‘being grateful‘
There is research showing that spending time on a regular basis to be grateful significantly contributes to living a happy life.

• Grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness, lower levels of stress and depression, and to be more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.

• Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

• Grateful people have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience in life, being more likely to seek support from other people, to grow from the experience, and to spend more time planning how to deal with the problem.

• Grateful people sleep better, and this seems to be because they think less negative and more positive thoughts just before going to sleep.

When we are being grateful we are not worrying about the past or wishing for things to change. We are not desiring a new car or holiday. Being grateful allows us to experience peace, comfort & acceptance in where we are in this present moment of our lives. The fluctuations (attachments & aversions) of the mind still for a moment & the gentle essence of our heart emerges like a flower opening to the sun.

A study conducted by Emmons and McCullough (2003) found that sitting down weekly to write about five things we are grateful for increased happiness levels by 25%.

Try doing this with your children ... often it is the simple things in life that come to mind.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire;
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes;
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

The above poem & some of the content of my post (the dot points in italics) came from the website www.dailydownwarddog.com.

To them I am truly grateful! 🙂

This week our Yoga Tales theme is ‘being aware’.

This is one of my favorite themes as we get to explore life through our senses. The senses are the vehicle for awareness.
When we are being aware we are in the present. Our mind becomes settled on what is in front of us at this very moment. In this state there is no past or future, our judgement lessens & the mind becomes ‘one-pointed‘ which is the foundation of any meditative process. When practicing awareness we get a chance to step back from the analytical processes of thought & counter thought. We then begin to develop the ‘witness mind’ where we can begin to see ourselves & behaviours from the perspective of an observer.

Have you ever witnessed anothers behaviour and wondered if they realised how strongly reactive it was? How many times have you wished you could have reacted differently? Practicing mindfulness helps develop the opportunity to pause & assess the situation before you react. With practice, it gives you the ability to choose!!

For the children, if possible, have a play with sensory awareness. Go into the garden, a park or perhaps even the beach. Use different senses and try closing off others like closing eyes as you explore the scent of a flower. Children are naturally the best teachers as they get so engaged by little things that we often miss.

This week our Yoga Tales theme is about ‘being brave’

The children love this theme, especially boys it seems. It gives them the opportunity to go into their imaginations & safely explore those fears & adventures in a playful, controlled way.

So What is bravery?….

• The fearless warrior?
• The paradigm shifter?
• The human or animal rights activists that have put themselves in danger speaking up for those with no voice?
• The child or teenager who doesn’t follow the pack but is able to stand up & say ‘NO’?
• The individual who simply lives a life of integrity by following his or her heart?

For the children, perhaps ask them ‘what things they are afraid of?’ & then share examples of times when they have been brave. This gives them the awareness of moving through fear into action. Of course there are fears that keep us from being harmed & it is important to applaud your child’s recognition of these.

Developing courage is important because courage is the ability to act in the face of fear and not be frozen by it