12 steps to health and happiness
Image with gratitude to Lina Trochez and Unsplash
Recently I have been thinking about illness and how it comes about. To me, illness, dis-ease, is a message from the body to pause and heal. In the yogic tradition, illness is viewed as the last step in healing and is viewed as a positive thing. What I see in our culture is a tendency to fight our illness, medicating so that we can carry on as normal, instead of allowing ourselves time to rest and heal.
Here are some things that practised every day will build health, happiness, vitality. These are guidelines rather than rules, so choose what works for you. Don’t overload yourself by trying to do them all at once. Have a look and see which, if any, you already do, then choose one or two that feel right for you to start doing. Write them beside your bedside table to remind you, and review every evening for a minute how it went and how you are going to practise it tomorrow.
Move, stretch - every day, your body builds up tension, stretch it, shake it out. Find your way - running swimming, dancing, jumping up and down in the kitchen as you wait for the kettle to boil whilst laughing at yourself.
Clean your brain - Meditate every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Make it a habit like brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t think of leaving the house without cleaning your teeth, do the same with your brain!
Accept how you are without identifying with it when you meditate. Identify with your breath instead. I am the breath of life. I am this in-breath, I am this out-breath. Already gone. Just like all our ego stories, there is a birth, a life and a death. Is it possible for to you let go of that old story?
Do meditations that take you beyond your normal small identities so you can start to experience yourself as something greater. Kundalini Yoga has many meditations for this, such as this Last Resort Meditation https://amritjiwan.com/yoga-practices/last-resort-meditation.
Hug yourself - you are a human being, amazing, full of potential and absolutely loved. Appreciate yourself! Show yourself a bit of this love!
Rest! It’s essential for your wellbeing every day. Don’t push yourself when you’re not well. If you find it a struggle to relax, try this guided meditation
Practise gratitude - the more grateful you are, the more you have to practise noticing what there is to be grateful for. And the happier you will be. Our happiness is in the mind, what we pay attention to and how we view things. You may find you are astonished at the dramatic impact this has on your life.
If you are not well, review your environment. Your work, your home, the people in your life, the food you take in, the information you take in. What brings you stress and dis-ease and what uplifts you. Some things you have to deal with, but we often have more choice than we allow ourselves. What changes do you need? And then what do you need to help you make them?
Help others and let yourself be helped. We are not supposed to be islands. Reach out and ask for support - people generally love to help. And helping others is one of the best ways to stop focusing on your own problems and get a wider perspective. It brings happiness.
Forgive yourself for any ways you slip back into old habits that you know don’t serve you. You’re human, it’s not about being perfect, failing is an essential part of learning.
Know that you can choose and keep choosing what uplifts you and that you completely deserve it.
Stop telling yourself what to do and how you should be and listen to yourself instead. What would bring you the most happiness? The answer is often surprising.
I hope some of these help you in your life. I am sure you will have your own steps unique for you, but I expect there is some overlap. What are your favourite steps? What steps would you add?