How yoga can make you a more appreciative person
Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community.
There’s a famous quote from Japanese philosophy – change is life. Coping with change is difficult, no matter how old you are. The sheer number of changes and transitions that start to occur as we age can make life seem pretty challenging including the loss of parents, children moving away, declining health and loss of independence. But if these changes are balanced with some positive ingredients we have a successful formula for staying healthy as we age.
Yoga philosophy teaches us that our quality of life can be enhanced by the quality of our perceptions. One of the most powerful positive ingredients we can bring into our daily lives that can change our perceptions is appreciation.
For instance, scientific studies have shown that the more couples express appreciation for one another, the more affection they have for one another. The smallest gestures of appreciation counted – a smile, a pat or a simple ‘thank you’.
Too often we slip into a negative habit of focusing our attention on what we don’t like or what we want the other person to do differently. Change these negative perceptions with appreciation by noticing what’s going well, notice the many small kindnesses in life – it will work wonders on all those around you. Guess what – you will also receive a return of compliments.
Appreciation paves the way towards greater feelings of contentment, fostering a protective psychological state of mind known as inner peace.
On this path effort never goes to waste, and thereis no failure.
Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.
- Bhagavad Gita
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