We usually reserve celebrations for special events and days. It could be birthdays, wedding anniversaries, graduation ceremonies and the like. It could be occasions that mark our achievement or reaching a milestone.

We have festivals to celebrate on certain days in a year.

But should celebrations happen only on certain days?

Is it possible to make every moment a moment of joy and celebration?

Well, Authentic Yoga-Living (Not Yoga-Doing) makes it possible.

Life is a gift, a present.

Let us understand seven secrets of Yoga-Living that help us to treat life as a present.

We’ll call it the “P.R.E.S.E.N.T. Pathway” where the word “PRESENT” is an acronym.

It stands for:

P – Practices & Rituals

R – Reconnection

E – Energetic Life

S – Simple Joys

E – Everything for Good

N – Now and Here

T – Thankfulness & Gratitude

Let us take each of them one by one and see how we can incorporate them in life so that our life becomes truly a gift and a present.

SECRET 1: P – PRACTICES & CONSCIOUS RITUALS

Yoga-Living involves many practices and conscious rituals.

One of the meanings for the word “rituals” is “a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone.”

There are chances for rituals to become automatic and monotonous. In Yoga-Living, everything is done consciously with awareness.

For example, the way you breathe, eat, sit, stand, sleep, talk, walk etc. need to be done a certain way to ensure your best health and mental state. When done that way, we call it a Yoga-way of life.

That involves practice, because we have deviated from our original ways of doing them due to poor lifestyle habits. Our system needs retraining in a conscious way.

This ensures that we maintain a healthy body and mind, and look and feel young even in old age.

ACTION:

• When you sit or stand, consciously make your spine erect.
• Feel your head pulled up towards the sky.
• While sitting, feel your bottoms pulled towards the earth.
• While standing, feel your feet pulled towards the earth.
• Feel your body stretched vertically
• Thus ordinary acts of standing and sitting become activities of elevating life.

SECRET 2: R – RECONNECTION

Authentic Yoga-Living helps us to reconnect to our being.

We were once connected to our core. We were connected to our body and breath. We knew to listen to our body and respect it.

Due to poor lifestyle habits, most of us have moved away from our true being. We have forgotten the connection between our body and mind. We have begun to feel disconnected from our own Self.

The practices and rituals in Yoga-Living help us to connect to the truth within.

All the love, peace and happiness we seek are already within us. We just need to connect to that source within instead of helplessly and fruitlessly looking for them outside. They’re not outside us.

ACTION:

• Sit quietly for two minutes every day.
• Don’t plan your day at that time! Don’t actively think of past events!
• See if you can go within.
• Initially, it may feel weird or strange to sit quietly. Try anyways.
• Once you’re comfortable with two minutes, you may gradually increase the duration.

This reconnection will elevate your life and help you celebrate life.

SECRET 3: E – ENERGETIC LIFE

Authentic Yoga-Living brings more energy to your body and mind through practices like Yoga-Poses, Yoga-Values and Life-Force Mastery using breath.

ACTION:

Learn at least two Yoga-poses correctly and practice them every day.

Learn to breathe properly and practice conscious breathing.

You’ll find your energy soaring high. You’ll begin to enjoy and celebrate life more.

SECRET 4: S – SIMPLE JOYS

Authentic Yoga-Living teaches us to fill our heart with simple joys.

Let us not wait for big events to happen in life to celebrate. Let us train ourselves to derive joy from simple things. It could be sunrise, sunset, a blossomed flower, smiling faces, soothing music, a pleasant smell; it could be anything. Let all these bring joy to life and make life a celebration.

ACTION:

Commit yourself to appreciating two simple things around you every day.

Bring a smile onto your face as often as you can.

SECRET 5: E – EVERYTHING FOR GOOD

Authentic Yoga-Living teaches us that everything happening in our life is happening for our own good.

We’re all born in this world as a result of our Karmic cycle. Our ultimate purpose is to realize the truth of this universe and our own life.

Every event, even the seemingly bad one, is only to help us progress in life. It makes us strong, matured and refined.

It’s all for good. When we can accept it, we can celebrate every challenge and every adversity.

ACTION:

Next time something that disappoints you or hurts you happens, affirm to yourself: “It’s happening for my highest and greatest good even if I don’t know what the good is.”

SECRET 6: N – NOW AND HERE

Yoga-Living is about living consciously in the present moment with awareness. The past is dead and over. The future is yet to be born. Life happens only in the present. Happiness is only in the present, not in the dead past or the unborn future.

So, Yoga-Living with its practices and rituals enables you to enjoy even simple activities in the present, making life a celebration.

ACTION:

Whenever your mind wanders to the past or the future, become aware and bring it to the present. Focusing on your breath helps you to come back to the present.

SECRET 7: T – THANKFULNESS & GRATITUDE

Authentic Yoga-Living trains us to feel grateful for things we have.

Most of us are rarely trained to look at what we have and feel good about it. We tend to look for what we lack and feel bad about it.

We must learn to count our blessings. The more thankful we are, the more things will happen to make us feel thankful.

ACTION:

• Maintain a gratitude journal.
• Every day write at least five things you’re grateful for.
• It could be as simple as for the fresh air to breathe, for the food in the fridge and for clean drinking water.

CONCLUSION:

To summarize, life has to be celebrated not for just special things happening, but for every moment of it.

Authentic Yoga-Living offers seven secrets to savour life. It brings attitudinal shifts and its physical practices improve our health, mind and energy level.

By attempting to follow even one secret mentioned, you can enrich and enjoy your life tremendously.

Does celebrating every moment through Authentic Yoga-Living resonate with you?

Which of the seven secrets is your favorite and how will you implement it in your life?

Please share!

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