........happiness

Yogis,

‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’

This is a popular mantra used often in yoga classes, meditation or spiritual gatherings.  Written in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, it translates to – May all beings be happy and free. 

‘Lokah’ means the Universe, or all places. ‘Samastah’ refers to all beings. Humans, of course, but the animals, insects and all that have consciousness. ‘Sukhino’ is a state of being. Coming from the word Sukha, it refers to freedom from suffering, living with joy. ‘Bhav’ points us to the complete interconnectedness of everything and everyone. All that I do, say or even think sends out a ripple which touches the world, and therefore affects the happiness and freedom of all.

Together the mantra creates an invitation for harmony among all beings. For global wellbeing…….

My students and I have been chanting this mantra the past 3 weeks and it has me thinking about happiness.  What exactly is happiness and how do I find it? Where does it come from? I certainly know it when I feel it. The inner glow. A lightness. Spaciousness around the heart. The smile on my lips.

As human creatures we want. Grasping. Things, the bigger house, to travel, learn a new skill. If we slow down and get quiet though, looking beneath all of these wants it boils down to one simple longing. Happiness. We all want to be happy.

We play the ‘as soon as’ game.  I will be happy as soon as……I find the perfect mate…..switch jobs……..get beyond this illness…….retire.  Spending our lives on this continuous hunt for that elusive happiness. Each time feeling the joy, only to have it fade once more.  Looking to the external world to feed the insatiable hunger to feel content. 

There is an irony though. That which we seek resides within us. Like a perfect diamond buried deep in the packed dirt, happiness, contentedness and joy sit waiting to be unearthed.  But we seem to look everywhere else and inside everyone else for this jewel. What it takes is moving within.

This is the path of yoga. The asana practice, meditation, mantra and breath work are all tools used to chip away at the ground.  Step by step, day by day. To peel back the layers that conceal the brilliance that waits patiently. Once uncovered and shined, happiness is a state of being. A connectedness. Still enjoying the relationships, experiences and beautiful gifts the Universe offers, but no longer attached to them as our source of joy. Knowing that everything I need is inside. That ‘I’ am complete.

I am realizing that in order for me to contribute to the happiness and freedom of all beings, I must first find it within myself. Just as you cannot ‘make’ me happy, I too don’t have that power over you…..as much as I wish I did. Yet if I can shine my own diamond, then my thoughts, words and actions can indeed help others to shine theirs.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.

I am choosing happy,
SARAH