Enjoy this moment.. Path to happiness
I am walking the path to happiness by meditating, by doing yoga, by living consciously… By really learning this, by doing courses and deepening my knowledge in this field. To enjoy the moment I start to learn better and better. Knowing that I am on the right track but I also know that I am only just starting…. I had been meditating 3 x 10 days at the Vipassana (Chennai – India, Belgium and Kathmandu – Nepal). There I learned so much, had so many insights that show me that things can be different and that I can experience everything differently.
After this experience I was looking for a new, different way to learn in this field. I then decided to take the full yoga course. So in October 2019 I did the 200RYT course in Pushkar, India. I did the Raja Yoga where the emphasis is on meditation and breathing. The asanas, yoga poses, are in this original form of yoga only a small part. That was something that I had been working on a lot in the past but in hindsight this was the best choice for me because again I get the most insights in that meditation.
I’m going to write about the 3 weeks I was in the Ashram of Swamiji later… How I experienced it…what the beautiful and what the hard moments were and everything else. In 3 weeks of lessons every day you experience a lot and you go through a lot of emotions…. That’s why it’s so good and I can recommend it to everyone.
I got a lot of inspiration again! Because I did the 200RYT course I am an instructor, teacher…. But I will not forget what my guru Swamiji said… You can’t teach yoga, you can share it, you can inspire people and let them do it themselves. You have to experience it and only then can you learn it.
Through sharing more about yoga, meditation and how I try to find happiness I hope to inspire you to look for yourself.
To also walk the Path to Happiness.
How do I increase my happiness?
I often think afterwards that I should have enjoyed the moment more. Then I look back at the things I’ve done and I feel like I’m enjoying the memory even more than I did at that moment. Then I realize that the moment I think back to was really cool but that I didn’t realise it conscious at that moment.
At that moment you often have other things to worry about. There are still things to arrange that distract you from those perfect moments afterwards!
Of course it’s true that our brain makes us remember the nice and the good things better and remembers them longer than the moments that were a little less fun. And those moments that were a bit less fun become a bit more fun or at least less bad in memory. It’s nice that our brain usually works like this!
How do you make sure you already realize at those moments that you are happy with the moment?
How nice is it that you already know at the moment: this is such a lucky moment! This is one of those moments that I will remember for the rest of my life? Enjoy that moment to the fullest!
That you realize that you are happy and that the moment is good as it is.
The trick is that we have to live consciously. You know it, I’m talking about the now so well known MINDFULNESS. That we have to be aware of what we do and what we experience. Try to really deepen your awareness of that moment.
Be aware that we don’t want to rush through life and that we want to be here and now. This is the moment you experience, this is the moment you live and so this is the moment that makes your memories!
By realizing this more, you will experience the moment even more, even deeper and more intense, and so your memory of it will also improve.
Your memory becomes more complete because you are fully in the moment with your concentration and awareness.
Enjoy the moment… Path to happiness!
How can you increase your awareness?
You can increase your consciousness by breathing deeper and more consciously. Because you breathe deeper, your body and especially your brain will get more oxygen. We can live through oxygen and our body needs to be soaked with oxygen in order to make your brain work better. We think too little about this and breathe far too little consciously with the intention to serve our body with oxygen.
We all know that we need to drink enough to hydrate our bodies… the same principle applies to oxygen!
Do you want to know more about the effect of breathing exercises? In yoga these are called pranayama (prana – breath / yama – control). I will share more about this in the future but for now I refer you to this update: Pranayama
This is the technique that is also used in meditation and yoga. If you are aware of your breathing then you are in the moment. Then you are in the present and you live in the now. You stop your thoughts for a moment…. For a moment you are not thinking about what you still have to do and you are not thinking about those moments that have already been, memories.
Make sure you realize that you are here NOW
Be there for real! Make sure you are in the present with all the fibres in your body… Take a good look around you and really realize what you see. Take it in, think about the things you see now… Make sure your thoughts don’t wander off with you about the things you see and to which you have linked memories. Return to what you see now, that is not the object of your memory.
Control your thoughts and create new memories by being in the PRESENT!
The advantage of your brain, thinking, in this area is that it can only deal with one thing at a time. Often we find that unfortunate and prefer that we could even do 2 or 3 things at once but to find happiness… to be happy…. In order to be in the present we actually have to disable our thinking because it can only be in the future or in the past…
Something you can’t use in the present.
Sit down and enjoy the moment
Take a deep breath and just take your time. Taking the time for something is sometimes difficult. Especially when it’s time for yourself… Your priorities are often set with activities that are important in this society. But are they so important that you really can’t take the time for yourself? Can you give yourself the priority? Can you work on yourself for a moment?
Have you set the priority this way or is it set this way by the people around you?
You are expected to be …
I really have to be there because… It is logical that I am now doing…
Just sit down somewhere! Look around you and take the time to see what is happening in that place. Who says you can’t sit down and enjoy the moment… Why are you rushing through this moment? Where are you going? Somewhere you’re going to sit still for once … Why not here and now?
So what’s 10 minutes? And if you sit somewhere for 10 minutes, it’s quite long to just see what’s going on around you. In 10 minutes you can relax for a while, watch your breathing. Only to see what is happening around you without forming an opinion about it, without linking memories to it…
Enjoy the moment, nothing more than just experiencing the moment….
Enjoy the moment… Path to happiness!
Count your blessings…
How often do you realize at the moment that it is good? That you are happy to be somewhere. Try to realize that more often, be more often happy with what you do and where you are!
By consciously realizing this, you increase the overall feeling of happiness in your brain and your body. It makes you happier and because you are happier you will see the world differently. You are more inclined to see everything in a good light and so you only become happier and more cheerful!
Everyone knows people in his or her environment who do this the other way around. Who are always negative, who always see and emphasize the unpleasant news and thus become less and less happy. Why don’t you do it the other way around? You don’t have to identify with the news… and certainly not with negative or bad news. And when you do, look up positive news!
I also think that there are a lot of people who feel that they shouldn’t be cheerful because a lot of people aren’t… Often in a family atmosphere / friends or marriage. The feeling that you have to show solidarity and not be too happy because this might not be nice for those who are having a hard time.
Totally the upside down world
Do you know the wrinkle effect caused by the stone you throw in the water? That ripple effect will hit everything, every nook and cranny of the water will be hit by this effect. Make sure you create this effect with a positive impact. Sooner or later, a smile will also appear on the other person’s face… I am convinced of that!
Smiles most of the time are answered with smiles!
But luckily there are many people who are always happy, who always have a smile on their face and who always see the positive side.
These are the people that make me happy and I like to hang out with, you too?
Do you walk the road to happiness, too? What does your path look like?
If you have any questions or tips for me, please let me know. You can ask them here under the blog but you can mail me or contact me through the social media!
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Want to read more?
Tikam: The Brahmani Priest, Pushkar – India
Extra dimension: Safe Contact with locals
Lessons I learned before – Vipassana
How Lonely are you when you Travel Solo?
Why my way of travelling around this world changed in the end of 2017
I hope you love this world as much as I do!
Jacomijn is een politieagent uit Nederland die jou graag laat zien hoe je veilig, actief en gezond de wereld kan over reizen. Safe and Healthy travel is a MUST
That is great!! Also in my work it is good to be mindful and to have the realisation that you need to live in the moment!
Mindfulness is also part of my day to day life, especially as I am now living more intentionally and authentically in my slowly lived lifestyle.