Category: Blog

Happiness is Contagious is a blog that gives the real facts of how happiness impacts ourselves and the people around us. Scientists have found that we experience happiness when we participate in social connection with others. This is an important key to note because science shows that the people that you spend the most time with influence how you feel. Physical activity such as yoga or going on a run releases endorphins into our bodies which makes us feel happy. Managing our thoughts is also very important because we can catch ourselves focusing on the negative and make a shift to focus on the positive. We can influence more people than we ever realized, simply by being happy.

From this article I learned that our increased happiness improves 15% if the person we spend the most time with is also happy. This made me think about how important your partner is that you create a life with and being mindful about your influence on them or their influence on you. I also learned that the yoga sutras teach that if we are not balanced mentally, physically or emotionally then we are not setting ourselves up to met our happiness potential. Through the practice Pratipaksha Bhavana we can learn to eliminate our negative thoughts by denying our attention to them. There is a breathing meditation you can use to reframe your outlook by saying certain mantras as you inhale and exhale. I learned that it is important to keep in mind that your own happiness benefits more than just you, but those around you as well. The key points of this blog show that yogic practices can directly impact our emotional and mental health. 

Mordini, S. (2019, May 26). Happiness is Contagious. Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://dailycup.yoga/2019/05/26/happiness-is-contagious/

In Mari’s blog, about Yamas and Niyamas, she addresses a problem that many people in society struggle with, telling the truth. Maris refers to a study done by Bella De Paulo in 1996 where participants kept a journal of any lies that they told each day. The results showed that people lied about one to two times a day. The lies that were recorded were mostly around setting of social interaction with other individuals. She explains that any type of lies is hurtful to ourselves and others and that part of being the best version of ourselves is being truth 100% of the time. 

I learned that Satya is a yoga term that means the practice of truthfulness. I knew that yoga was all about different poses, strength and flexibility, but I did not realize that it also encompasses the practice of truthfulness. I learned that yoga can strip away walls that we put up and help us reveal who we really are and want to be. As I continue to research mindfulness, meditation and yoga, I’m beginning to see them all as connected and realizing that the practice of yoga is much more than stretching on a mat or trying to do a backbend. 

Degener, M. (2015, September 12). Exploring the Yamas & Niyamas: Satya. Retrieved July 7, 2019, from https://www.yogamaris.net/blog/2015/09/12/exploring-the-yamas-niyamas-satya