PERMA

In honor of the recent Mother’s Day, I have decided to write my final blog about an article that was given to me by my mom called “It’s Time to Flourish” by Joseph Hooper. The article recalls an interview with academic psychologist Martin Seligman about his 2002 best-seller, Authentic Happiness, and the movement behind the creation of PERMA.

In the interview, Seligman reflects on his old, small-minded pursuit of trying to fix what was wrong with people. He soon came to realize that he needed to develop a new approach that is based on “building optimal functioning and resilience instead of one limited to treating depression and anxiety” (Hooper 99). In other words, he became aware that focusing therapy sessions on negative aspects of ones life, will only make that person develop more and more negative feelings.

Because of Seligman’s newfound view of la raison d’être, he discovered five pillars to support the tent of a well-lived life. These core components to achieve life satisfaction can be referred to as PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment). These elements denote “the things that people do for their own sakes when they’re not being oppressed or frog-marched” (Seligman 99).

Seligman’s collection of studies on identical twins prove that approximately half of our temperament is inherited. He believes that by stressing the complementary paths to happiness and good life through the use of PERMA, one can attain ultimate satisfaction despite one’s natural, personal temperament.

Being happy is not something you get, like a disease. It is something you have to work for, just like anything else worth having. Some people are lucky enough to have that naturally good temperament and can teach themselves to focus on the good things in life, but a lot of people need a push, especially when facing hard times. Anyone interested can read up on this brief overview of each pillar of PERMA, and if you’re eager to learn more, you can go to Martin Seligman’s website.

Positive Emotion

• As humans, we are hardwired to focus on the negative, which only increases anxiety and depression. Therapy sessions are even focused on the bad, and patients are encouraged to talk about their depression and what is making them unhappy.
• Seligman’s Three Blessings forces us to focus on the good. He suggests that, every evening for a week, you write down three things that went well for you that day, whether it was a matter of luck or it was in your control. This helps you become aware of and reflect on positive events in your daily life. This simple awareness allows you to escape the tendency to victimize yourself, which makes you think that nothing ever goes right. In other words, referring back to the Law of Attraction, if you wake up thinking that you’re having an off day, you will.

ENGAGEMENT

• I’m sure everyone notices that when you are doing something you enjoy, time flies by, but when you are stuck doing something you dread, time feels like it’s crawling by. Seligman provides the opportunity to make any task enjoyable.
• Answer the questionnaire to find your personal strengths at authentichappiness.com, then pick one task that you typically don’t enjoy and tackle it using your signature strength. For instance, I took the questionnaire and found that my signature strength is curiosity. I hate to run, but I could use that curiosity by running outside to a new place every time, which will allow me to exercise while enjoying myself simultaneously.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Seligman seems to focus on intimate relationships when addressing this pillar, but I personally believe every kind of relationship, both romantic and not, is essential to living a fulfilled life. He claims that “perhaps no relationship is more central than the one you share with your partner,” which I can agree with. According to psychologist Shelly Gable, “The better predictor of relationship success is how couples respond to each other’s good news, not how they fight,” which proves yet again that everything’s success relies on positivity.
• Listen carefully when your partner has good news and respond actively. Also, listen to his/her response when you have good news. Seligman also suggests you log your interactions verbatim in a notebook every evening for a week (the news, my response, partner’s response to me, vice versa). You could also compose a 300-word letter of gratitude to someone who has made a difference in your life, then get together with them and read it to them. This will allow you to both call upon positive associations by writing the letter and deepen your bond with the letter’s recipient.

MEANING

• The exercises Seligman suggests for this pillar encourages you to reach out, instead of looking inward.
• Compose a 300-word essay that plans out a future with PERMA for the world: how your children/grandchildren will live in a more positive world with deeper engagement and meaning, as well as stronger relationships. Then, write your obituary through the eyes of those offspring which describes what you accomplished in your lifetime. Be sure to focus on the little things, because those are what matter most.

ACCOMPLISHMENT

• “Truly driven people thrive on achievement and recognition” (103). Others who are not as goal-oriented need to find a way to define success individually. Selgiman provides a simple exercise that can help you achieve that.
• On the first of each month, make a list of three things you want to accomplish, then at the end of the month, check your progress. This will give you a feeling of satisfaction by achieving every goal, no matter how small, each month.

This theory is extremely beneficial and strongly connects with the ideals and practice of yoga. Each pillar of PERMA can be used to improve your life, and can be applied in your yoga practice. Like I’ve said in previous posts:

• Channel your positive emotion toward your practice and focus your mind only on that. It is you and your mat and nothing/no one else. Yoga is the time for you to be able to use all the positive feelings you have, and to flush out the bad ones.
• Engage yourself from the very beginning of your practice until the very end. Each pose, no matter how easy, is very important and you have to be fully immersed in order to benefit from it. Even the final chivasana, a pose that seems so easy and relaxing, requires your ability to achieve peace of mind.
• Yoga is about building a relationship with yourself and about being able to be one with yourself. You have to be able to clear your mind so it can focus only on your breath and your body.
• The ideals of yoga can be channeled toward your everyday life. You have to look at every aspect and ask what meaning that has to your individual self. Even smaller things that have meaning build to have a positive impact on happiness.
• Setting goals for myself when practicing yoga can be very rewarding. You can apply these accomplishment exercises by setting a goal for yourself before each practice and focus only on that. For instance, today I want to focus on my balance, and try my very hardest to maintain a strong core.

There are so many different and amazing ways to attain happiness, and most of them can be found in everyday life. Go play with your dog, who can never fail at making you smile. Call a friend, who will always be able to cheer you up. Go to yoga, which will never fail to make you feel amazing. Look for the good things in life, they won’t always come find you.

Namaste.

Your Best Body

As it has often been said, everyone is their own worst critic. You pick apart flaws about yourself that no one else would even notice. This being said, you also know yourself the best and you know exactly what you need to do/eat to lose weight or fix your “imperfections”. Everyone is self-conscious about something, and I found a useful article on yoga from Women’s Health Magazine that provides information on different practices and poses that apply to certain goals that an individual might have:

If you want to get a cario-style endorphin rush, then Bikram is for you.

• Having water and a towel is necessary for this practice because the room is usally at about 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity.
• The heat causes you to sweat and heat up the body, which makes you more flexible and able to stretch with less risks of injury.
• This practice is setup like a typical exercise class with a warm up, cardio, core workouts, and ending with a cooldown.
• Signature pose: Stand on your right leg with your knee straight, lift your leg and clasp your hands beneth your left foot. Straighten your left leg in front of you as much as you can, then lower your forehead toward your left knee. You can bend your knee as much as you want to touch your forehead to your knee, but keep your right leg straight. Remember to breathe, then switch legs.

If you want to reduce your stress level, then  restorative yoga is for you.

• This practice uses props such as blocks to support your body so you can feel a deep release.
• These poses are often held longer than in most yoga practices, usually for about fifteen minutes.
• Restorative yoga helps you physically and mentally let go, and you can improve your emotional well-being.
• Signature pose: Sit on the floor facing a chair, then lie back and place your lower legs on the seat. Bend your knees and hips. Support your head with a pillow, close your eyes, and let your body sink into the floor.

If you want to drop a few pounds, then Vinyasana flow is for you.

• This is a practice in which you move continuosly between poses at the pace of your breath. Each pose is matched with an inhale or exhale.
• Your muscles will be challenged and you will burn off that candybar you couldn’t resist.
• Certain poses can also help you recover from a hangover, which I’m sure we could all use every once in a while, expecially with the celebration of school ending approaching us.
• Signature pose: Chaturanga works your core, shoulders, and arms. Get into a pushup position with your wrists beneath your shoulders. Look forward and slowly loweryourself halfway down. Then transition into upward-facing dog, with your arms supporting your upper body and stretching your stomach and back.

If you want to boost your spirits, then Anusara is for you.

• This practice unwinds your body and lifts your mood.
• Each class is based on an inspirational idea and allows your to focus on only that.
• There will be some chanting and “om”-ing, but it will only weird you out at first. Then you’ll be oming like its noone’s business.
• Signature pose: Downward-facing dog stretches your arms, shoulders and legs. Get into a pushup position and push your hips back with arms and legs straight. Your body will form an upside-down V. Relax your neck and chest.

If you want to build strength inside and out, then power yoga is for you.

• Each session improves your posture, which will physically and mentally create more confidence and self-empowerment.
• Signature pose: Dancer’s pose boosts your strength and balance. Stand on your left leg and bend your right knee so your can grab the front of your right foot with your right hand. Extend your left arm in front of you and press your right leg behind you and lean your torso slightly forward. Hold for a few breaths and then switch legs.

If you want to get a competitive edge, then Yoga for Athletes is for you.

• This works your body to its full range of motion, which allows for symmetry and balance.
• It includes a dynamic warmup, strength-building poses, and restorative stretches.
• Signature pose: Warrior 3 builds strength and blanace. Stand on your left leg with your right leg extended behind you and raise your arms overhead. Keep your core tight and raise your right leg as your lower your torso toward the floor until your upper body forms a striaght line with your right leg. Hold for a few breaths, then switch.

These are only a few types of yoga that can benefit your mind and body specifically. Different types of yoga can help you in ways ranging from your sex life to getting rid of that pesky muffin top. There is countless information on the internet that will help you decide what yoga practice is the best for your body. My personal favorite is Bikram yoga, because, while I’m getting my workout on and sweating out unwanted toxins, I’m also at peace. For that one hour each day, all my worries and stresses dissappear and I can be one with my body. I can’t see myself ever stopping my yoga practice. I encourage everyone who reads this to at least try it out. In fact, at Core Power Yoga, where I practice, you get a free week! Good luck finding the perfect practice for you.

Namaste.

Why practice yoga?

I’ve always found it to be a struggle to force myself to workout. I’ve had lots of knee issues, so my doctor advises me not to run, and I don’t like to anyway. When I found that out, I wondered how I would maintain a good exercise schedule. Then I found yoga. The only way I convince myself to practice as often as I do is because of the feeling I have after. I have never left a yoga practice not feeling amazing after. It puts me in a better mood, I feel more flexible and relaxed, and I even feel cleaner even though I am raining sweat. I have always known how amazing it is for you just because of that feeling I have post-yoga. But I wondered how exactly it is so beneficial. I did some research and found some lists:

Physiological, Psychological, and Biochemical Benefits

Yoga can even be specific to special needs. There are certain practices meant to heal injuries, to improve performance in the bedroom, or even for insomnia. The Internet provides us with a great opportunity to research exactly what each of us need individually. Look around and find a practice that would best help you.

Practicing the postures, breathing exercises and meditation makes you healthier in body, mind and spirit. This doesn’t mean you can’t completely erase other modes of excersise from your schedules. Yoga makes me at peace and toned, but doesn’t get rid of all that seemingly unavoidable cellulite. It is important to have a workout schedule that fits with the rest of your weekly activities, because then excercising becomes a part of your life, almost a habit. Set goals for yourself and don’t break them. For instance, whenever I try to eat well, I don’t even bother to say I’m on a diet anymore. I have the worst sweet tooth in the world, and if I completely eliminate chocolate from my diet, I make it a couple of days and then I buy obscene amounts of sweets and eat them all. So when it comes to yoga, start slow. This week, say you’ll go at least twice. Then maybe next week, promise yourself to go three times. Start building those promises until you get to a workout schedule that you are comfortable with.

Ever since I’ve started yoga, I feel better about myself. When I practice, I can feel myself sweating all of the toxins out of my body. It is such an individual practice, and your practice is always about you and how you want it to be. When you enter the room, all of the thoughts and feelings that are taking over your life automatically escape from your mind. You can focus your practice on whatever you want or need. Yoga can even be dedicated to someone who you think needs it more. You can focus all the energy you put in your poses on that person and send them positive vibrations. It feels good to put the focus away from yourself for once. Humans thrive on happiness, especially on making other people happy. If you try to make others happy, you will automatically become happy to.

“The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” (B.K.S Iyengar)

Namaste.

Just Breathe

During my yoga practice yesterday, my teacher said, “life happens step by step, so take each pose breath by breath.” I thought this was a great quote to apply both to yoga and to life. Sometimes you can be overwhelmed with everything happening in your life, so sometimes you just have to stop and breathe, and take each obstacle as it comes to you. If you let every little thing get to you, and every bad thing tear you down, it will be much more difficult to get back on top. You must realize that “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end” (Paolo Coelho). This week was one of the hardest weeks of the year for me schoolwise, and at first, I was letting it take over my mind. I noticed school completely affecting my mood, and I would even lose sleep over it. Then I realized it’s not that big of a deal. It’s just one week in my entire life and it would be over soon. I attacked each assignment I had one by one, and once I finished, it felt great. It even made me eager to tackle the next essay or test I had, and now it’s Thursday, and the weekend is almost here. Time to celebrate! Thank God for Henry Ford for inventing the weekend, because it is a great time to relax and restart your mind to get ready for the next week’s challenges. I learned in my high school psychology class that taking a break from studying every tweny minutes and doing some form of exercise helps relax and refocus your brain. So if you’re studying for a midterm or writing a Wired essay, do a few yoga poses every twenty minutes. Here are some good ab exercises to do at home that will really get your heart rate going and to help tighten up that muffin top you got over spring break if you ate like I did:

Cat-Cow Stretch

• Kneel in “table position,” (which is knees and hands on floor hip-distance apart, with straight back). Make sure knees are under hips and arms are beneath shoulders.
• Keep your back straight and your head facing forward.
• Exhale and drop your head and tailbone. Arch your back, exhaling further and pulling your navel up toward your spine.
• Inhale and raise your head and tailbone, letting your abdomen drop toward the floor. Curve your back in a swayback position. Look up to the ceiling.
• Alternate between cat and cow several times and remember to focus on your breath.
• Exaggerate the stretches as you inhale and exhale deeply.

Downward Facing Dog

• Come to your hands and knees with the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips.
• Curl the toes under and push back raising the hips and straightening the legs.
• Spread the fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips.
• Outwardly rotate the upper arms broadening the collarbones.
• Let the head hang, move the shoulder blades away from the ears towards the hips.
• Engage the quadriceps strongly to take the weight off the arms, making this a resting pose.
• Rotate the thighs inward, keep the tail high and sink your heels towards the floor.

Plank

• From Downward Dog, draw the torso forward until the shoulders are over the wrists and the whole body is in one straight line. This is very similar to the position you would take if you were about to do a push up.
• Press the forearms and hands firmly down, do not let your chest sink, press back through the heels.
•  Keep the neck in line with the spine and broaden the shoulder blades

Beginners: Move back and forth between Down Dog and Plank making sure the distance between your hands and feet does not change.

Advanced: Try lifting one leg at a time.

Boat Pose

• From a seated position, bring the legs straight up to a 45 degree angle.
• The torso will naturally fall back, but do not let the spine collapse. Make a “V” shape with the body.
• Bring the arms out straight in line with the shoulders.
•  Balance on the sit bones 

Beginners: Bend the knees if necessary, bringing the calves parallel the the floor. This is Half Boat Pose

Advanced: To increase core strength, release from the pose bringing the legs and torso simultaneously towards the floor and hold just before you touch the floor. Come back up into the pose like a sit-up. Repeat this several times.

If you are more of a visual person, you can check out this YouTube video. It’s kind of weird and cheesy, but he know what he’s doing. 

These kinds of exercises are really helpful to improve your core, which is an important strength to have for yoga. Your core is the center of your body and is essential to ensure good balance in your yoga poses. These poses also increase suppleness along the spine, improve circulation, and stretch muscles along the back, neck, and arms. Hopefully these poses will help you refocus your energy back to your schoolwork!

Namaste.

Yoga poses found from The Yoga Deck and About.com

Meditation

Corpse (Shavasana) is my favorite pose and has been considered the most crucial pose to your yoga practice. I completely understand why it is so important, because it allows me to let every pose from my practice soak into my body and mind. It is usually done at the very end of a class where it is referred to as the final Shavasana. This pose relaxes and refreshes the body and quiets the mind. It is an excellent way to perform certain meditations because the goal is to achieve conscious relaxation.

To perform Shavasana, you lie flat on your back, with your legs slightly apart, and your arms at your sides with your palms facing up. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and completely relax your entire body.

For those who have an interest in meditating, I found three specific types of meditations from The Yoga Deck by Olivia H. Miller that would be most helpful to a college student, or to someone who needs to slow their mind and simply relax. Miller advises you to repeat a phrase from the meditation card as a mantra or to focus on your breath. I personally prefer attempting to clear my mind of thoughts by focusing on my breath, but the mantras can be motivating. Meditation is so beneficial for your heart rate, breathing, and for relaxing the mind.

Yoga Meditation

This meditation calms the mind and the entire being, reduces blood pressure and heart rate, and promotes peace and serenity.

• While sitting in a comfortable position with eyes closed, slowly breathe in and out.
• Breathe naturally while you focus on the mantra that “Yoga is a deep well into which we can tap, drawing forth whatever we need to bring ourselves into wholeness and balance.”
• Ask yourself what will bring happiness and balance to your life, and be at peace with what comes to your mind.
• Breathe.

Firefly Meditation

This meditation protects you from others draining your energy and stops you from absorbing others’ negative emotions or energies, in addition to providing all the benefits from the other meditations.

• Sit or lie down comfortably with your spine completely straight.
• Exhale out all of your breath.
• Breathe in through your nose while imagining a standing wave rising in your body.
• Breathe out through your nose while imagining light emitting from every pore of your skin.
• If you so desire, call on the Spirit of Firefly and ask: “Be with me and help me to emanate lights as naturally and effortlessly as you do.”
• Continue while focusing on your breath.
  

Complete Breath

This meditation relaxes the body, purifies the respiratory system, relieves tension, calms emotions, improves concentration, and as a bonus, is great for the complexion.

• Sit in a comfortable seated position or in the Corpse pose.
• Relax and close your eyes.
• Exhale all the air our of your lungs, then deeply inhale through your nose.
• Hold your breath, then exhale slowly through your nose, forcing out all of the air.
• To maintain your rhythm, you can count: inhale to the count of 5, hold your breath for 15, exhale for 10.
• Repeat this five times.

“I drink deeply from the well of Life.”

Miller, Olivia H. The Yoga Deck. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2001. Print.

These meditations are only three of the many kinds that all serve different purposes for your body, mind, and spirit. With all the stress and anxiety that happens in life, it is worth it to spend only ten to fifteen minutes out of your day meditating, which can help overcome this tension and find some inner peace and balance. Meditation and yoga can help transform our minds from being negative to positive and from being unhappy to happy. Yoga is a lifestyle.

Namaste.

Make like a tree

Recently, my yoga teacher used the tree pose (vrksasana) as the theme of our practice.

She began the class by reciting the poem “Advice from a Tree” by Ilan Shamir:

Dear Friend,

Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

I was especially moved by the last stanza of this poem, which made me realize how important it is to emulate a tree.  Of course, you must drink plenty of water, especially during hot yoga. The humidity in hot yoga allows your body to sweat out all its toxins, but in addition, drains you of your water intake. It is so important to drink water throughout the whole day. Make water your favorite beverage. Drink it in place of soda or other sugary drinks. It is always a good idea to have a water bottle with you at all times. The most important part of this stanza is that you must be content with your natural beauty. God made us this way for a reason and would have created us with makeup on if he thought we needed it. Yoga allows you to explore your natural beauty and feel comfortable with yourself.

You have complete control over your happiness and confidence, and people are naturally attracted to confidence. According to Dennis Prager, author of Happiness is a Serious Problem, happiness is a moral obligation. You not only owe it to yourself, but you owe it to everyone who is part of your life to be as happy as you can be. Like I said in my last post, people react to energies, and no one wants to be around someone who always gives off negative energies. People act more decently when they are happy, and it really can be contagious.

Prager says that people assume that “happiness is a feeling and that this feeling comes as a result of good things that happen to them.” He believes the opposite of this, however, in that happiness is largely determined by ourselves through hard work and through attaining wisdom. You have to look at every aspect of your life and ask yourself if this makes you happy or unhappy. You must base your life off your happiness by, for instance, choosing a career not based off the amount of money you make, but based off whether it makes you happy. It is proven that people will do better at their job if they are happy with it, which could result in making more money. Being happy allows you to get whatever you want if you put your mind to it. If you think you can’t do something, then you won’t be able to. If you change your attitude, you will be able to change any aspect in your life.

Namaste.

Prager, Dennis. Happiness Is a Serious Problem. New York: Harper Collins, 1998. Print.

 

Benefits of Yoga

The famous writer and poet Henry David Thoreau once said that “Every man is the builder of a temple called his body.” I could not have put this more eloquently, because I have found it to be inevitably true that you, and only you, control your destiny. Nothing comes from nothing, and your attitude is everything. The world is constantly changing and moving and it would suck to be stuck in such a high-speed universe. I believe it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who dared us to live the life we have dreamed for ourselves and that once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.

I was in such a bad habit of filling my mind with negative thoughts that I felt stuck in my own life. I was unhappy with where I was and who I was and would have more bad days than good ones. Who would have thought that I actually have control over that. After watching this documentary called The Secret , I was greatly impacted and my attitude immediately changed. I am definitely not saying that this enlightenment happened over night. In fact, I still find myself having to practice my own thoughts. I can definitely say that it is quite difficult to completely alter a mindset that I’ve had for about 20 years. This documentary also made me realize that I needed a place where I could temporarily pause all the scattered thoughts running through my head so that I could find peace with my mind and my body. That is when I found yoga. The Secret documentary, which is also a book that can be found at local bookstores, shows how to develop your mind, body, and spirit, learn how to meditate like a monk, and unleash the power of your subconscious mind. Yoga was a way for me to kickstart this attitude change, because it is a form of meditation. Without even trying, your mind escapes all its scattered thoughts and allows you to completely focus on your practice. Yoga enhances your ablities to concentrate and relax, and profound physical and psychological changes occur when we meditate.

There are so many different kinds of yoga, it is unimaginable. I, personally, attend Core Power Yoga which has a version of yoga called Bikram yoga, or more familiarly, hot yoga. I never thought in a lifetime I would enjoy hot yoga because, naturally, I hate being overheated. But it is so much more than that. I am never more at peace with myself than when I’m in a yoga class, and I have never left a class not feeling absolutely great. Somehow, even though I never thought it was possible, I find a way to actually put my brain on pause and focus only on my practice. It is the one hour in my day where I’m not thinking about tests, work, friends, guys, family, body image, errands I need to run, homework, projects, or even my future. For one hour, I simply move, breathe, and hear my own self.

There are so many other benefits than just personal ones. Yoga allows you to keep your body in good physical condition, gives you a flexible spine that can extend your life, helps you learn to control time, gives you self confidence, makes your life positive, and helps you learn to relax. Breathing is probably one of the most important aspects of yoga. Every position comes with either an inhale or an exhale. For example, a very common yoga routine is called “Sun Salutation.” I will show you the non-hot version of this routine, even though I personally prefer the hot yoga version. “Sun Salutation” is an excellent way to open your body to your practice. It can almost be seen as a warmup because it expands your back and spine.

Here is a video of the sun salutation:

Sun Salutation

In yoga, you have to be mindful of your practice. You must be mindful of your body, your hands, your feet, your stomach, everything. You must use breathing to bring balance to your life. You must live in the moment and recognize that you have a choice to live in love or fear. Use yoga to exercise your mind, body, and spirit. You also need to remember that we are all connected. According to the documentary I provided, people can sense energies. If you have a positive energy such as love, you will emit that feeling of love to others around you. “Namaste” is Sanskrit for “The God in me honors the God in you.” When we honor ourselves, we honor those around us as well.

Namaste.