Pranoga

With the holidays just around the corner, it is important for us to remember that our health is just as important, if not more important than any other responsibilities that may come up during the holidays. Even though holidays are enjoyable, enjoyment doesn't always translate to lasting happiness. As our grand master Swami Sivananda once said:

It is in the nature of man to strive for happiness, but all the happiness which he can gain by his actions is only of limited duration. The enjoyments of the senses are transient and the senses themselves are worn out by too much enjoyment.

Some actions do make us happy, but that kind of happiness doesn't last. The novelty of those actions wares off just as quickly as it began. We find ourselves trying to find other actions that will provide us that same sense of happiness. Thus wearing ourselves out in the process. We are then back to where we started, and sometimes perhaps even worse off than before! I am sure most of us can recall that dreaded morning after the traditional happy hour at the local bar. We may ask ourselves now what?

So, what type of happiness must we strive for? I thought you'd never ask. It is that inner happiness or bliss that lasts. This type of happiness is not gained by external events or stimuli. It takes dedicated practice to reach a point where we can truly experience this inner happiness. This is the true goal of Yoga. We begin with practicing Yoga asanas (or postures). When practiced regularly and incorporating all other aspects of Yoga (there are 8 limbs or aspects of Yoga described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, referred to as Ashtanga), we too can begin our journey and strive for that inner happiness.