Compassion

...& GRATITUDE

So from the covid19 world we tried to navigate we have now found ourselves amidst more conflict which once again has had an impact on all our lives whether it be directly or indirectly. I am sadly writing about the Russian- Ukraine Conflict. It was amazing all the items we collected to donate throughout the classes. Thank you so much for doing that.

 Those of us who have felt lucky we still have a warm place to sleep, food to eat & haven't had to flea our homes friends & country & worse seen or dealt with even worse horrors that we have read about, have indeed been feeling very grateful. 

With St. Patrick's  Day last month we found ourselves saying 'Oh I feel so lucky' ...so what really is gratitude & how can we show it when sometimes we just feel so unlucky with our lot? Could we have been saved for something even worse & should we simply learn to be  content with whatever we get served? Then what is the difference between thankful & grateful?

Well gratitude is a warm feeling of thankfulness towards the world, or towards specific individuals. The person who feels gratitude is thankful for what they have, and does not constantly seek out for more.

Apparently there is 3 stages of gratitude. First is the feeling part for being grateful for the good things in our life; Second  is the way we expressing your gratitude to the people who have infact made your life better; and then third is the way we adopt  new behaviors as a result of the interaction with those who have helped you.

So that means that where the difference lies is being thankful is a feeling, and being grateful is an action.

With all this going on it can become very noisy at times so we have done a few classes in silence of late...which is indeed a lot harder than it looks.

The psychological benefits of experiencing silence & that's even when it makes us feel very uncomfortable can mean more purposeful living. This is because it can increase your self-awareness, self-compassion and even improve your decision-making skills with much improved mental clarity. So why not try to use it to become more mindful and self-compassionate. In class situations, silence can encourage discipline and focus to your workouts.

Taking time to listen to one's own breath and the natural sounds of the classroom, or if there is music or the general environment can help to push aside chatter, become centered, and make space for thought.

Without even realising it indeed all this 'stuff' going on -  we can carry on our shoulders. It can stop us from sleeping properly, affect our metabolism & our relationships, making exercise all the more important. By having this time to ourselves on our mats, talking to others within a group class situation & concentrating on the tasks in hand, helps us to relax, put things into perspective & we can takeaway skills to use when we aren't in class...everyday is a school day right?

By Suzanne