Yoga_Journal_Singapore_FebruaryMarch_2017

42 ART DIRECTOR : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO : MICHAEL WINOKUR; MODELS, FROM LEFT: STACIE OVERBY, WESLEIGH ROECA, JEREMY SIMON; STYLIST: LYN HEINEKEN; HAIR/MAKEUP: TAMARA BROWN/ARTIST UNTIED; BLANKETS, FROM LEFT: YOGAPROPS.COM, BAREFOOT YOGA CO.; BOLSTERS, FROM LEFT: HUGGER MUGGER, BAREFOOT YOGA CO.

february / march 2017

yogajournal.com.sg

MEDITATION

practice well

Ancient yogic masters have taught that we live

in two worlds at the same time—the inner and

the outer world. While the external world is not

always in our control, we can unfailingly hold

sway over our inner world.

We must be aware of both these worlds

if we wish to become joyful and experience

happiness in our daily life. Awareness is the

practice of staying awake moment to moment,

to be fully present and available to every

moment, and to choose deliberately.

Creating this state of awareness is the first

step toward becoming stress free and living a

life of happiness and freedom. Since the mind

is the source of unhappiness or happiness,

stress or calm, sickness or well-being, failure

or success—it is only logical that we should

direct our attention to the mind. “To be

aware” is synonymous with meditation; and

meditation is your road to a higher level of

self-understanding.

Here are a few effective strategies to

reclaim your happiness and freedom in

2017. By applying these strategies, you will
      experience less stress. Remember that the
      entire basis of meditation is to make you enjoy
      life more, partly by realizing that happiness
      is not dependent on external factors. With
      happiness comes freedom.

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Apply these 7 strategies to your life and watch the benefits:

You were born an original,

don’t die a copy!

Rushing through life to accumulate more and

more, because that’s what everyone else is

doing, or because that’s what is expected of

you, seems to be a strange modern disease. Happiness and

freedom cannot come where a mad race is being run, with

a seemingly elusive goal. Dare to slow down and step out of

this rush. Have the courage to turn away from a conditioned

mind-set and superficial possessions; step out of the daily

grind and stop the rat race to find your true life.

Accept ownership of your

life and everything in it

At the deepest level, everything occurring in your life-

experience is the result of your own desires, choices,

actions and reactions. Whatever you experience in your

life is a direct expression of who you are. Good or bad,

it’s your life, and it happened with your participation,

whether conscious or not. Therefore, accept full

responsibility and control of your own life—not only

what it is now, but what you want it to be. Resolve that

just for today you will not get angry or worried, but will

instead take some action to create what you want.

LIVE WITH JOY & AWARENESS IN 2017

To Create Your Own Happiness

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EFFECTIVE

STRATEGIES

By Vikas Malkani