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On the occasion of his 90th birthday, yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar was asked, "What do you think is essential for a happy life?"  He replied, "Uniting the energy of the body with the energy of the soul.  There is a difference between happiness and delight.  Happiness is at the mind level.  Delight is beyond the mind.  When you see a sunset, you don’t see it from the mind.  You see it beyond the mind, from beyond yourself—it’s an experiencing state.  My asana (yoga posture practice) is all beyond the frame of mind, not within the frame of mind.  That is delight.  Happiness is sensual happiness.  But delight is spiritual happiness."

It is so important to take a few moments each day to get away from striving for what we think will make us happy, and take delight in the small things that delight our spirits…the vibrant pattern of colors in an autumn leaf that’s just fallen from a tree, the joy and love in your pet’s eyes, the delicate warmth in a cup of tea.

What brings you delight?  Take a moment…indulge your spirit.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" is one of my all-time favorite sayings – a quote from Mahatma Gandhi.  If we run through life in a frenzy, or in anger, or in sadness, not only are we adding this uncomfortable energy to the world, but we are attracting more of this vibration onto ourselves.  If we find a way to move comfortably, even effortlessly, with instead of against the flow of life, we add peace and joy to the energy around us and attract more peace and joy for ourselves.  Simple.  Challenging.

How do we get to this place of ease, of going with the flow?  That’s the journey of the soul.  I recommend regularly connecting your mind with your body and your spirit through meditation, qigong, and yoga.  Along my journey, I read Eckhart Tolle and began to understand the power of being in the present moment.  I read many books over many years.  I explored many religious theories and after many years of pondering the big questions in life, I have settled into Daoist theory, which resonates in me at the cellular level and helps me to stay in the flow.

To follow the Dao is to remember your energetic nature, your connection with all energy, with the universe.  To honor the cyclical rhythms of nature and of life.  To be in the moment as life ebbs and flows.  To resonate from a deep peace within.  To resist the urge to push the river.  To move with the flow rather than against it.  To remember we are a part of all that is.  To be the change we wish to see in the world.  To just be.

I recently read a comment about rushing.  When we are rushing through our daily lives, our minds are ahead of our bodies…we are literally toppling over ourselves.  Yet our hurried lives are habit, driven by society’s message to do more and be more, and by our own need to accomplish in order to feel worthy.

Slowing down is such a foreign feeling.  Sometimes, when we finally slow down because our bodies are sick or exhausted, we come to a grinding halt.  Then we feel lethargic, depressed, and sedentary.  And it is difficult to get back up and going again.  We berate ourselves for not achieving anything.

Yet we are achieving in those quieter times.  We need the time to re-group, rest, and rejuvenate.  I like to think of these as yin and yang days.  We have yin days where we feel the need to hibernate.  And we have yang days where we feel energized.  We can ride the waves with a calm awareness and acceptance of what is.

The highs and lows will be less extreme if we do take more time on a regular, daily basis to slow down and take stock.  Check in with your body, your breathing, the quality of your thoughts.  Take time to practice Qigong, Yoga, or Meditation.  Learn to JUST BE, even if for a few seconds here and there throughout each day.  Stop, drop, and breathe.  Stop what you’re rushing through, drop into your body, and watch your breath.  It is so powerful.