Happy for You

We can learn so much from practicing yoga postures in a community. Here's an example that I've been thinking about this week. In yoga class a teacher used to remind us not to compare or watch what someone else is doing on their mat. This is a good lesson for my life in which I’m often thinking if someone else is doing or getting something, they’re better than me, or

beacause they have “it” that means I can’t have it. But this is a false belief. There is plenty to go around and I don’t have to have what they have in order to be ok. I found it makes me feel better to see the good in someone’s happiness than to be envious.

In Buddhism there are “beautiful qualities” or “divine abodes” we’re taught to cultivate and increase in our lives. One such quality is being happy for others. Living in this space, when possible, multiplies joy – because now it not only exists for the one person, it also exists in ourselves and maybe gets expressed further out in the world.

I don’t want to guilt you into feeling happy. It’s normal to be jealous sometimes and probably it’s evolutionarily human. So when I’m envious, I try to be honest

with myself. There’s probably something I want to change in my life. Taking

that knowledge, I can do a few things. I can stay with the anger or envy and investigate how that manifests in me. Checking out the sensations in the body, and the quality of the mind are ways I explore strong feelings such as this. It’s also possible to think about ways to achieve what I’m pining after. I can even use the other person’s achievement or happiness as inspiration or an example to show me that “hey, this thing you want for you is possible.” And that makes me feel a little better.

With all my musings, I’m not saying I have the key to feeling good all the time. I’m just trying to offer what inspires me and to start discussion about what may motivate you.

Thanks for reading this and keep being inspired.

Love,

Marcie