Gratitude and Yoga
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
I have a friend in Derry who for many years has kept a “Gratitude Book”. At the end of the day, or just after his meditation, he writes down all the things for which he is grateful: his loved ones, his friends, his teachers and counsellors, his students, the gift of teaching Yoga, the healing it has brought to his once broken life, the ups and downs that remind him of his humanity, the fact that every day is a good day, that things are what they are; and, not least, the precious gift of being alive.
There is no gift, however small, left unacknowledged. He is no “holy-joe”, but this gratitude is his constant prayer.
It’s not a sentimental thing; he has his fair share of darkness and depression, as we all do, but somehow that Gratitude Book has a way of reminding him that these are like drifting clouds over an ever-shining sun, and that hope, in the words of Emily Dickinson, “is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul”.
He has dozens of those gratitude books, lovingly and diligently filled, and he is constantly amazed that the more he gives thanks for, the more comes his way, by some strange karmic grace not sought after. I have witnessed it first-hand. His Yoga Studio is a radiant beacon for healing, well-being and transformation. There is more going on than his gifts as an inspirational Yoga teacher. “It’s those gratitude books”, I say to myself.
However, he has the wisdom to know that with the merest hint of a wish or expectation, that elusive butterfly of Grace would flit away. There are many self-help books that promote gratitude as a sure way to get what you want- “that dream job”, “ideal partner” etc, but that just tears the wing off the butterfly.
Gratitude is not an investment, and karma works in strange ways. We all know the old Indian saying: “Good Luck, Bad Luck, - who knows”?
My friend has for a long time walked two strikingly similar spiritual paths: The Eightfold Path of Patanjali Yoga and The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The latter places great store on the value of gratitude. My friend often mentions that of the many people healed by Jesus, only one came back to thank him.
Gratitude or thanksgiving is an important mode of prayer in all the spiritual traditions. Sri Ramakrishna tells the story of a sadhu who gained enlightenment by standing all day, every day, in front of a waterfall, simply saying “how beautiful, how beautiful, thank you, thank you”. His heartfelt gratitude was his spontaneous prayer and praise. Gratitude is special because we return the gift of ourselves.
When we practise Hatha Yoga, we appreciate the sheer gift of the miraculous human body, with all its intelligence and subtle energies. The Buddhists say that the chances of incarnating in a human body, with all its potential for spiritual evolution, is as if a blind turtle were to emerge inside a single hoop in the vast oceans of the world!
In her book “Bringing Yoga to Life”, Donna Farhi describes Gratitude as the supreme life practice. She recommends that we sit at the beginning of our Yoga practice and give thanks for the gift of life, for our food, our shelter, our good fortune and our teachers. She encourages us to “acknowledge and use the teachings wisely and never to take them for granted”.
It is such a grace to receive the spiritual teachings of Yoga, handed down to us through what is called the Parampara Chain of Transmission, from guru to disciple, from teacher to student. The Parampara Chant begins:
“Obeisance to all the devas beginning with Brahma, and to all those who, with eager endeavour, attempted to disseminate the knowledge of Brahma Vidya - Realisation of the Ultimate. Obeisance also to the Rishis and their lineage. Reverence to all the gurus”.
It is an age-old tradition to honour the lineage, the guru, the teacher. It can be expressed in a formal chant, or simply by beginning and ending your practice, with hands in Anjali Mudra, and offering a silent thanksgiving.
This may be directed to a Divine Being, saint, sage, beloved benefactor or the “inner guru”. This may even include the circumstances in life, happy or distressing that have led you to Yoga. Yoga often begins in some type of pain, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual (the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is called “the Yoga of Arjuna’s Despair”).
The “Yoga of Despair” is known as Vishada Yoga. While it may sound negative, it is not really: often the grace of Yoga comes into our lives when we need it most, in the darkest hour before the dawn. My friend comes to mind again, who was led to A.A. and Yoga, when his life had reached its lowest point.
This is beautifully expressed in Rumi’s poem, “The Guest House”.
“This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
Still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing.
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a Guide from beyond.”
Gratitude is closely linked to Yama and Niyama, particularly Aparigraha (non-grasping); Santosha (contentment); and Ishwara Pranidanah (acknowledging the Absolute or Divine Benefactor). It helps us recognise that this world is a delicate balance of giving and receiving, and that none of us are truly self-reliant. This balance is known as Dharma, the natural order of things.
The Bhagavad Gita has much to say about Dharma. It is often described as the great wheel of life that turns on giving, receiving and thanksgiving. Even the in-breath gives thanks to the out-breath, and the out-breath to the in-breath! The Gita describes ritual gratitude as a form of sacrifice to the higher powers that keep the natural environment and the world in balance. We are all required to turn this wheel in our own way. Failure to offer praise and thanksgiving brings spiritual decline and environmental imbalance.
Gratitude, Grace, and Praise are all inter-woven. They gladden the heart, lift the spirits, endow life with meaning, positive energy and joy.
The cultivation of Gratitude is an important aspect of contemporary mindfulness treatment of depression. Mark Williams extols the transformative power of a daily Ten-Finger Gratitude Exercise – to call to mind ten things for which we are grateful. This is supported by modern neuroscience, which has found that gratitude promotes the production of serotonin and dopamine and activates the bliss centre of the brain.
Interestingly, this modern practice of cultivating a positive feeling to dissolve a negative one is highly recommended in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, where it is known as Pratipaksha Bhavanam (sutra 2:33).
We so often take things for granted – the vitality of life, the blueness of the sky, birdsong, the beauty of sunrise and sunset, the laughter of children. We forget that it is all a miracle, all a grace. Gratitude is spontaneous when the sense of wonder, and the heart, awaken. This is beautifully expressed by Thich Nath Hanh:
“Waking up this morning, I smile,
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me
I vow to live fully in this moment
And to look at all beings with eyes of compassion”.
This is, of course, not to deny that the world is full of suffering, where so many live with war, homelessness, hunger and poverty. In truth, compassion awakens with the sense of gratitude. It is not possible to count our blessings without a heartfelt compassion for our oppressed brothers and sisters, all beings, and indeed our precious planet.
Along with the Yamas and Niyamas, the Yoga Sutras encourage us to cultivate the Brahma Viharas (sutra 1:33). These may be translated as “heart qualities” or “divine abidings”. There are four such virtues: Metta (loving-kindness); Karuna (compassion); Mudita (appreciative joy); and Uppekha (equanimity).
Mudita is commonly understood to mean “appreciative joy” - to be glad at our own and others’ fortune; in the goodness in the world; in the happiness of pure being; in the beauty around us. Gratitude is a central pillar of Mudita.
However, Mudita and Karuna (Metta in Pali) spring from the one root in the open heart: where one is found, there is the other, as so beautifully expressed by Jack Kornfield in this closing invocation:
“I remember with gratitude all the people, the animals, the plants and the insects; the watery and the sky creatures, those who live in the air and those who live in the sea; the air and the water, the fire and earth; anyone whose happiest efforts daily blessed my Life.
I express Gratitude for the health and security given to me.
I express Gratitude for the blessing of the world given to me.
I express Gratitude for the level of health given to me.
I express Gratitude for the family given to me.
I express Gratitude for the community and the sangha given to me.
I express Gratitude for the learning and lessons given to me.
I express Gratitude for the Life given to me.
I express Gratitude for being given enough suffering so that I can awaken in me the most profound Compassion and Wisdom.”
May our hearts awaken to, and be filled with, Mudita and Karuna, Gratitude and Compassion!
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Michael McCann
