Yoga Love: How Mindfulness Teaches Generosity

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No matter how many friends we may have, the ability to truly connect is often times lacking. That’s were yoga love and generosity come into play.

Yoga and generosity go hand and hand, but selfishly I’ll be the first to admit, the act of giving without concern of getting anything back, makes me feel really really good. It all comes down to inner-connection. The reason why so many of us are unhappy is because we feel disconnected and lonely in this world.

When we first start the practice of yoga love we connect through the poses. We ground down into the present through our breath and our physical connection with the Earth. Connecting with the Earth allows us to connect with all other living beings. We start to have empathy for the steak on our plate, the curt cashier at the grocery store, and our spouse when they come home from work grumpy. We can actually put ourselves in their place.

Gradually, as we live successfully in the present moment, we’re able to balance grounding down and opening up simultaneously. And once we can open up, generosity flows like a river that you can’t dam up. In Sanskrit it’s called Aparigraha or learning to give without the expectations of getting anything in return. “A generous person sees life through the prism of abundance instead of scarcity.”

Musician Brett Dennen put it well: “The more you give, the less you really need.” Yogis also know that happiness doesn’t come from accumulation of things; that will only make you happy for a bit. It comes from learning to live in the present moment and finding connection with all living beings. And with connection comes generosity.

“Let’s come together and open our hearts to all the ways we can be more generous with our spirit, our positive energy, our kind thoughts, our love, our time. And remember your personal understanding of the value of sharing is a reflection of who you are.”–Daily Cup of Yoga.

Connect with Your Generous Spirit Through Yoga

-Every morning when you’re practicing, picture the person that gives you the most trouble in life and send them loving vibes.

-In meditation, spend time being grateful for what you have and then take a moment to think about who you could help today.

-Don’t just give what you don’t want, true generosity is giving up something that you care about.

-Find yogic connection on and off the mat.

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