The Clouds in the Sky of Gratitude
The Clouds in the Sky of Gratitude
Gratitude in these trying times has become an even more important tool than ever before. It’s easy to feel grateful when things are rolling smoothly. When the sun is shining and the things are going according to our plan.
How about in a rainy day? When things are not going according to our master plan? When there’s a pandemic going around the world constantly setting new challenges?
I personally have been going through a fair amount of challenges throughout my whole life from everything like dealing with mental issues among my loved ones, to losing my beloved little brother.
The past year, which soon is two years, has challenged us, humans, in a completely new unknown way. We all have been pushed out of our comfort zones big time and have been forced to find new ways to cope with the new normal. Some of us, extremely sadly, found the weight too hard to carry.
I lost two beautiful friends during this year of the covid-19. They both suffered of mental issues. My other friend passed away only a few days after I returned to Bali. This colored my every single day while in Bali. I couldn’t help it but the same questions started to come up to the surface of my mind: “Why couldn’t I help more?”, “How come I couldn’t see this coming?” I had moments when I started to drift into this dark space of self-blame and gratitude was on the holding mode.
The morning when I received the devastating news of my friend’s passing in Europe I was in a shock and denial. My world went dark and heavy. As I walked down to my swimming pool to have a morning dip to clear my head, I noticed a dragonfly lying still with its wings glued on to the surface of the water. My initial thought was that the poor thing is dead. However, I very gently lifted it up with a dry leaf and as soon as it’s wings came out of the water the beautiful creature took off and flew to its second chance in life. I felt instant joy, happiness, and gratitude. I had saved a life! I realized in this split second the natural cycle of life. There is the birth and there is the inevitable, death.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama says:
“In order to be happy we must first possess inner contentment; and inner contentment doesn't come from having all we want; but rather from wanting and appreciating being grateful for all we have.”
His Holinesses wise words are so true. A lot of our human suffering is self-caused. We cling onto things, people, and situations. We want things and people our way. We are attached. The Sanskrit word raga means lust and desire. We want things that we don’t have. “I want to have sunny weather.” “I want to have a pain-free life”. “I want my friends and family to live forever.” It’s the constant discontentment and the illusion of thinking or believing that “If I just got x/y/z….then I would be happy!”
Dvesha, is the opposite of raga and it basically means not wanting what we already have. Having an aversion or even feeling hate towards our current situation in life. My teacher Lama Marut used to teach us, that whatever happens in life, whatever we already have or don’t have, we should always just accept and be content. He gave us the gratitude mantra. It is so simple and with your permission, I’ll share it here. Every day, chant this to yourself:
“OM, I have enough, AUM”.
Understanding, that each day we are given exactly what we need and saying thanks to the teachings of every new day.
If you still find it difficult to feel gratitude in your life just think about how many different ways there are to live this life. You, the reader, very likely have clothes on your body. I assume you have food in your belly or if not right now, you have the means to buy yourself a meal. You are pretty healthy with four well-functioning limbs attached to your body. You got people around you who appreciate who you are and love you exactly as you are. You got the freedom of speech. You can see where I’m going. The gratitude list is endless.
His Holiness Dalai Lama teaches us that if you can’t be grateful for your health, and/or if you can’t find anything else in your life to be grateful for, at least realize that you have the great fortune of being alive.
“Every day, think as you wake up: Today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.”
And lastly, from Rhonda Byrne:
“There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life.
Two words which, when they pass your lips, will be the cause of bringing absolute joy and happiness to you.
Two words that will create miracles in your life.
Two words that will wipe out negativity.
Two words that will bring you abundance in all things.
Two words which, when uttered and sincerely felt, will summon all the forces and vibrations in the Universe to move all things for you.
The only thing standing between you, happiness, and the life of your dreams is two words
THANK YOU.”
With love & gratitude
Yours in service, Sanna
About the author:
Sanna believes in constant learning and development and has always remained curious. She spent the last 30 years experimenting with all forms of movement, yoga and Eastern philosophy and blends these effortlessly into her teaching. Her classes are always a journey - fun, interactive, strong yet soft and usually blended with mantra and evocation from her beloved shruti box . She is a long-term faculty member of the RA Yoga Teacher Trainings and specialises in asana and yoga philosophy. In Europe she teaches at workshops, festivals and runs retreats.
She has studied with many big ashtanga vinyasa yoga names from Petri Raisanen to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and many others from different yoga traditions and lineages. Sanna studied Asian Spiritual Classics and Mahayana Buddhism with Lama Marut in Singapore and was authorised by him to teach Tibetan Heart Yoga. In India she studied under Vijay Krsna and they often collaborate at international yoga festivals and retreats interweaving yoga with dance and bhakti .
Sanna, born and raised in Helsinki, has one foot in Finland, one in Bali and her heart in both! Outside of yoga her passion is working with rescue dogs and cats. Contact Sanna for a private session: sanna@skyogini.com
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