HOW TO FIND HAPPINESS IN ITSELF.

4 levels of happiness

Yoga teaches us that anyone can be happy and no circumstances may prevent it. What is the recipe? Hint is simple: look for happiness in yourself.

Try imbued with one simple thought: "The joy is within us." Repeat these three words a few times myself. Do you understand what they are? What exactly do you mean? And if you are emotionally responded to this statement, if it touched your soul, causing some fond memories, then you are able to realize one of the greatest truths: you can be happy. You are given to understand that happiness is not dependent on how you relate to people that do not care terrible or wonderful was your childhood. Fortunately not hinder career setbacks, successes friends, and even disease.

Now think about the meaning of the word "joy." It's just a nice feeling to you, or something more? The morning sun, romantic date, the Sunday football with friends, a good yoga class, finally - all this, of course, important and emotional moments. But if we look, we find that they do not depend on you, and on certain events, people or situations that you need to be happy. And you think you can be happy only when all the circumstances of luck: in the morning the sun was shining in the sky, during the day you are successfully negotiated, a new evening mastered Asana, and the house you waiting for dinner with your loved ones. So you risk becoming a frantic seeker of good feeling. Assume that you need to create all the conditions to be always in good spirits - one of the most common misconceptions of our time.

But the inner joy of other properties. In Sanskrit, there are four words - sukha, Santosh, mudita and Ananda, each of which is a different level of happiness. Together they - the way leading to the joy that nothing can shake.

✨ «Sukha" - fleeting pleasure

Sukha - the happiness that we experience from inside your comfort zone. The word "sukha" means "easy", "convenience", "pleasure". Going out into the street on a warm summer day, we are experiencing a sudden surge of joy. Sukha - the so-called ordinary happiness - by nature fleeting. All states that are dependent on external conditions, may at any time disappear.

Katherine Mansfield, an English writer of the last century, says about this property usual luck in one of his stories. In it we are talking about a party that suits a young married woman. She looks at what is happening happy look mistress, which all turned out: the house is beautiful, tasty meal, guests are clever and beautiful, fashionable husband all the time in the spotlight. At the same moment she notices that her husband is whispering in the ear of one of the ladies, and knows that he is dating. Her happiness quickly turns into the pain of loss.

The philosophy of yoga warn people about the transient nature of the ordinary happiness. Sukha is directly connected with its opposite - "dukkha" or suffering. As hot and cold, birth and death - and sukha duhkha always inseparably together: if our well-being depends on the external conditions, it will always be shaky.

✨ «Santos» - satisfaction

"Yoga Sutra" is considered essential practice Santoshi, as this is the fastest way to get rid of the excitement and anxiety resulting from frustration and unfulfilled desires.

Santos - a contentment with what we have. To feel happy, you do not need anything, any special conditions. We can be truly satisfied only if we give up the pursuit of unreachable from inflated expectations from life. We must get away from the stereotypes and to learn not to compare their abilities, character traits, property and even spiritual achievements that others have.

✨ «Mudita" - spiritual happiness

Practice Santoshi has a calming effect on our consciousness - and without noticing it, we can go to the next level of happiness. Mudita arises spontaneously, out of nowhere, like a message from the depths of consciousness that can change in an instant our state. It causes a variety of feelings: gratitude, delight, serenity, the ability to see beauty where it earlier we never noticed, such as garbage on the sidewalks or hamburgers.

Mudita can develop in themselves - a spiritual practice basically just aims to find the joy of just such a property. For example, mudita causes spiritual singing. Perform certain poses and meditate by chanting mantras. Some religious traditions, such as bhakti yoga and Sufism, specialize in the art of mudita that helps to move in a more subtle states of consciousness.

✨ «Ananda» - happiness beyond comprehension

When mudita fullest affects our perception of the world, we realize the most profound level of joy - Ananda. It is usually translated as "happiness", "total bliss." This ecstasy, rapture, rapture, the implementation of a state of happiness. This happiness out of time.