Books on Happiness / the happiness revolution - 2 students

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Introduction

Ever notice how we are told over and over that we will become happy by buying the products advertisers are selling? If it is not a product, then it is an experience, a destination, or

sometimes even a medication. Regardless, modern society leads us to believe that the source of happiness is external and expensive.

You know that this is not true. Yet, we are all human. We would all like a “quick fix,” even if, at some level, we’re aware that we’re indulging in wishful thinking. So, as we live our hurried, stressful, overscheduled lives, we continue to purchase the illusion of joy – and thus, we are disappointed again and again.

This book is filled with immediate actions that will help you connect to the true source of happiness that lies within you. There is a science to happiness as there is to health and longevity. It is a science that includes biochemistry and physiology, but more importantly it addresses the lifestyle, determination and self-esteem of the seeker. It does not require you to purchase anything, but it does require you to set aside a few minutes each day just for you. You will recognize your own worth and the value of being happy – happy in a manner that embraces disappointment as well as success.

Happiness is the key to good health.

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My hunch is that you are reading these pages because you are looking to improve your life or the life of someone you love. I am not going to disappoint you. Instead of pop psychology and New Age psycho-babble, let’s go with what works – with techniques that anybody can understand. (I can feel your relief!)

Modern medicine does not recognize happiness as its goal. That’s too bad. In my experience, happiness is the key to good health. When patients walk into my o ce, I can easily correlate their health with their levels of happiness. It is an obvious connection. When I see patients who do not have high levels

of happiness, there are equivalent deficits somewhere in their general health status. To help them, I always begin with simple strategies that will bring quick success.

When you start your journey to happiness by making the best use of things that you know and understand, success comes easily and quickly. I see this truth played out over and over with my patients. Once they understand that there is a biological and lifestyle foundation for true happiness, I then teach them how to sleep, eat, breathe and think properly. Believe it or not, these simple things are the most important pillars of a happy person. When you learn to sleep in a manner that provides deep rest and you wake up delighted and ready to go, it will be obvious that happiness is within your grasp. When you know which foods are great for your body and mind, then you will be able to take incredibly good care of yourself and your loved ones. When the relationship between inspiration (inhaling) and feeling inspired is experienced, then the significance of how you breathe will instantly be a high priority. And lastly, thinking is key. Developing a personal philosophy that allows you to face every life event with courage and compassion is essential to living the life of a happy and helpful person.

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Sleeping, breathing, eating, thinking – these are the kinds of practical things that, when done well, will amplify happiness in your life and prevent you from succumbing to the lure of enticing commercials and excess consumerism. This book proposes a happiness that is everlasting and incorruptible.

When I encountered challenging times, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD., my teacher of Ayurveda and meditation, often told me that the only things standing between me and everlasting happiness were the noise and the aberrations in my body, breath, and mind. He said, “If you design your life around the goal of happiness, then your capacity to help and serve others will eventually become unlimited, for only with limitless joy and enthusiasm can you have the courage to do what needs to be done and the mental clarity to see what needs to be done.”

To shift life events in your favor, you will need to have your entire operating system supporting you, not your willpower alone. Your determination must also be supported by a sound philosophy, a healthy diet, and a simple exercise program. The internal programming of your mind must be based on a well-selected personal philosophy that reflects your goals and purpose. Your diet must not be littered with foods and beverages known to cause dullness or agitation. You can choose foods and seasonings that will sustain you in a manner that enhances your mental clarity, compassion, and intuition. Furthermore, your exercise program and breathing habits can become useful aids in your journey to finding invincible happiness. This book will help you discover these techniques and create a reliable mind and body so that happiness may blossom and flourish.

This book will help you self-select therapies that you can immediately apply to your life. You will begin by defining your constitution

– your base of needs and wants that dominate your physiology and desires. Ayurvedic medicine provides that finest means for this analy-

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sis. Then you will explore 10 main principles for selecting optimal behaviors within the privacy of your own mind and in society. Next comes food and fitness, followed by the most common homeopathic remedies for stress management. The science of sleep, rest and relaxation will be explored in detail. These techniques will bolster your mental clarity and eliminate fatigue. Yoga o ers an amazing method for creating more space in your day – what would your life be like if you could create more time for yourself, your job and your family? Chapter Nine will show you how.

Next comes time management – an absolutely essential skill in the pursuit of happiness. Then you will learn how to use contemplation and meditation as a means to refine your ability to listen to your conscience. And the book concludes with a discussion on mentorship, your ancestors and finally, love and longevity. The sages state that love supercedes all the laws of karma and thus becomes the finest force for self-transformation and healing. You will learn how to do it all.

If you want to create courage, enthusiasm and limitless joy in your life, then you have come to the right book. Welcome. I wish you a rich, fruitful journey and am honored to be a part of it all.

Blair

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A Personal Note

In the following pages you are going to meet many people and patients that helped shape my career and my personal life. Three of them merit a special introduction.

First is Swami Rama, my spiritual teacher, who inspired me to believe that healing and transformation are possible for all people, including myself. He is the founder of the Himalayan Institute, which is based in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and has branches throughout the world. I commonly refer to him as Swamiji.

Second is Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD., the successor to Swami Rama and the current Spiritual Head of the Himalayan Institute. For over 25 years he has been my teacher, role model and best friend. Pandit Rajmani, whom I call ‘Panditji,’ continues to inspire and instruct me in the science of yoga, tantra and Ayurveda. Without his living presence, this book would not exist.

And finally, Karen Lewis, was my wife for almost two decades and continues to nurture and befriend me. Together and individually, we do our best to help each other and all whom we meet.

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A Prelude

Agreat yogi, named Dattatreya, in answering his student, Parashurama, gave the following insight on the fast-track to happiness: To achieve happiness, you must find people who have attained a level of joy that supersedes all others. He says that it

begins with the company of mentors and coaches who have achieved the goal that you are now pursuing.

People may expect their good deeds to help diminish their conflicts and problems, but sometimes this result does not seem to manifest itself. During that time, the seeker of happiness may start to wonder why those who perform good actions appear to su er throughout life, while selfish people appear to be happy and successful. These momentary glimpses can mislead you if you are unable to gain the counsel of wise mentors. That is why coming into the company of the wise is a critical juncture in the evolution of your journey. Through this relationship, your knowledge begins to mature as your mentors broaden your self-understanding.

Behind every action is the desire to attain happiness – the clarity of this fact may or may not be readily apparent. But the true nature of happiness is self-evident, and thus, your mentors must teach you the inward method of this discovery. The knowledge you are seeking

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can only be revealed with an inward, one-pointed mind. There is no other way, because it has to come from within you. That is why many ancient texts cheer your e orts, saying “Look within; Seek within; Find within!” No one outside of you can prove your existence to you. Only through non-attachment can you enjoy the freedom to dive deep into your self and attain complete liberation from the tyranny of your mind and senses. When you realize that your essential nature is indestructible, your habit of uselessly defending yourself will diminish. When you are misunderstood by others, you will no longer become defensive and disappointed. When your mind is free from all conflicting thoughts, then you achieve the one-pointedness necessary to traverse the depths of your mind and soul. This is the journey back to your essential nature of peace, happiness and wisdom.

The mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation. That is why you must protect your mind at all costs from confusion and despair. Befriend and guide your mind back to its source. That is where you will find the happiness you seek.

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Chapter1

Sturdy Body and Stable Mind

Your mind and body are your greatest friends and allies. If this is true, then why does your mind torment you and your body have so many requests? It would seem that these “friends”

are more a distraction in life and are very high maintenance. It is the premise of this book that happiness and health are not only linked, they are inherently intertwined. When this is not your experience, happiness has not forsaken you, rather you have forsaken it. Your abandonment of joy is unintentional, and commonly, accidental. When you regain the stability of your mind and the sturdiness of your body, health and happiness return in full force. This is what I have learned, but this is not how my life began.

I began, like all of us, curious, slightly clueless, and easily distracted by this amazing world. My mind was full of impulses flowing from an unknown source that I never thought to question or validate. In my adult years, I trained in medicine as a physician assistant. Learning the physiology of the body was fascinating but not helpful in my pursuit of happiness. My definition of my goal – happiness – was based on an ever-expanding continuum of experience and thought.