I love being with kids. Every meeting with a child is a new experience, and lesson one can learn.
But the life-changing experience was when I got an opportunity to meet and interact with physically challenged kids. It left me totally speechless!!
As a yoga teacher, I was always super confident in handling any and every health condition. But it came crashing down when I got the opportunity to teach Yoga to the blind, deaf and dumb kids. It wasn’t a single handicap that these kids were challenged with; there were children with multiple organ disorders. It’s easy to grasp and follow instructions with all your sense intact, and I was wondering how these kids would cope.
To my surprise, they were far more receptive in terms of understanding and alertness. Their memory power & retention was beyond imagination. I will not shy away from mentioning that they kept me on my toes. I had to be more prepared whenever I visited them. After this experience, I can proudly say they have been my teachers, and I was a student who came back so much wiser.
Even today, as I write this article, I can feel them so strongly. One small scratch and we start cribbing. Here, every other child, with so many challenges, was cheerful, happy, and eager to learn something new. They taught me a huge lesson of life – “Smile your troubles away.” Literally!! Every time I walked out of the school, I was grateful for how I was and my physical condition. “Thank you, God, for you have given me this beautiful body & each part of my body is functioning efficiently,” came out of my mouth, just naturally.
Being grateful makes you appreciate what you already have, value it & feel content. In other words, it keeps you humbler, grounded & kind. Taking things for granted has become our second nature, but the daily practice of gratitude helps keep a check on the ‘I’ – the false sense of ego – that we nurture over time.
Imagine a normal day without all the service providers that make our living so comfortable. It would just be chaos! A ‘Thank you’ makes them feel good, gives a sense of dignity to their work.
In a family, if we start respecting each other’s presence and contribution, wouldn’t it be a far better & happier environment to live in.
The universe relentlessly provides us with warmth, fresh air, water, space, safety without any conditions. The only thing we can, in return, do are bow down & be grateful always!
If I may quote Rumi, who said – “If you only say one prayer in a day, make it Thank you.”
As a part of my consultation, I always ask my clients to practice an “Attitude of Gratitude,” especially those with issues like insomnia, anxiety, depression, hyperacidity, migraine, and even emotional eaters, to name a few. Following my advice of gratitude has helped, is the consensus. The practice is relaxing and immensely peaceful, is the reaction, sleep patterns have improved & energy levels have enhanced.
So, keep reaffirming yourself – “Thank you, God, for I am alive, happy & healthy.”