Yoga and the Art of Yes/And ...., and the Power of Gratitude

The Highline park is the nexus between human ingenuity and nature’s brilliance. Each time I walk through it, I am filled with gratitude.

I love watching Nature shows. It’s so cool to see the diversity of living creatures inhabiting the Earth, each in their own way struggling to survive, to just get through another day. We humans appear to have an advantage, in that our days are not mostly consumed by providing food, clothing, and shelter for ourselves and our loved ones. We have time to create Art, contemplate the mysteries of the Universe, and meditate, among many other things. We are lucky to be able to experience this human birth. 

I read some time ago that the Buddha taught his monks “that receiving a human birth is more rare than the chance that a blind turtle floating in the ocean would stick its head through a small hoop.” For that reason, he encouraged his monks to “gladden” their hearts by reflecting on how fortunate they were that in this lifetime they could seek freedom from suffering. The Buddha taught Four Noble Truths – the first is that indeed, there is suffering, and the fourth is that indeed, there is a way out of suffering. One of his core beliefs is that we can “learn to live joyfully amid the sorrows of the world.”

One way I thought of that might alleviate some of our suffering is to practice what I call “Yes/And …, and the Power of Gratitude.” We can acknowledge that “yes,” indeed, there are a lot of problems in the world, “and,” we can still find ways to live joyfully amid the world’s sorrows. Practicing yoga and meditation are two ways available to us. As our practices mature, we gain deeper insights into the true nature of all things, including suffering. We can also practice “flowing in gratitude.” As our ability to be consciously aware of the immense beauty all around us deepens, we will experience more joy. With each delight we witness right in front of us, we can spend more moments of this lifetime realizing how lucky we are to have this human experience. 

During this holiday season, I hope you can spend many moments flowing in the powerful stream of gratitude. And, may it help to alleviate not only some of your suffering, but also some of the suffering in the world at large. 

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you remember how fortunate you are to have this human birth, …
May you live joyfully amid the suffering of the world, …
May you flow with gratitude often, … 
For the benefit of ALL Beings everywhere.

Aloha, with Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

I was flowing with gratitude as I walked along this part of The Highline park recently.