Why should I spend my Sunday Taking a workshop on Gratitude?

Here are some proven benefits of having a Gratitude Practice:

Physical Benefits
• Stronger immune systems
• Less bothered by aches and pains
• Lower blood pressure
• Exercise more and take better care of their health
• Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking

Psychological Benefits
• Higher levels of positive emotions
• More alert, alive, and awake
• More joy and pleasure
• More optimism and happiness

Social Benefits
• More helpful, generous, and compassionate
• More forgiving
• More outgoing
• Feel less lonely and isolated.

Read for yourself

http://www.umassd.edu/counseling/forparents/reccomendedreadings/theimportanceofgratitude/

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good

You may also be asking - Why are we making a yantra?

A yantra is a sacred geometric structure that we will use as a framework for an individual vision board on gratitude. Ancient teachings attribute healing properties to yantras that are manifested through their creation. During the act of yantra making, you will concentrate deeply on visualizing your gratitude list.  The visualization process will deeply plant the images in the subconscious mind. In addition, when you leave the workshop you will have a beautiful visual representation of all the things that you have to be grateful for. Your personal yantra will be a powerful daily reminder to continue your gratitude practice.

And finally, are you asking - How does yoga fit into all this?

Kundalini Yoga teacher Hari Kirin Khalsa, a painter who wrote Art & Yoga, says: “When you’re under stress, you’re contracted and fearful. Everything is black and white. You’re not intuitive; you’re instinctive. You can’t think outside the box.” But by practicing asana, Pranayama, . . . she says, you can shift out of that stressful state and connect with your imaginative, spacious Self. “Yoga opens up the flow of creativity, the unfurling of the creator within.”

I begin my Art/Yoga fusion workshops with a yoga practice to open us up to deeper intuitive self. We begin the art making in a highly sensitized and relaxed state because we have already practiced yoga.

I hope you will join me on Sunday, November 16th, from 12:30 to 3:30pm at The Yogi Tree on 4475 Vineland, Toluca Lake, CA 91602.  You can sign up on the meetup or at www.theyogitree.com under events.