Yoga, meditation and gratitude journals: how to find happiness by being mindful
Can we think our way to greater happiness? Finding peace inside can help reduce stress and anxiety and lift our wellbeing. Here’s how to practise kindness and gratitude.
It’s Wednesday evening in the brightly coloured Gompa at the Tara Institute, a Tibetan Buddhist centre for study and meditation in southeast Melbourne.
The venerable Geshe Lobsang Dorjee, monk and teacher, is taking a class in Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. The lessons are designed to chart a path to greater compassion in everyday life, with the goal of fostering self-enlightenment and a more harmonious world.
It is done through consciously practising generosity, patience and personal ethics, simple in theory, more difficult in the doing.
For The Australian’s The Happiness Project, we are exploring the link between mindfulness and happiness. Can we, in some way, think our way to greater happiness? And a better world?
Geshe Lobsang, who moved to Australia in 2018 after spending more than 25 years studying, still speaks mainly Tibetan. Through an interpreter, he says focusing our minds through meditation can “cut us off from the outer distractions, the disturbing thoughts we all have”.
“If we can reach this point we have a mind in peace and balance, a point of serenity. There is joy in this. And it helps our body’s health as well,” he says.
Mindfulness-based interventions
Consciously working on what we let sit in our mind and what we don’t is the foundation of mindfulness. This “present-moment awareness” has the potential to reduce anxiety, depression, stress and even chronic pain.
We don’t have to practise Buddhism to do it, as there are many mindfulness-based interventions, including meditation, mindful breathing and mindful movement such as yoga.
There’s even mindful eating, focusing in the moment on taste, texture and smell, which can help with issues such as overeating.
Melissa Humphries comes from a completely different field than Geshe Lobsang. She is a University of Adelaide senior lecturer in the School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences. Dr Humphries looks at data in diverse areas such as health and psychology.
“There is a huge body of literature that shows mindfulness-based interventions are associated with higher rates of happiness and general wellbeing, alongside decreased rates of anxiety and depression and even an increase in work engagement and performance,” she says.
“In fact, the physical structure of the brains of people who practise mindfulness regularly appears to be different, suggesting that the regular practise of mindfulness can build a physical resilience or structural change in the way we think.
“Just like practising a sport builds your muscles and skills, practising mindfulness may do the same for your brain – building muscles to support happiness.”
Dr Humphries says the hard work of mindfulness is getting to the point where you can critically examine your thoughts without actually getting caught up in them.
“The power of being able to see thoughts as something that happens, but doesn’t need to be engaged with, gives the individual more power to control the amount of time they spend thinking positively about themselves and the world they live in,” she says.
Peggy Kern is a professor at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Wellbeing Science. She also says being able to look at your thoughts in a non-judgmental way and staying in the present do have a pay-off, confirmed in the science.
“Being mindful is when you’re in the moment, not worried about the past or fretting about the future. This does relate to having higher wellbeing,” Professor Kern says.
“We’ve looked at yoga practitioners and they report higher satisfaction across multiple areas of life. The biggest impact of mindfulness-based practices is in reducing stress.”
Geshe Lobsang says people will find mindfulness methods that work best for them, but for him one of the most important Buddhist teachings is around contentment.
“I really practise being content and happy in whatever situation I’m in,” he says. “If I go to the shops and see beautiful things, I can take the desire out of my mind and this practise of contentment keeps my mind peaceful.”
Practising gratitude and ‘paying it forward’
Can generosity, gratitude and paying it forward bring its own rewards in terms of personal wellbeing?
“There is extensive research, again, that shows that practising gratitude has an overwhelmingly positive impact on wellbeing, optimism and even physical health,” Dr Humphries says.
“But maybe the key word here is practising. This isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing, it’s something you need to try repeatedly.
“With time and practice you may start to see changes. The flow-on effect of regular, and intentional, gratitude like journalling, letters or through mindfulness practices can include greater resilience in adversity as well as strengthened relationships with the people around you.”
She warns, though, about giving with an expectation of repayment.
“The World Happiness Report notes how acts of kindness that are given voluntarily are most likely to be a source of happiness for both the giver and the receiver,” she says.
Geshe Lobsang says there is so much to the notion of gratitude. He says “patience, tolerance, consideration of others and seeing situations from the opposite perspective” can reduce stress and help to find equilibrium.
“It’s simple. When you help someone, if they acknowledge by saying thank you, that gives you great pleasure and inspires you to help even more,” he says.
Final tips for happiness
Professor Kern returns to the theme of gratitude as her key tip.
“It’s really hard to be upset and resentful when you’re grateful. So even though every day is not good, goodness can be found in each day,” she says.
“So looking for those little hints of things you’re grateful for is one of the biggest links I can see to happiness.”
Dr Humphries says her message would be to find a routine that includes regular mindfulness-based activities such as meditation or mindful breathing.
“This can literally be just a few minutes each morning or night where you breathe deeply and notice how you are feeling,” she says.
“There are so many resources online that can help you with this. Look up box breathing if you’re just starting down this journey.
“And remember, it might not feel like much is happening straight away, but stick with it. Muscles take time to build.”
Dr Humphries also encourages consistent expressions of gratitude.
“Intentionally reflect on the things you’re thankful for every day,” she says. “If you find it hard to do that in your mind, do it on paper and keep a journal. Or put it in your phone. Even writing down three good things each day will make a difference.”
Don’t forget to practise those acts of kindness with friends and others in your community, and “try not to expect anything in return,” she adds.
Geshe Lobsang says if people can accept that “everything is impermanent, and realise that bad things, and good things, won’t last forever”, this can bring its own inner stability and peace.
“We must also realise people are interdependent, and recognising the value of others helps us find our own success and happiness.”
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