“Gratitude is an antidote to the dark voice of illness that whispers to us, that insists that all we have become is our disease.”
-Dana Jennings
It is so easy for us to forget to be grateful, in any circumstance. When facing cancer, it becomes even easier. Unattained expectations and entitlement can often lead us to disappointment and suffering. When things start to unfold differently than we planned, we feel robbed and wronged. By cultivating a sense of gratitude for reality rather than a sense of disappointment in our imagined and expected outcomes, you can avoid that unnecessary anguish and learn to appreciate authenticity.
Yoga, in its simplest definition, is union. It is the belief that everyone and everything is connected and interdependent. Santosha is one of the niyamas, or yogic guidelines on how to live. It can be described as a state of contentment that is not affected by desire or fears of scarcity and it can be achieved through a dedicated practice of gratitude. You must break out of the self-centered point of view that comes so naturally to us as humans. This transformative exercise of gratitude will shift your perspective and your mood and teach you how to take a compassionate approach to your problems. Luckily, gratitude can be cultivated. It simply takes practice.