Mood Yoga—The Method & The Book

3. No Fuss Therapy

Mood Yoga examines the methodological principles of various Eastern and Western techniques that the individual can integrate into to daily routines without too much fuss. Mood Yoga explores some similarities between Eastern and Western psychology and philosophy, such as Sutra 2:33, which promotes making positive changes by adopting the opposite thought or emotion to that which is causing disturbance. This kind of view has long been addressed in Western theories by concepts such as positive affirmations and in the foundations of cognitive behaviour therapy. Mood Yoga takes into account Western ideas relating to thought management, like Neuro-linguistics training, and suggests that they have their roots in the wisdom of the East. It recognises how some psychological/yogic approaches to the concept of happiness can appear, at first glance, to be selfish. This is because the word happiness is often associated with extreme or irrational feelings. See 'happiness' in the Yoga At Home Glossary.

In reality, being happy is a good thing, but it is also OK to feel down sometimes. Trying to always be on top of your emotions creates the kind of extreme approach that can't help but include judgement and attachment (to objects—i.e. the things we think we need to be happy). Think of happiness as just another part of being human. There are many times in life when we experience unjoyful emotions; it's inevitable. We might lose someone we love or experience a huge upheaval. But sometimes our grief or bad feelings last so long that we forget what it's like to experience joy. Mood Yoga provides a cue to remind us about the things that are really important to us. It equips us with strategies to improve our mood, particularly when we're not even sure why we feel the way we do. Apart from the side-effects of medical conditions, how you feel is ultimately your choice. So, if there is no real reason for you to feel down, why not choose to feel good?