20/10/2025
Rerouting…….
With Amala Radhesh & Radhesh Nair
Few days back during a yoga session a discussion came up that even the most upbeat person can become depressed when our physical health is affected. If due to any reason a person’s physical mobility is affected there is a chance that he can slip into depression, dejection. This discussion took my mind to a sutra from Patanjali’s yoga sutra, which I like to practice and tell everyone to do as well
“VITARKA BADHANE PRATIPAKSHABHAVANAM”
When we are faced with “Vitarka”- passions like negative thinking, violence, dishonesty, theft, eating/drinking prohibited things, we should practice the opposites “pratipaksha bhavanam” like love, tolerance, truthfulness.
In the next sutra it is mentioned that we have vitarka due to either lobha -greed, krodha- anger, moha- confusion and pratipaksha bhavana is the realization that if you give in to this kind of thinking it will cause intense pain, ignorance.
I liked this sutra so much while doing MSc yoga that the phrase pratipaksha bhavanam has stuck with me. I try to use it always in my life whenever I feel sad, depressed, in doubt I try to practice or think the opposite. I think ‘we should count our blessings.’ This sutra teaches us to ‘reroute’ and ‘substitute’ negative thought with positive thought.
Sometimes I try to list things for which I am grateful in my mind. Today I thought I will type it down. So here is my list of 20 gratitudeasana
Feel free to mention your list in comments….
1. I am thankful for a beautiful family, husband, and children.
2. I am thankful for my physical and mental health
3. I am thankful for a roof above my head
4. I am thankful that I have good clothes to wear
5. I am thankful that I live in a free country
6. I am thankful that I have freedom to live my life as I please and take my own decisions.
7. I am thankful that I found my IKIGAI in teaching and spreading yoga
8. I am thankful that I was introduced to heartfulness
9. I am thankful to my parents who raised me as best as they could
10. I am grateful for the handful friends who tolerate me 😉
11. I am grateful that I can eat whatever I want
12. I am grateful that I have vehicles which make my commute easy
13. I am grateful that my children are healthy
14. I am thankful that I can travel
15. I am thankful for my students who trust me
16. I am thankful that I can practice asanas which gives me happiness
17. I am grateful for the means to help others once in a while
18. I am thankful that I have eyesight to read (one of my hobbies)
19. I am thankful for all the negative experiences I had – they had a role in shaping me into a stronger, resilient, wiser (hopefully 😉) person.
20. I am thankful for all the illnesses I had it helped me understand other people’s pain better and help them.
The list will go on