“I give thanks to the giver behind each gift, and to the one Giver behind all that I receive. My gratitude rises with devotion’s incense to the throne of Omnipresence.”
(from Affirmations for Self-Healing by Swami Kriyananda)
I Am Grateful for My Life Exactly As It Is!
by Nayaswami Pushpa
In January 2013 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease: a degenerative disorder of the nervous system which affects communication between the brain and the muscles. There is no cure for Parkinson’s and the symptoms get progressively worse. Oh, joy!
Suffering comes from wishing things were other than they are. I felt that I was being charged not only to accept Parkinson’s as a gift from God, I had to also be grateful for that gift! And I am! (Well . . . some days more than others!)
Parkinson’s slowed me down mentally and physically. I got to do less and observe more. I became aware of all the good things happening in my life. Gratitude filled my consciousness in abundance. As I opened my heart, more of God’s love was able to enter.
I am grateful for the kindness, love, and friendship of my gurubhais for the past twenty-three years at Ananda Village, supporting and encouraging one another. I cannot imagine what I would have done without the teachings to guide me through the challenging times.
The affirmation below, by Nayaswami Jyotish, has been very powerful for me. I repeated it many times each day for a couple of years after my diagnosis. It helps me to remember who I am and why I am here. I invite you to affirm it daily for a month, and to see with gratitude, life’s daily gifts and opportunities.
“I am grateful for my life exactly as it is.
I am thankful for this day, I welcome every hour.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God.”
Prayer
“I thank Thee, Lord, for all Thy blessings. But most of all, I thank Thee for Thy love.”
(from Affirmations for Self-Healing by Swami Kriyananda)
Door of My Heart
Swami Kriyananda Chants Paramhansa Yogananda
Gratitude
by Nayaswami Pushpa
Swami Kriyananda said that gratitude is the secret to a happy life. It opens us up to a positive flow of grace and gives us the ability to grow from every experience. He said that complaining shuts off the flow of energy and creativity, and leaves us feeling bitter and exhausted. Gratitude is the antidote to this pernicious pattern.
It isn’t enough just to think about gratitude. We must actively feel grateful and express it consciously. When we open our hearts in this way, we find that murky feelings of anxiety and isolation fade away. The antidote to negativity is to make a habit, several times a day, of thanking God for whatever you are experiencing in that moment.
Don’t thank Him only for pleasant things. Thank Him also for difficulties. Life is a mixture of ups and downs—of what we embrace as “positive” and reject as “negative.” But since we so often misjudge what is good or bad karmically, it is best to thank God for everything: good, bad, and indifferent. Too often we’re like a patient spitting out the very medicine that can make him well.
Yogananda said he would correct only those who gave him permission to do so. How do we give him permission? Not with words but by opening our hearts to him. So be grateful to God for everything. Sing Him love songs in the silence of your soul. Then see what that does for your heart.
4 Comments
What an excellent post! I’m going to try the affirmation you mentioned for the whole of November. I often thank God for my
What an excellent post! I’m going to try the affirmation you mentioned for the whole of November. I often thank God for my blessings but not so much for my difficulties. I’m going to try and change that. Thank you!
So beautiful, thank you, dear Nayaswami Pushpa!
Thank you for sharing Nayaswami Pushpa, my mother had Huntington Disease Chorea as well as some of my uncles and auntie. It’s was something I watched and observed as a child into my adulthood. They died relatively young. I wished they had these teachings, I guess in someway their souls are receiving them now, because I am on this path. One thing I do know is that you do have a “Sacred Gift” and that you are truly in the right place… I will add you to my prayer list. I salute you for your Bravery on your Healing Journey.
Blessings & Love
Dinah