Together β Newsletter n. 0
Presentation
This number 0 contains four articles. The first expresses the possibility of a conscious evolution; the second reflects on some models of good life with which to be realized; the third is a test to measure our current satisfaction; the fourth contains a sequence for the care of the suppleness of the spine, whose flexibility represents the presupposition, on a physical level, for a harmonious path.
Article 1 – Where do we go?
Whether we like it or not, life is a continuous process of change: the situations we find ourselves in change, we change ourselves.
We can passively undergo these changes or try to direct them in the direction we want, as far as the conditions in which we are allow.
To do this it will be necessary to have more and more clear in every moment what is good for us (it gives us wellness) and what is bad (it leads us to suffering).
This path naturally requires willingness to learn and modify accordingly without fear of changing opinion, desires, way of seeing life and ourselves, when and how much it is needed.
A conscious evolution requires mental openness, flexibility and real availability to change.
Critical reflection on daily thinking and the potential willingness to change ideas and hierarchies of values ββare necessary for success,
To move forward on this path it is necessary to overcome habit and fear.
Habit makes us repeat attitudes and ways of living that are sometimes negative, for the fear that makes us feel secure within a static and immutable vision of life: change has a price that consists in sacrificing something to which we are accustomed and brings towards the unknown. Even people with obvious discomforts sometimes prefer to endure the suffering that comes from a stabilized situation, rather than finding courage and energy to get involved; this may explain why many give up changing and prefer to keep complaining about their condition, rather than changing their lives.
It is fundamental to know how to accept the changes of life by opposing the attachment to what has been good and is no longer good; we learn to enjoy every moment of life knowing we go beyond when it ends.
Only by favoring our best parts (those that bring us well-being) and letting them lead us, will we evolve fruitfully.
Commitment and self-discipline can make us stronger to face this task, taking responsibility for our actions will make us more aware of the effects they have on others and on the surrounding world.
The key to achieving this attitude is the development of awareness through the observation of one’s own and others’ behaviors and their effects.
Precisely awareness becomes a fundamental element for a man who is more free and, at the same time, responsible, who knows how to best exploit the growth of individual, collective and environmental potential, finding every time the most suitable action for a new balance suitable for changing events.
Article 2 – How to live happily
The following text is integrally taken from the book How to live happy by J. Schlanger.
“I would like to lead a good life, a life that is worthy of me and worthy of being. I have this idea that there are better, more worthy, more adequate lives than others; and I’d like to live a life like that. When I try to see more clearly and to specify (to me) what I consider a good life for me, I discover that for me every good life is a life of joy, where by “joy” (which I distinguish from “pleasure”) I mean a feeling of fullness and wealth, an intimate feeling of agreement with myself. I also discover that the good life, as I conceive it, is not “single color”, has multiple facets, unfolds in different directions inextricably linked to each other.
However, I distinguish four positions that express what is, should be, it could be a good life for me: a life in which to fully enjoy the pleasures of the body and the spirit; a life in which I fully realize myself in and through the activity to which I dedicate myself; a life in which I correctly set my obligation; a life in which I fit harmoniously into the totality of what exists. Four existential positions, four ways of being: a life of “enjoying”, which manifests itself in pleasure; a life of “doing”, which materializes in the realization of oneself; a life of “acting” which is expressed through obligation; a life of “being”, which takes place in harmony. These four modalities of good life are joined in me; I pursue them all together … ”
Article 3- TEST OF SATISFACTION OF LIFE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF THE TEST
Below are 5 statements that can be shared or not
Using the scale from 1 to 7 at the bottom, indicates how much you share each sentence by writing the number chosen on the left
Try to be open and sincere in your answers
Finally, calculate the overall score obtained and look at its interpretation
TEST
__ In many ways my life approaches my ideal
__ The conditions of my life are excellent
__ I am satisfied with my life
__ Until now I have obtained the important things I wanted from life
__ If I could relive my life, I would hardly change anything
SCORES
7 – I fully agree
6 – I agree
5 – I partially agree
4 – I disagree or disagree
3 – In part I disagree
2 – I disagree
1 – I totally disagree
INTERPRETATION OF SCORES
5-9 Extremely dissatisfied with your life
10-14 Very dissatisfied with your life
15-19 Quite dissatisfied with your life
20 Neutral
21-25 Pretty happy with your life
26-30 Very happy with your life
31-35 Extremely satisfied with your life
Article 4 β Sun salutation
The Sun salutation (in Sanskrit Suryanamaskar) is a yoga sequence of 12 positions. Its execution takes only a few minutes; it is generally performed at the beginning or at the end of the day, preferably facing the sun, to thank him for the life he gives us.
Suryanamaskar acts on the whole body: it elasticizes the spine, loosens and tones all the muscles, increases blood circulation by heating the extremities, synchronizes movement and breathing, massages the viscera and stimulates the thyroid and endocrine glands, tones the system nervous: stretching and flexion of the spine and hips, in fact, regulate the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system.
Each position must be performed with adequate breathing.
Below is one of several existing versions.