Day 3 of Positively Present’s #Gratitude30 challenge invites us to focus on the ways we have chosen to be optimistic, or on those who inspire us to keep looking for the good in life.

Optimism is a tendency to expect good things in the future. This tendency influences our physical, emotional and mental health as well as how we cope with everyday social interactions.

There are many ways in which yoga can foster optimism. Here are some examples from my own practice:

• Time on my mat allows for greater self-awareness with regards to how I feel physically, emotionally and mentally. I become aware of how those feelings can change from day to day.
• Stress relief through working with breath and body, through asana and pranayama practice, through meditation.
• Observing my focus and becoming aware of the appropriate use of my time and energy.
• Building gratitude and taking time to be present.
• Contemplation of knowledge shared e.g. Sutra 1.33 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras which provides insight into how we can maintain a pleasant mind.

Do you consider yourself to be an optimistic person? Do you choose to be optimistic? Who inspires you to see the good in life?

~ Renee Arundhati

*these posts are also being shared on my social media (Instagram and Facebook) as I have shared there over the past years.