In the words of the fourteenth Dalai Lama, "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." This may seem like a challenge given recent events worldwide and the fact that the  holiday season can, ironically, bring out more stress and anxiety than it does peace or happiness.

I want to challenge you this holiday season to remember the intent behind gathering and celebrating at this time of year. The season is about sharing and spreading peace to others, sharing light and having gratitude for our lives exactly as they are. The mind and heart cannot be preoccupied with stress, anger, resentment, or violence if they are filled with happy, positive thoughts and emotions like peace, love, and gratitude. The choice of what you focus on is yours. You may not be able to control the behaviors of others, but you can control how you respond. As the Dalai Lama says, "Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace."

Celebrate your happiness in your own way, possibly by sharing with others who are less fortunate or spending time with loved ones. Most important, take time for yourself. I like to use the example given by flight attendants on planes before take-off: "In the event of decreasing cabin pressure in which oxygen masks are deployed, please secure your OWN oxygen mask BEFORE helping others." The same applies to your health. Focus on your health and well being FIRST, and when you are grounded, rested, and peaceful, then you can be of service to others more effectively. The essentials for balanced physical, mental and spiritual health include: nutritious balancing foods, appropriate hydration, breathing clean air, quality rest, health-enhancing thoughts and emotions, and exercise.

 Everyone has their own method of staying centered, grounded, and balanced in times requiring extra energy and support. Yoga is a time honored way of maintaining balance and that is why I practice daily. Psychiatrist Marylynn Wei, M.D., J.D. recently discussed how research clearly documents yoga's health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and protecting the brain's grey matter in the left hemisphere, the side of your brain associated with positive emotions and experiences. Emotions like joy and happiness have exclusively more activity in the left hemisphere of the brain on positive emission tomography (PET) brain scans." ( "Why Does Anyone Do Yoga, Anyway?" Psychology Today, June 2014.) Yoga, in other words, can help you get and stay happy!

-Dr. Allison MacLennan