It is not possible to live without coziness.
“It is not possible to live in today’s society without a cozy home. What is a cozy home? A cozy home is a place where there is a unity in all those who live there, an understanding in all those who relate to it. There is a will to sacrifice for each other; there is a will to live for each other; there is a will to protect each other. ”
When people are disconnected from each other awful things can happen, chronic depression, isolation, meanness, violence. We all know people in our lives that suffer from a lack of coziness. The irony is the more they slip away the harder they are to be around, and this perpetuates the problem. I remember one time there was a student who would come into the studio, he was always grumpy and rude and would speak unkindly to our desk staff. Part of me wanted to ask him not to come back if he could not get it together and be at the least, polite. I thought he had no right to treat our staff this way. But knowing better (thank God for the teachings) I remembered Yogi Bhajan’s words, that we all need coziness to feel the connection. So rather than asking him to stop coming, we invited him in closer. We encouraged him to have tea after class on the couch with the other students. Slowly, after months of coming to the studio he let his armor down, he began to speak kindlier to the desk staff and by the end of his time at the studio he was a completely transformed man. He was a part of the community and looking back it was hard to believe he was the same person. He came in as a lonely man lacking connection to his heart and his sense of belonging, and he left as an open-hearted cozy human being.
If you feel isolated and lonely, start by making your home cozy and find a studio that feels cozy and inviting. The winter months are approaching, and we must find our lifelines to coziness so that the winter does not freeze us. If you are naturally a cozy person or have a cozy home, then bring people in, invite friends over for tea. We are living in fast paced times and if we do not slow down to remember what is good and real we will forget the essence of life, and that is the connection we have with each other.
My prayer is that you try to be the COZY in someone’s life. You may have no idea how much it can serve and help them. The power of love and acceptance is everything.
Six Tips to making your home cozier!
Be a shoeless house, it is so nice to just walk in your home bare footed or with socks, makes you feel more “at home.” Plus it’s just cleaner!
Have candles around that you can lite during your meals, or when you are enjoying time in the family room. Candles are not just for romancing another person, they are for romancing your soul!
Boil a big pot of Yogi Tea! Recipe: https://www.3ho.org/3ho-lifestyle/yogic-diet/solstice-diet/heavenly-yogi-tea It will make you home smell like a winter wonderland!
Have positive messages all around your home. You can write positive words on cards or rocks and tuck them in little sweet spaces that will remind you of all the goodness in the world.
Make altars all over you home. A great place for an alter is on a book shelf, window ledge, even in the bathroom you can have a few things that remind you of spirit.
Lastly, play mantra music in your home. Play it as much as possible to keep high vibrations flowing through your home!