Do you know what makes you happy? Can you identify the things, people, events and experiences that bring you the most joy? And is happiness something that you actively pursue, or something that you hope just happens?
Believe it or not, there are scientists and academics who study happiness! In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development leads the longest-running study on happiness and what creates it. They have been following a group of 724 men since 1938, when those men were in their teens. These men come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and the Harvard study looks at personal and psychological factors, health indicators and outcomes, and their mental and emotional health. Based on these findings, they think they have the answer to what most creates happiness:
It's community.
This doesn’t surprise us at Sōl Yoga Collective. Each of us, while deeply connected to our personal yoga practice and values the benefits that yoga provides physically, also recognize that something else happens to us when we are in studio. That sense of communion and community feeds the dopamine centers of our brain and we end our practice not just relaxed but rejuvenated and connected.
We have a robust male presence at Sōl, but did you know that men make up a minority of yoga practitioners, particularly here in the U.S.? We’d like to see that change. If this study from Harvard, made up of men, shows that community is key to their happiness, we’re going to take our cues and open our doors to more men.
Have you brought your husband, your male partner, significant other, boyfriend, roommate, colleague, neighbor or friend to yoga class yet? If you know a man who would benefit not only from the physical advantages that yoga brings, but the uplifting benefits of community, please invite them. Even if it’s their first time at yoga, we promise they will end the class not just a bit more limber, but a lot happier as well. The science proves it!
So we want to welcome you – or welcome you back – to the Sōl community. We especially want to invite more men to come, pull up a mat, and share yoga with us. Make it your New Years’ Resolution for 2023: bring a buddy to yoga and share the happiness.