What If There’s Also Joy?

We often think we have to choose just one emotion, that if we are anxious or grieving, joy isn't allowed in the room. This practice invites you to scan the physical body for 'energy in motion' and discover your own capacity to hold multiple truths at once. You’ll explore how to find the quiet spaces where joy coexists with the heavy stuff, without the pressure of forced positivity. It’s a gentle reminder that your heart is wide enough to honor the full, complex spectrum of being human.

Transcript

Hi there and welcome back to Insight Timer. I'm Steven and I'll be your guide for this meditation. I want to start with a question for you. In this moment, In this hour, At this time, What if there's also joy? Now, I have no way of knowing where you are, What you are experiencing in the world, Or what perspectives you're carrying today. Emotions hold a breadth and a depth on a spectrum that is often impossible to define. Even the most emotionally intelligent people with expansive vocabularies might at times struggle to explain their reality, Their experience. There are times when we are angry, Times when the world feels immense and heavy, Impossible. We use words like volatile, Uncertain, Anxious, Chaotic, Brittle, Incomprehensible. And yet, Our experience doesn't have to be just one thing. It can feel comforting in a way to choose just one descriptor for our experience. If we're afraid, It's safer to feel 100% afraid. If we're happy, We need to be 100% happy. But what if there is also joy? For today, I invite you to consider the presence of joy, Not as a replacement for your other feelings and experiences, But as a neighbor to them. If you haven't already, Settle into a posture, Whatever is comfortable for you. Seated, Standing, Walking, Lying down, Whatever works for you and your body in this moment. Notice how you are positioned. Notice where you are in contact with the objects around you. You can feel the floor, The earth, A chair, A cushion, The air or textiles against your skin. Notice the presence of your breath, The movement of your mind, The activity of your senses. Notice what emotions are present just right now. You don't have to name them or judge them. You might just notice where you feel energy in the body. We can think of emotions as energy in motion. Is it in your hands? Your heart? Is it warm? Cold? Is it in your head? Maybe your legs or your stomach? Notice whether it's in the back or the front, The left or the right. As you scan your body, Searching for any energy in motion, Notice whether it's moving. Where are you holding the energy? And as you find maybe tight or heavy or open spaces, Ask where there's space. Where is the capacity for joy? Where do you notice that joy might be present, Even as a tiny spark, A single cell? In the presence of sadness, There can be joy. In the presence of anger, There can be joy. Even in the presence of fear or uncertainty, There can be joy. Where is your joy living right now? Is it as big as your entire being? Or is it more microscopic, Quiet, Waiting to be nurtured? Whatever is present, Whatever you hold the capacity for in this hour, Remember you're enough to hold what you can hold. You don't have to be one thing. You can span the spectrum. As we move toward closing our practice, Take a deep breath, Or maybe it's a light breath, Into any space or capacity that you've found. You don't need to let go of your reality to notice and make room for joy. Can acknowledge that these can exist together. And I would invite you to carry this space and this question as you move back into your day. What if there is also joy? Thank you for practicing with me today. I hope you'll come back and practice together soon.