Greetings,
Educators.
Welcome to this practice on cultivating joy.
Joy can be an incredibly motivating and inspiring aspect of being an educator.
It's directly connected to our passion and our purpose for showing up each day.
It can be mitigated by day-to-day challenges of student behavior,
Or scarcity of time,
Or frustrations within the system.
And we can also choose to turn toward joy.
Even in the midst of our challenges,
We can pause,
Be mindful,
Look for and identify joy in our day-to-day.
And with that cultivation of joy,
We become more connected,
More consistently able to stay close to our passion,
Close to our purpose,
And find joy even in the midst of our challenges.
There are moments of joy that sort of jump up like a celebration.
There is a joyful way of approaching our day,
Our students,
Our parents,
Our work.
This practice helps us pause and turn toward,
Seek out joy.
This is a practice that uses memory and experience to remind ourselves of how it feels to experience joy.
This dedicated practice,
Over time,
Increases our access to joy,
If we choose.
Pause now.
Find a comfortable but alert position.
Let yourself tune into your breath.
Just noticing where you feel your breath in your body.
Let that sensation of breath be like a massage or an invitation for the body to relax.
Breathing in,
Allow the in-breath to bring some spaciousness,
Some opening.
Breathing out,
Let that be an invitation to the body to relax or to let go just a bit of any points of tension.
Breathe in as if it's a big sip of air and let it be soothing,
Gentle,
Creating a spaciousness that has some softness to it.
Exhale,
Allow the body to release,
To let go.
Feel the weight of your body settle into your seat.
Feel your points of contact on your chair or on the floor below you.
Allow yourself these next few moments to be present to your inner world.
You spend a lot of time focused externally.
Allow this to be a moment to turn inward,
To turn toward that which brings you joy,
To remember what it feels to connect to that sensation of joy.
Find your own rhythm of your breath,
An in-breath and an out-breath.
Let that in-breath bring in memory,
That place that your heart knows joy.
Let it come in.
Allow the out-breath to let go of the barriers to joy,
Stress,
Scarcity of time,
Frustration.
Let them go for this practice.
Letting in joy,
Letting go of the barriers.
In the gentle rhythm of this breath,
Allow yourself to feel into a particular experience of joy,
A person,
A place,
An experience,
A song,
A dance.
Allow your mind and your body and your breath to work together to bring this experience of joy in.
Begin to notice where does your awareness turn toward joy?
Who are you with or are you alone?
What is your environment?
Are you indoors or outdoors?
What do you notice about the light?
Is it vibrant,
Is it soft,
Is it quietly dark?
Feel into the sensations in your body when you place yourself in this place of joy.
What do you notice?
Where do you notice it?
Is there a softness to the joy?
Is there an energy to the joy?
Is there a vibrance or a sense of peace and ease?
How and where can you feel into this experience of joy?
Linger here.
Take it in.
Let this experience of joy come into your body such that it finds a place to be,
To settle,
To connect.
Take a moment now to offer some gratitude to this joy.
You may place your hand on your heart or perhaps find a gentle smile just at the edges of your mouth or your eyes.
You can quietly repeat in your own mind after me.
I offer gratitude for the people who bring me joy.
I offer gratitude for the measure of health I have to have experienced this joy.
I offer gratitude for the teachings and lessons of this moment.
I offer gratitude for the essence of this earth and this environment that has allowed me this moment.
I offer gratitude for all that I have been given.
Take a deep breath in.
Allow that breath to open up the spaces where the joy can come in.
Exhale and just imagine that joy,
The sensation of joy,
Settling into your body.
Take a few breaths on your own and just let that sensation and experience of joy be present in your awareness.
Now bringing the awareness back to your breath,
Imagine that as you come out of this mindfulness that joy has now found its place to settle,
To be alive in you,
To be accessible,
A place with which you can return to remember,
To access and to continue to cultivate joy.
When you're ready,
You can flutter your eyes open.
Take a moment to take in your environment,
Noticing where there is light,
Noticing things familiar.
Thank you for joining us for this practice.
May you continue to find joy in each day of your practice as an educator.
Be well,
Beautiful people.
