Cultivating Joy

Inner joy is something we can cultivate because it is already within our hearts. This meditation will assist you in growing your joy through awareness and a brief visualization. With practice, you will be able to resource joy during challenging times. Experience the wonder that is yours to discover. Let your heart show you your joy!

Transcript

Let's begin by establishing our seat sitting on a chair or on a cushion finding a comfortable posture you can hold on to for the next few minutes feeling the weight of your contact points with the surface that you're on your feet on the floor your sit bones on the surface you're on and just feeling your body in this posture the back drawn up and tall and your chest and abdomen open to receive your breath as you breathe in now so now taking a couple of deep breaths in to relax our bodies and our minds breathing in and relaxing on the out breath and in and letting go and letting go and one more time breathing in and out and just allowing yourself to be right here right now right here right now releasing all expectations of what you may anticipate the practice to be for yourself and giving yourself permission to take this time and be here in this present moment and now focusing your attention on your breath noticing the sensations as you breathe in now allowing it to fall into its natural rhythm and of course thoughts will arise and that's fine just let them leave just as easily as they arose returning back to your breath and letting go and that's fine just let them leave just as easily as they arose returning back to your breath in and out no need to judge or beat yourself up for in any way just staying with your breath and if the breath is uncomfortable for you just finding a neutral area you can focus your attention on maybe the sensations within your feet or your hands now moving your breath and awareness to your heart center the space in the center of your chest and just feeling into this area and just feeling into your breath and awareness to your heart center the space in the center of your chest and just feeling into this area noticing sensations and feelings that arise discovering where you are in your heart today now discovering where you are in your heart today now knowing that you are always supported by your anchor and leaning in towards that if you are unable to steady yourself within the heart and then returning when you are able to so breathing into the heart maybe you're experiencing openness today more tingling heat or maybe you're experiencing tightness and contraction just maintaining an attitude of kindness towards yourself as you breathe in and out of your heart this accepting heart allowing it to open to what's here in this experience now whether it's pleasant or unpleasant just breathe in and out through all of your breathing out through all knowing that all feelings and sensations a transient nature emotions also let them be and then by allowing them to be without judgment without clinging or pushing away letting them go as another arises and now opening your heart to joy to the cultivation of joy a joy that is not dependent on external things but the innate joyness that is within your heart those small things that are always within you that bring joy so maybe recalling a time of pure joy a memory of a person that fills you with the sensation of joy or time and nature where you experience that wonder that filled your being or maybe there are many times and many people pets or places so recalling the sensations of this experience the physical experience the sense that you're encountered the sounds and just breathing in and out holding this joy this memory or memories within your heart allowing this experience of joy to expand so and then as you experience this sensation within you of joy letting go of the memory while still experiencing joy as you breathe in and out and it may be fleeting and that's okay joy is always within you unconditional to all things you may call it forth when you want to bring balance when you're feeling sadness or loneliness cultivating that joy within your heart as the poet william blake said he who binds to himself a joy does the winged life destroy but he who kisses the joy as it flies lives in eternity's sunrise now returning your awareness to your breath and your whole body i'm just feeling this body breathing now knowing that whenever you practice cultivating joy you are nurturing your body your heart your soul so taking a breath in and letting it go and letting it go and feeling your weight on the surface that you're on soon this practice will end with the ringing of a bell and the invitation is to take some gentle movement and open your eyes gradually before moving on