Hi there,
Welcome to this meditation,
A Return to Joy.
And in this meditation,
It's a meditation that no matter what happens in our day,
A day where we really don't have control over what happens.
Sometimes we do,
A lot of the times we don't.
In this meditation,
We're going to rediscover that the source of joy lies within us.
And even though the world,
The day may not go the way we want,
The joyful events that we wish would happen,
Occur to us,
Even if it doesn't,
There is still an element of essential joy that is within us that we can contact.
So let's contact that right now.
So go ahead and sit comfortably,
Support your body,
And close your eyes.
And take a deep breath with me,
Breathing in through the nose,
And out through the mouth or nose,
Whichever is comfortable for you.
And just feel the relaxation on the exhale.
Another deep breath.
Good.
Feel how wonderful it is to breathe.
Notice that just becoming aware of our breath begins to calm us,
Takes us within to a quiet place,
A much quieter place in the world outside.
So let's venture within and get quiet and put our attention on our breath.
Feel the air coming in through your nostrils and out through your nostrils or your mouth.
Notice how your chest expands,
Maybe even your abdomen expands as you breathe.
And as we go in and just be aware of the breath,
Notice how we get quiet.
We're going back into the source of our being,
Deeper levels of thinking while the body is relaxing.
Nothing's being asked of the body right now,
And it's resting like in a deep meditation.
Can you feel it?
Good.
Thoughts may come and go,
But we come back to this awareness of breath with this intention to go within.
And what we're doing is we're going into deep,
Subtle levels of thought,
Deep,
Powerful levels of thought that will help us recall and remember not only who we are,
But our essential qualities.
Notice in the quietness,
You're beginning to become aware of awareness itself.
And so I'd like to ask you right now in this quiet place to remember something wonderful that happened to you.
I don't care how long ago it was.
Recall it.
Use the power of your mind and the power of this meditation to reenact that experience.
Where were you?
Who were you with?
What you were doing?
Take a moment now and relive it.
Notice what's happening in your body right now.
A feeling and sensations of calm,
Peace,
Joy.
As you remember this beautiful thing that happened to you and know that that memory is bringing up a joy within you.
If joy was not already within you,
Your mind would not know it,
Would not recognize it.
Yes,
Our nature is joy.
And deep within us,
Deep underneath all the beliefs and the wounds and the cares and the worries,
There is joy waiting,
Resting,
Looking for the opportunity to make itself known to you.
But joy does not scream like the ego when you're worried or angry.
Joy is gentle and sensitive.
So when we quiet the mind like I'm leading you now,
You notice that joy comes up.
So continue to live that memory that brought so much joy to your life.
And let the joy fill you.
Let the joy express itself,
Turn up its volume,
So to speak.
Until you can feel the sensation of joy,
Not only in your mind,
But in your body.
Yes.
And if thoughts come in that say,
You shouldn't be joyous,
You don't deserve to be joyous,
You're not good enough,
You're not pretty enough,
Just say,
Thank you,
Thought,
And just return to that feeling.
Allow and soften your mind and your heart.
Say out loud with me,
I deserve joy.
I deserve happiness.
I allow happiness to be in my life.
I recognize it.
And notice how it feels when you say that.
Your mind softens with its criticisms,
Even only one or two percent.
Good.
Now let's flame the fire of your joy and feel it now once more.
And now let's forget the reason why we're joyful and just feel the joy in your body.
Feel the quietness in your mind.
No thinking,
Just feeling.
Do you notice that the joy remains with you?
Yes,
It remains with you because it is your nature.
It is an expression.
A deep expression of the consciousness and awareness that is you.
Supports all your thoughts,
All your actions,
The energy,
The quantum field that is you.
Produces joy.
I am joy.
And although I get joy from what happens in the world,
This joy within me can never be taken from me.
It is mine,
Always,
Forever.
I am joy.
Say that with me.
I am joy.
We can remember this joyous state and bring it up into our mind,
Into our body.
Feel the freedom that you now have and again realize once again that this joyous nature of you wants to experience joy in the world.
Good.
Yes.
But if it doesn't happen that way,
You can return to the joy within you.
Yes.
You have to allow it to be that way.
You have to finally decide that you can be joyous all by yourself,
Within yourself.
And that joy isn't something to be searched for,
To be obtained,
To be earned in the world,
To be approved by others,
To be successful in the ways of the world.
Joy is your birthright,
Given to you by your creator.
And like your creator,
You can create joy anytime you want.
This meditation is a proof of that,
Is it not?
Just let go of the world,
Close your eyes,
And recall it.
Go into a quiet state and invoke joy,
Invite it to come in,
And it will come rushing in to your awareness,
Like it just did,
Like it may be doing still now.
Good.
I deserve joy.
I am open to joy.
I am joy.
Joy.
Wonderful.
Now slowly come back to the room,
Come back to your chair.
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Move your body,
Come back into your body.
And then when you feel like you're back in your body,
Open your eyes.
And notice that the joy is still there.
Maybe a little quieter inside of you,
But it's there.
And with practice,
Joy can be felt more and more,
Even in the midst of activity.
So go back into your day now,
And know that you can find joy and bring it out into your day,
Whenever you want,
Whenever you need it.
Wonderful.
Have a great day.
