Hi,
Welcome.
My name is Joy Koneska and today we're going to go through a beginner friendly guided meditation and explore the word joy.
Now the purpose of this meditation is not necessarily to increase your joy because it's hard to increase joy on command,
But it's meant to help you get a deeper understanding of what joy means to you.
So we will start with a little bit of relaxation and we'll do an equal breathing practice which helps to get you centered and grounded and then we'll transition into the word joy,
Its various definitions and also I'm going to read some quotes from various leaders and even the Bible and this is just to help create an awareness of joy and what joy ultimately means to you.
So you're going to want to find a quiet,
Safe and comfortable position to be in.
This could be sitting in a chair,
Could be sitting on the floor,
You could be lying down,
You know,
The options are endless,
It's up to you,
But it's about having a long spine that allows you to breathe with ease.
That's what's important.
You'll want to adjust the volume of my voice to an appropriate level for you and always know that I am just a loose guide in your meditation practice.
Please feel free to guide yourself anytime you see fit for you or if you need to pause the meditation,
Whatever you need,
Take it.
Let's get started.
Close your eyes or you can softly gaze over the tip of your nose.
Know that the point of this is just to limit those visual distractions.
Soften the muscles of your face.
Soften your eyelids,
The cheeks,
Muscles of your face.
Relax the jaw.
Relax the shoulders and let your breath flow easily and effortlessly.
Feel the contact points of your body on your props and on the ground and feel that support and feel that groundedness.
Feeling the breath.
Let each exhale take you into a place of relaxation.
Know that you can adjust your body position when you need and if your mind wanders from time to time,
That is completely natural.
So just gently guide it back to my voice or back to the practice when this happens.
Now I'm going to guide you through an equal breathing practice where you inhale for the count of four and you pause at the top of the breath and then you exhale for a count of four and pause at the bottom of the breath.
Now we all breathe at different paces so if my count is too slow or too fast for you,
Go at your own pace.
So I'll guide you through a couple rounds and then I'm going to have you do a couple rounds on your own.
So here we go.
Inhale two,
Three,
Pause.
Exhale two,
Three,
Pause.
Inhale two,
Three,
Pause.
Exhale two,
Three,
Pause and continue a few more rounds on your own.
Finish the cycle of breath that you're on and then just go back to normal,
Easy breathing.
Now,
Let's shift our focus on the word joy.
Know that the word joy has many meanings and I'm going to read through a few of them now.
Theopedia's version of joy is that joy is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart.
Joy has also been defined as heartfelt delight.
It's been defined as a feeling of great happiness and joy is also defined as a feeling or state of well-being and contentment.
Think about the word joy and what it means to you.
Now,
I'm going to read various quotes and I will repeat each one two times and give some space for you to reflect or contemplate on what you've heard.
Try to listen to these words without any attachments or judgments of the words that you hear.
Let's get started with our first one.
This quote is from Buddha.
We are shaped by our thoughts.
We become what we think.
When the mind is pure,
Joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
We are shaped by our thoughts.
We become what we think.
When the mind is pure,
Joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
The next quote is from the Bible,
The book of Proverbs 1722.
A joyful heart is good medicine.
A joyful heart is good medicine.
This next quote is from Italian poet,
Caesar Pavese.
The only joy in the world is to begin.
The only joy in the world is to begin.
The next quote is from William Shakespeare.
Things won are done.
Joy's soul lies in the doing.
Things won are done.
Joy's soul lies in the doing.
This last quote is from German theologian,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.
Gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy.
Now feel free to just marinate on the words that you've heard and to think about your definition of joy.
And now I invite you to come back to the breath.
Feel the inhalation.
Feel the exhalation.
And come back to your body and your surroundings and take a deep cleansing breath in and a long easy exhale out.
And feel a sense of completion with this meditation.
Feel free to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Slowly turn your head to the left.
Slowly turn your head to the right and back to center.
And when you're ready,
Feel free to open your eyes.
I want to thank you for trusting me and guiding your practice today.
Again,
My name is Joy Kaneska and I'll just finish this meditation with saying the joy in me sees the joy in you.
Have a beautiful day.
Bye bye.
