Happiness & Joy

A meditation that explores joy. It begins with relaxing the body, noticing what's in the heart, and then exploring joy. It invites joy through memory, through senses, and through gratitude. It helps us connect to joy and remember that joy is always there waiting to be (re)discovered.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to this meditation where we'll be exploring happiness and joy.

So I'd like to invite you to begin settling into your posture of meditation for today.

And that posture might be a seated posture,

But you could also practice standing or lying down.

So take your time settling into the posture that feels right for you today,

Honoring both your body and your health in how you're feeling today.

And perhaps taking a few slightly deeper breaths if that seems accessible to you.

Just beginning to invite relaxation and calm into the body through the breath.

So long,

Slow,

Deep inhales if you can,

And long,

Slow,

Complete exhales.

And if that's uncomfortable for any reason,

Just breathe normally.

And now letting the breath return to its natural rhythm and pace and scanning down through the body,

Seeing if you can soften any obvious points of tension.

And so this might look like a smoothing of the brow.

It might be relaxing all the little muscles around your eyes or letting the teeth part slightly so that the jaw can relax.

And maybe seeing if you can allow the neck to be relaxed and loose.

And it might feel really good to roll the shoulders slightly back and down.

And just noticing while you're here if there's tension in the shoulders and maybe breathing into that tension,

Letting a little bit of it go on the exhale.

And then seeing if you can allow the arms to hang heavy from the shoulder girdle and relaxing the hands and the fingers wherever they rest.

And now perhaps checking to see that the abdomen is soft so that the breath moves effortlessly through the body.

And just continuing to look for points of tension and softening when you can.

So how does it feel in the area of the pelvis and the hips?

If your posture allows,

See if you can release your hip flexors.

And then continuing down the body,

Relax the legs,

The feet,

And even the toes.

Just inviting some softening and some ease into the body.

And moving awareness now into the area of the heart.

So simply checking in and seeing how the heart feels.

And you can place one or both hands on the heart if that helps you access how you feel.

And then we're just being curious.

What's happening in the heart today?

And so maybe there's something weighing heavily on your heart,

Some sadness or pain.

Maybe there's fear or worry.

Can you just allow these feelings to be here?

And instead,

Maybe you're feeling really light in the heart today.

Maybe your heart is filled with gratitude and gladness and uplift.

And just noticing these feelings and once again,

Seeing if you can allow them to be here.

So not judging anything that you find,

But simply becoming aware of how you feel in your heart right now.

And taking one long,

Slow,

Deep breath,

Imagine the inhale coming straight into your heart.

And imagine exhaling and letting go of anything that needs to be let go.

Anything that maybe your heart's been carrying that no longer serves you well.

Doing your best to simply let it go on the exhale.

And now inviting a small smile to your lips.

Just a purposeful,

Slight upturn at the corners of your mouth.

And noticing if this small gesture begins to ignite a feeling of joy and uplift.

Even if it's just a tiny spark,

Can you notice that?

Or maybe you immediately feel resistance to joy.

And just know it's normal to feel that way.

Joy isn't always easy for us to access.

So throughout this meditation,

Let the invitation be to simply do the best that you can.

Allowing your mind to drift now to anything that's brought you joy so far in your day.

So maybe it was beginning your day with a long,

Hot shower.

Maybe you experienced joy through an interaction with your pet.

Or maybe the laughter of a family member brought feelings of joy.

Or maybe you experienced joy in your morning run or your yoga or Qigong practice.

So just reflecting for a moment and considering what beings,

Experiences,

Or activities have sparked joy in your heart today.

So if you're a creative person,

Have you experienced joy engaging in a creative process?

Painting,

Singing,

Dancing,

Writing,

All of these things can bring us joy.

So just bringing to mind any of the ways that you've experienced joy today and just allowing those feelings of joy to bubble up again from within.

And noticing too how joy feels in your body,

In your heart,

And in your mind.

And so now just continue bringing to mind things that spark joy within you,

All the things,

All the people,

And all the experiences that elicit feelings of joy within you.

And just doing your best to allow yourself to feel the full expression of natural joy.

You might engage your senses to bring joy more fully into this moment.

Can you bring to mind the faces of those you love or the image of a beautiful sunrise or sunset or a starry night sky that elicits feelings of wonder and awe?

Is there a smell or a fragrance that immediately brings a smile to your face?

Are there particular sounds or songs or poetry that you love to hear?

Do you have a favorite flavor?

Maybe a really delicious,

Decadent treat that brings you joy.

Does the feel of a paintbrush or a nice pen in your hand bring you joy at all the possibilities of how you might express yourself?

Can you bring to mind the joy found in touch,

In hugs and in kisses,

In gestures of love from partners,

Children,

Parents,

Friends,

Pets?

Does leaning in and noticing where joy manifests in the body,

How does joy feel?

What does it feel like for you to be joyful?

And so joy might come in the warmth and the glow of an inner smile.

You might feel a sense of expansiveness or openness in the area of the chest and in the heart.

You might just get a feeling of general ease and relaxation,

A sense of deep peace.

And if you're really filled up with joy,

You might get kind of a bubbly,

Almost giggly feeling,

A sense of vibrant aliveness.

And so now just inviting you to take a few moments to be really grateful for all those things that spark joy within you.

So extending gratitude for the people in your life that bring you joy and laughter and happiness.

Extending gratitude for the experiences that bring you joy.

And for all the places that spark inspiration and coax the natural joy within you to the surface so that you can feel it and so that you can be renewed by it.

And extending gratitude for the breath and the body,

The mind and the heart in which you feel joy and happiness.

Just extending deep,

Deep gratitude in whatever way feels right for you.

And as the meditation comes to a close,

I'll just share with you this poem by Mary Oliver.

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

Don't hesitate.

Give into it.

There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.

We are not wise and not very often kind and much can never be redeemed.

Still life has some possibility left.

Perhaps this is its way of fighting back.

That sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.

It could be anything,

But very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.

Anyway,

That's often the case.

Anyway,

Whatever it is,

Don't be afraid of its plenty.

Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Please feel free to sit quietly a few moments,

Just letting the effects of the practice sink deep into your being and deep into your heart.

And you can gently open your eyes or raise your gaze when you feel ready.

Thank you so much for meditating with me and I hope to be with you again soon.

Reviews

This meditation left me feeling calm, at ease and light. It was really lovely for me to get the day started with. Thank you very much Dar. Namaste 🙏

Love Dear’s guided meditations. The Mary Oliver poem is beautifully woven in to this. Feelings of love, joy, and gratitude were found through this practice. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to cultivate more joy. Thank you, Dar. Namaste 🙏🏼

The meditation was absolutely wonderful, as Dar Shawver spoke her words echoed in my heart which I haven’t felt in a long time. Being hollow is hard but to feel like you have something more than a “crumb” is a miracle. Thank you for making my day.