A More Joyful, Contented Heart

Modern science has now shown us that by consciously choosing to incline our minds towards more joy, we can actually change the structure of our brains in a way that will generate even more experiences of joy for ourselves in the future. This talk explores not only how we can use our practice do this, but how we can bust some of the common misunderstandings about how we go about it. It includes a 15-minute meditation at the end, designed to help us discern what might be blocking our joy.

Transcript

Ting So for this month's talk,

I thought I would take my cue from the thing that I'm going to take a cue from the theme of the season that we're in right now and explore the heart quality of joy,

Which is actually something I've really been trying to practice more of myself lately,

To really nurture and gift myself many more moments of this heart quality in my life.

So especially when things are difficult,

Which I know they are right now for so many of us,

It is actually incredibly important and vital for us to use our practice to do this,

To very consciously be on the lookout for even more experiences of joy when they arise,

Or maybe even just a little bit more peace or ease as a kind of balance to all the rest of it.

And by the way,

As I continue with this talk,

If the words joy or happiness kind of tend to bring up a resistance in you,

See if there's another word that might resonate a little better for you.

Maybe words like well-being or contentment or gratitude or delight,

Peace,

Ease,

Aliveness.

And really substitute any of those for the word joy when you hear me say it.

I personally really like the word contentment because it more accurately seems to describe what we're aiming for,

Which is equanimity or balanced awareness,

Which involves a kind of ease of well-being rather than a sense of constant joy,

Which is not something that most of us can really sustain,

Constant joy.

But because joy is something that can again balance some of the more difficult emotions that we experience,

As we go along,

We might think of the word joy as a kind of shorthand for some of those other qualities.

Many of you may recall my love of writing simple phrases on the sticky notes to quickly remind myself of the Buddha's more profound teachings.

And one of the phrases that I've been focusing on a lot lately is from the late Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh,

Who told us very famously,

Suffering is not enough.

Suffering is not enough.

And that phrase actually comes from a longer quote where Thich Nhat Hanh tells us,

The ocean of suffering is immense.

But if you turn around,

You can see the land.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong,

But don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

When one tree in the garden is sick,

You have to care for it,

But don't overlook all the healthy trees.

Even while you have pain in your heart,

You can enjoy the many wonders of life,

The beautiful sunset,

The smile of a child,

The many flowers and trees.

To suffer is not enough.

Please don't be imprisoned by your suffering.

I love that quote and that teaching.

So often,

Especially for those of us who tend to carry the world on our shoulders,

Training ourselves to look for joy or even contentment in a world that is experiencing a lot of chaos,

Suffering can often feel really self-centered,

Right?

Or maybe like we're sticking our heads in the sand or maybe like there's this kind of ikikumbaya factor involved.

But sadly,

These kinds of beliefs just tend to stop us from looking for these qualities altogether.

And as the Buddha so wisely told us,

If we only focus on the terrible things in this world and overlook or maybe even deprive ourselves of the beauty and the goodness that is also in this world,

It's only going to cause us to pull back from our life and maybe even fall into despair,

Which means we just aren't going to be very helpful for anyone,

Including ourselves when we do this.

I also want to briefly clear up a very common misunderstanding about the Buddha's teachings.

Because one of the key components of our practice involves a deep recognition of suffering,

People very often tend to believe that this means that the teachings themselves are somehow grim or serious or maybe even depressing.

But as many of you may know,

The Buddha himself was known as the happy one,

He was the happy one.

And the goal of our practice is actually liberation from our suffering.

The Dalai Lama,

Who many say is our own modern day Buddha has said that,

Quote,

The very purpose of our life is to seek happiness.

He says,

Whether one believes in religion or not,

Whether one believes in this religion or that religion,

We are all seeking something better in this life.

So I think the very motion of our life is toward happiness.

In fact,

When the Dalai Lama was once asked how he would describe himself,

He paused for a moment and then he said,

I would say I'm a professional laugher.

I'm a professional laugher.

And honestly,

Whenever I'm feeling sort of sad about something,

I like to imagine the image of the Dalai Lama laughing right alongside the Buddha himself,

The happy one.

Because the Buddha assured us more than 2,

600 years ago now,

Quote,

I would not teach about happiness and freedom if they were not possible.

I find that phrase just so assuring and hopeful.

I also like to remember that today,

Modern science has actually proven that the Buddha was right.

By training our minds through this practice,

We can actually change the structure of our brains.

I just love that.

Many of you may know that the brain has been shown to be what scientists have called plastic.

And this means it can literally be molded.

Right?

So our own thoughts and beliefs can actually change the habitual paths that we are creating in the brain.

And this means we can train our minds to become more joyful and content and happy.

It's great news.

A few years ago now,

Actually,

There was a study that came out that showed that if we don't do anything to train the mind,

No matter what happens to us in our lives,

We all tend to return to a fixed range of happiness,

Right?

Which researchers have called our happiness set point.

So for instance,

If something fantastic happens,

Like we get a new job,

We get married,

Et cetera,

Our happiness increases for a little while,

But then it returns to normal,

Right?

To our happiness set point.

And the same is actually true of any bad events happening,

Like a car accident or an injury.

We return to that happiness set point.

So for instance,

We might be an optimist or pessimist or somewhere in between.

That's where we will return.

In fact,

In 13 different studies of lottery winners,

What researchers discovered was that ultimately the winners were no happier than the non-winners.

Now that might sound like really bad news,

But the good news is this.

About 50% of our happiness is said to come from genetics.

Only 10% of our happiness set point is determined by things like our level of wealth,

Marital status,

Jobs,

Et cetera.

A full 40% is determined by our habitual thoughts,

Feelings,

Words,

And actions,

Which means how we are relating to whatever is happening to us is almost half,

Right?

It's almost half.

So just like our genetic weight set point,

Which keeps the scale kind of hovering around the same number according to our age,

Our happiness set point will also remain the same unless we make a concerted effort to change it.

And this is exactly what the Buddha was trying to teach us,

That discovering this joy and happiness really is up to us and that we need to be ardent about it,

Ardent.

It's one of the words he consistently used in the suttas along with diligent and resolute,

Ardent,

Diligent,

Resolute.

And of course,

As we all know from experience,

Nurturing more joy and contentment in our lives can also be just incredibly difficult.

But it might be helpful to know that there is a scientific reason for this.

It's not our fault really.

Rick Hansen,

A meditation teacher and neuroscientist talks about the brain in one of his books,

The Buddha's Brain.

And he says that to help us survive,

The brain has evolved to register negative experiences more readily than positive ones.

So for instance,

You might notice for yourself that one single kind of bad event in your day is going to stand out the most vividly,

You know,

Against thousands and thousands maybe of good events or good experiences.

So in other words,

Our brains are like Velcro for the negative and Teflon for the positive.

It's just how we're built.

And so as we're trying to nurture more joy in our lives,

It's really important to remember to give ourselves a lot of space around this,

To be imperfect with it.

Because again,

It's just part of our genetic conditioning.

At the same time,

We can also find hope in knowing that if we make a strong concerted effort,

It really is possible to discover more joy in our lives.

So I want to offer you that as a kind of encouragement as we go along.

It really is possible.

And before I offer you some of the teachings on how we can practice cultivating more joy,

I want to begin by offering us a few important reminders,

You know,

Things to remember,

Keep in mind as we're practicing to do this.

The first and maybe most important reminder is that in the Buddhist teachings in particular,

There's a bit of a paradox,

Which is the truth that in order for us to discover a more lasting joy,

We first need to be willing to take a really good look at what is causing us to suffer in the first place so that we can liberate ourselves from those causes.

So a large part of our practice really involves training ourselves how to see those causes more clearly,

How to really hold them up into the light of our awareness with great kindness and compassion,

And to also then very consciously train ourselves to look for the good consciously.

And so our job really is to see and understand what in the teachings is often called the 10,

000 joys and the 10,

000 sorrows,

All of it,

And then make a conscious effort to notice what is joyful in our lives and cultivate joy again as a balance to all those 10,

000 sorrows as something that is also true.

There's also 10,

000 joys.

Another thing we can remember is that whenever we're practicing to more consciously cultivate more joy in our lives,

It's important that we are not somehow covering over or trying to change any of the difficult emotions that we're experiencing,

Things like sadness or grief or anger.

We are not trying to throw a bouquet of flowers over this big stinking pile of you know what,

Because the truth is it's still going to smell.

It's still there.

We're also not stuffing anything or trying to make it different.

And we also aren't trying to force joy to happen.

As with everything in our practice,

What we're doing instead is to really allow ourselves to feel whatever we're feeling and to feel it fully so that it can be felt and held and known with great kindness.

Because the hard truth is that if we lock up our heart and avoid the suffering and the heartbreak,

Those 10,

000 sorrows,

What happens is that we also end up covering over the 10,

000 joys.

And so just for a moment you might even consider that we ourselves are the ocean,

Right?

So when a joy wave comes,

We're being asked to ride that wave fully to allow ourselves to really experiencing it fully until it passes,

Which it will.

But when an anger wave arises or a sadness wave or a grief wave or gosh,

Maybe even a shame wave,

Our tendency is to not want to ride that particular wave as fully,

Right?

In fact,

What often happens is that instead of letting the difficult wave pass through us,

We turn ourselves into a kind of ice cube,

Right?

We block it out.

And unfortunately,

Whenever we do this,

We're just locking in.

We're turning to ice,

Whatever we don't want to feel,

Okay?

And so our mindfulness training is really asking us to soften,

To melt in a way so that we can start to truly understand that it's just life living through us.

And all of it is impermanent if we can allow it.

All of it's impermanent.

As the late great musician Leonard Cohen so famously told us,

If you don't become the ocean,

You will be seasick every day.

If you don't become the ocean,

You will be seasick every day.

And so one of the best ways that we can begin to practice softening our heart is by beginning to use our mindfulness practice to really notice whenever it has in some way gotten tight or hard and to really pay attention and notice how that feels when we've tightened and gotten hard in the heart and the body.

At the same time,

We can also start to notice maybe when the heart has become soft or tender,

Maybe when there's sadness or grief,

Remembering that by softening,

Not clinging on so tightly,

We're going to be opening to even more joy.

We'll feel it more.

In fact,

Whenever I'm feeling sadness or grief in particular,

It's always so helpful for me to remember that again,

Feelings and situations are impermanent,

Just like a wave and that more joy waves are also on their way if I can allow them.

More joy waves are on their way.

The teacher,

Jeff Foster,

I think expresses this practice so beautifully when he tells us,

Let it come closer.

Let it engulf you if you must until there is no division between self and sadness,

Until you cannot call it sadness at all,

Until there is only intimacy.

Sadness keeps you soft and flexible.

It reminds you when you've forgotten of the beautiful fragility underneath all things.

In the softness of the heart lies its capacity to love.

Sadness is not the opposite of joy,

But it's gateway.

I'll read that again.

Sadness is not the opposite of joy,

But it's gateway.

When we are practicing to cultivate more joy and ease in our lives,

It's also really important to remember that awakening joy in no way means that we can only have positive thoughts.

That is a really big setup.

Again,

What's important is that we allow the waves,

The 10,

000 joys and the 10,

000 sorrows.

And so for instance,

If what we're feeling in the moment is sadness or worry or anger,

Some other difficult feeling,

We don't want to reject that feeling.

We want to allow our experience to be just as it is while also opening up to the possibility of joy.

In fact,

As we're trying to cultivate feelings of joy and ease,

What's really common is that the opposite feelings can arise.

And if this happens,

I invite you to really hold these feelings with great compassion and kindness.

You might even just pause when this happens and place a hand on your heart or your belly and maybe offer yourself some kind words.

Some phrases I've learned over the years that you might silently say to yourself in those moments include things like,

I care about the suffering.

I care about the suffering.

You might notice here that it's not my suffering,

Right?

It's the suffering,

Which means that in the moment we can try to connect to everyone else on this planet who may be experiencing the exact same emotion or maybe even the exact same situation,

Right?

I care about this suffering.

Another phrase that I find really useful comes from the teacher Sylvia Borstein,

Who suggests that we say something to ourselves like,

Sweetie,

You're in pain.

Sweetie you are in pain.

And just that part of it I love so much because it's so succinct and clear.

It's immediately kind,

Sweetie,

And familiar also.

And it's also just a very simple recognition of our suffering.

You're in pain.

The second part of that phrase is let's pay attention to what's happening.

Then we'll figure out what to do.

So that part of the phrase is asking us to very kindly and compassionately be with,

Again,

Whatever we're experiencing without needing to immediately find a solution.

In fact,

A solution is going to show itself if we can learn to just stay and be with.

You might also try on this catchy phrase,

Which a friend sent to me once as a kind of lesson I think,

After a really long conversation that I'd had with her,

Was if you're happy and you know it,

Overthink.

If you're happy and you know it,

Overthink.

If you're happy and you know it,

Give your brain a chance to blow it.

If you're happy and you know it,

Overthink.

Another thing that's important for us to remember is that our intention for joy does not mean we're going to make joy happen.

But again,

That word allow,

We're going to allow it to happen.

It's really important.

So for instance,

When we plant seeds in our garden,

We can't will the plants to grow,

Right?

We can only do our part by tending and caring for the plants and sensing what they need in order for them to develop as fully as possible.

And just like maybe we get good at noticing as gardeners where the weeds are,

It's also really important to start noticing exactly what we are believing.

So we do this kind of noticing because it really can show us what beliefs and thoughts might be blocking us from experiencing our joy more fully.

We really want to notice what are we believing that might be blocking our joy.

So for instance,

Sometimes when we notice ourselves feeling joyful or content,

We can suddenly have memories and feelings,

Maybe a failure,

Worthlessness,

This might come in the form of thoughts that are very subtle.

It might sound something like,

I don't deserve happiness,

Or I can't allow myself to relax or to be content.

Or maybe I'm being selfish.

I'm enjoying the sense of happiness and ease while others are suffering.

Or even if I let go and let myself be joyful or content,

Something bad is going to happen,

Right?

So very often when we're practicing to bring more joy and ease into our lives,

Our old self-sabotaging patterns of thoughts can sometimes become even more evident.

But this actually is not a bad thing.

Becoming more aware of these habitual thoughts is actually really good news because we can then really see more clearly what is getting in the way of more joy in our lives.

We can really understand our conditioning more.

Because when we don't recognize these negative voices,

We're in a sense under their spell.

And we have very little idea of how actually powerful and persuasive they can be.

And so if you happen to hear one of those negative thoughts or voices even,

Rather than believing them or giving them any energy,

See if you can just allow them to pass,

To arise and pass.

And then simply restate your intention for joy,

Recalling how good it feels to experience a sense of joy or ease or contentment.

Another really important thing to remind ourselves,

Especially when we feel frustrated or discouraged,

Is that while training our mind to cultivate more joy and contentment really does take some time and effort,

It's also absolutely possible.

And we might not even be aware of how much progress we've been making around this.

I know I've mentioned before that my husband and I live in this little rented cottage on a free range cattle farm in Winchester,

Virginia.

And whenever I think about how we can create new paths in the mind through our thinking,

I'm reminded of all the many different cow paths that surround us here in the fields.

In the past few years,

Sadly,

Because of the ash tree disease,

The farm has lost a ridiculous number of trees.

So sad.

But what I noticed was that when an old tree fell and kind of blocked the path that had been there,

It took a while for the cows to begin a new path around it because the old one may have been there for 50 years or more.

These were large trees.

But it was kind of fascinating for me to watch the progress of the new paths being created.

So at first,

It was just a slim line of grass that was stomped down.

I could see that when I went walking.

And if there was bad weather,

The path would just disappear altogether.

But gradually,

Eventually,

The line just started to become clearer and less disrupted by the weather.

And after a while,

There was a very clear line of hard earth through the grass that just kept getting wider and wider.

And by the way,

The old path is now just completely gone.

You can't see it.

That is really exactly the same with the paths that we are creating in the mind.

You cannot expect to form a new path just by walking at once,

Right?

It does take some time.

And again,

It's possible to create completely new paths and gradually fade out those paths that are old and habitual and no longer even necessary or needed.

In the teachings,

The Buddha taught that there are three principles that are important to cultivating joy.

And I want to review these very briefly.

The first one is inclining the mind toward joy.

And one of my very favorite lines from the teachings tells us so simply,

Whatever the practitioner frequently thinks and ponders upon,

That will become the inclination of the mind.

I'll repeat that.

Whatever the practitioner frequently thinks and ponders upon,

That will become the inclination of the mind.

And if we think about this as it involves creating a new path in the mind,

We might say whatever path one frequently walks upon,

That will become the strongest and widest line in the earth,

If you will.

And so the thoughts or the footsteps that we want to use are ones that incline the mind towards joy rather than those that are going to just lead us to suffering.

And the way that we do this is by using our mindfulness practice to very consciously slow down so that we can start to investigate and then question our habits of mind,

Right?

Our beliefs and behaviors and how we're relating to everything.

And then very consciously choose what path we want to take very consciously.

Because the truth is,

If we are not paying attention,

What happens is that we usually head for the path that is wide and well worn rather than that slim new one,

Right?

And I'll give you a simple example of what is called a habit of mind.

So I generally consider myself a night owl,

Usually because I really enjoy staying up late into the night.

I start my meditation practice at about 1030 in the evening.

And so I've never really considered myself a morning person.

And one morning,

I clearly remember waking up in a grouchy mood and really kind of questioning my mood.

Like,

Why am I in a grouchy mood?

And what I suddenly recognized was that it was just an old habit of thinking.

And the reality was,

It was a gorgeous sunny day.

My cats were happily sitting in the sun.

And I had a really interesting day ahead of me.

And I realized,

You know what,

This is just a very old habit of mind.

There's actually nothing to feel grouchy about.

I was just walking on my habitual morning grumpy path,

If you will.

And I wasn't even grumpy at all.

It was just a habit.

And so especially whenever we find ourselves in some familiar mood,

One of the ways we can practice is to just literally stop or pause and honestly ask ourselves,

How am I relating to this moment I'm in?

How am I relating to this moment?

And is this way of relating a habit?

Is it a habit?

Then we might really question the reality of how we're relating to it.

Or we might even ask,

Is what my mind telling me really true?

Is what I'm thinking really accurate?

And so the idea is that if we want to create new pathways in the mind,

It's really important for us to start questioning not only our thinking,

But how we're relating to whatever's happening.

And ask ourselves if how we're thinking about things or relating to things is leading us again to more happiness or to more suffering.

What path are we creating in the mind?

What are we focusing on?

Which leads us to the second principle that the Buddha taught us,

Which is to practice to develop and increase what are called the wholesome states,

Which are states like kindness,

Compassion,

Generosity,

Calm,

Contentedness,

Et cetera.

So what this means is that whenever we notice or become aware of these states within us,

Just like those thoughts that will lead us to more happiness,

We want to very intentionally invite and cultivate these qualities or states.

So for instance,

Whenever we find ourselves being kind in some way or generous or maybe feeling at ease or calm,

We might notice in that moment that what we're experiencing is a feeling of genuine happiness or well-being to really not let it pass,

To notice it.

So again,

Just as a quick,

Simple example,

Sometimes I'll catch an insect that's been caught in the house,

Like a moth or a spider or even a stinky bug.

And instead of just ignoring it or leaving it to die,

I will catch it and release it.

And every time when it flies away,

I always feel this great sense of joy,

That a little life was saved.

And when I feel that joy,

I kind of ride it.

I don't let it go.

So it really gives me an opportunity.

Whenever I see a bug,

I'm almost excited,

Like,

Oh,

I get the opportunity to nurture a little more joy.

So this doesn't need to be big things.

It could be really as simple as that or noticing how good it feels to open the door for someone or maybe to offer them a smile.

Or maybe when we're petting our pets and we're really enjoying that and we feel safe and content,

We notice it,

Right?

So it's really a key part of our training here to very consciously notice the gladness that comes from engaging in an activity that is in some way heartfelt.

Because again,

It's deepening that line in the earth of our mind,

If you will.

And this leads us to the third principle,

Which is to focus on the gladness that arises with these wholesome states or that which,

Quote,

Gladdens the mind.

Gladdens the mind.

So for instance,

Whenever we're engaged in a wholesome activity,

We could notice that there is an actual felt sense of uplifted energy in the experience itself.

Because our brain is actually wired to be wary,

We really need to help ourselves to be more happy by very consciously,

Again,

Intentionally inclining our attention to positive experiences.

And again,

The great news is that modern science has shown that we can actually strengthen the happiness circuits,

If you will,

Of our brains through conscious,

Deliberate,

Mindful attention.

And so for instance,

Whenever we're experiencing a moment of joy or contentment,

We're asked to really pause and notice the feelings in our body and the state of the mind.

So we can get really specific here.

So for instance,

We might notice or ask ourselves,

Do I feel some warmth in the chest?

Do I feel any tingling or energy in the body?

Does the mind feel light or open when I'm in the state?

How does it,

What does it feel like?

Joy or contentment in the body?

Then once we've noticed,

We really want to then consciously intensify that feeling for 30 seconds or more,

Really stay with it.

Some psychologists call this memorizing the feeling or taking in the good.

And what this means is that we're causing the same neural circuits in our brain to fire repeatedly,

Which tends to strengthen them.

And so if we can go back again to the analogy of the cows creating a new path in the earth,

We might think of this as those big cows actually standing on the path for a while,

Right?

Letting the earth get really good and solid and well-established and bare.

And finally,

Before I offer you a longer meditation on joy,

I want to mention that one of the key factors in all of this work is to actually deliberately set an intention for it.

So the Buddha himself talked about the great importance of our intention more than 2,

600 years ago.

And the great cool thing is that modern science today has shown us that setting an intention actually primes our nervous system to be on the lookout for whatever will support what we intend to create for ourselves.

Just love that.

And I hope that's encouraging.

So my hope is that this talk planted that seed of intention for you a little bit to be on the lookout for more joy and ease in your life and that you will really allow yourself to start manifesting this for yourself.

And so as you're ready,

I'd like to invite you into a brief meditation on joy.

So if it's available,

You can find a good seated posture and close the eyes,

Focusing on the breath,

Inhale and exhale.

If you're out walking,

You might notice the body moving and the weight of your body being supported by your feet.

Become more embodied.

If you're driving,

You might notice your seat on the cushion feeling more embodied.

If you haven't already,

Maybe just taking a nice deep breath in,

Filling the lungs.

So exhale,

Letting go.

People around these on your own,

Again,

To become more embodied,

Allowing the breath to help calm the mind and the body,

Letting go.

You might soften the skin around the body,

Starting maybe with the top of the head,

Allowing the forehead to be smooth,

Cheeks softening,

Jaw still breathing,

Letting the eyes be soft in their sockets,

Dropping the shoulders,

Letting the shoulders relax.

Might notice the belly.

See,

We can allow the belly to soften a little bit.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

You might notice the hands.

Allow the center of the palms to be soft and open in a gesture of letting go and receiving.

As you continue,

You might even imagine breathing directly into the heart center,

Bathing the heart center with care,

Kindness,

And so that there can be a bit of an opening here in the heart.

As you're ready,

I want to invite you to ask yourself,

What happens when I let myself say simply and clearly?

I want to be happy.

What happens when you say,

I want to be happy?

Staying with it,

Noticing what happens in the mind,

Heart,

And body as you state your intention.

As continue,

I want to invite you to listen to any beliefs or thoughts that might be arising that might be blocking you from allowing yourself to experience more joy in your life.

Remembering again that you don't need to counter the beliefs or argue with them,

Try to change them.

You really want to allow them to be here so you can see them or hear them.

What might be blocking you from allowing yourself to experience more joy in your life?

As you continue,

You might even notice if there's a kind of habitual belief that's arising.

Maybe it's something you tell yourself often.

As you continue,

You might even begin to sense any emotion that might be attached to your belief.

Maybe there's a sense of fear,

Frustration,

Anger,

Worry,

Sadness,

Grief,

Maybe a combination.

If it's helpful,

You might even place one hand or both on the heart or one hand on the heart,

One on the belly,

Just to get in touch with whatever you're feeling a little more.

See if you can really gently allow any emotions that might be arising to just be fully felt right here in the mind and the body,

In the light of your kind awareness.

You might even gently whisper,

I see you,

Or it's okay.

It's okay to be with me now.

Or maybe I'm right here.

It's okay.

I'm listening.

I'm listening.

And if there's a kind of hardness or numbness,

See if you can just be with that because that's what's here.

I see you numbness,

Et cetera.

As your emotion maybe starts to become more full,

You might begin to use your awareness to directly touch any place of vulnerability,

Maybe ask emotion,

What are you believing?

Direct the inquiry to the emotion itself.

You might,

For instance,

Ask fear,

Anger,

Sadness,

What are you believing?

Or maybe fear,

What are you afraid of?

Or anger,

What are you angry about,

Et cetera.

As you continue to listen to what you're believing,

You might now begin to ask,

Is what I'm believing really true?

Is it really true?

Can I absolutely know that this is true?

Or maybe is it always true?

Is it always true?

As you're ready now,

You might consider asking yourself,

What is stopping me from letting go of this belief?

As you're ready now,

You might consider asking or considering,

What would my life be without this belief?

Or maybe how might my relationship with myself be different or my relationship with others?

What would my life be without this belief?

Now,

As you're ready,

You might consider,

What if I believe the exact opposite was true?

So see if you can just allow yourself to imagine the possibility of this,

Sensing what it might feel like in the body,

Mind,

And heart if you believe the exact opposite.

Now,

In the last few minutes,

I want to invite you to spend some time setting an intention for yourself around this.

So for instance,

You might hear the words,

I want to be happy.

I deserve to be happy.

Much more happiness in my life is possible.

I want to be happy.

I deserve to be happy.

Much more happiness in my life is possible.

Even if you have doubts about this,

See if you can just imagine what it might feel like to trust that true happiness is possible right now in this moment.

You might even recall the Buddha's words,

I would not teach about happiness and freedom if they were not possible.

I would not teach about happiness and freedom if they were not possible.

And finally,

With the eyes still closed,

Just listening to these words from Donna Faulds who tells us,

It is enough.

It is enough right now to taste one moment of peace.

Of course I want more,

But at least the door is open.

It is enough to draw a conscious breath and let my hands relax,

Fingers releasing their tight grasp on things outside of my control.

It is enough to shed a layer of stress as if taking off a jacket or a pair of too tight shoes.

Ease of being has to start somewhere.

This breath is my first step.

This breath is my first step.

Namaste and blessings.

Reviews

Thank you

Beautiful, Shell, thank you 🌟 Warm Season's Greetings to you ❄️ 🎄