Joy is all about us, is us. Joy is the endless waves of the ocean, the infinity of space, as vast as the sky and as ever present as the air around us. It caresses us, soothes us, uplifts us and connects us with the good in life. When we feel joy we naturally feel happy, alive, open and at one with what we are experiencing. Imagine yourself experiencing joy, feel the smile in your being, the aliveness, the flow of energy through your physical, mental and emotional bodies. Joy is unlimited, we have everlasting access to it and are joy itself.
Most of us need to get accustomed to feeling and living joy because it is not something we live frequently. Our mental and emotional habits often keep us in some degree of numbness or lack of aliveness. We have learned to exist in certain familiar, acceptable and predictable emotional realities. We, unfortunately, find some degree of comfort or belonging living in these known and culturally acceptable emotional realms, but there is a broader spectrum of human emotions available to us.
We can retrain our mind, body and emotions to be more in tune with the flow of joy. Like any energy we want to be in harmony with, we need to become accustom to how joy feels. To reacquaint yourself with joy, start by simply contemplating this energy. Tune into the times in your life when you have experienced joy.
Another simple exercise is to train yourself to delight in another's happiness, successes and accomplishments. This is called "sympathetic joy". This might be difficult since our culture encourages other approaches, like envy, jealousy, negative comparisons, feeling lack, etc. Accept and allow these predictable emotional responses, than do
something different: simultaneously open to joy by relishing and deeply celebrating that person's triumphs and fruition. This approach is much more fun and it stimulates your oneness with all of life.
Through opening to joy in all its expressions, you'll powerfully feel your creative life force flowing through your body while simultaneously experiencing your connection to life more deeply. From that place of deep connection, you'll more easily attract your heart's deepest desires and joys into your life.
In Tibetan Buddhism Sympathetic Joy is one of the Four Immeasurables, a quality that is never ending and unbounded. It's immeasurable because its benefit and value is a pearl beyond price. Attune yourself to joy and live the flow of unending happiness and love.
Love,
Lisa
Lisa Hartnett, D.C.
Fulfilled Living Wellness Center 503 D Street, Ste. 7 • San Rafael, CA 415-457-0155
About Me
- Helping Hands
- From a young age, I have always been inquisitive about life and its deeper meaning. At the age of twenty-two, my questions began to be answered. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and bedridden for a year. Life, as I then knew and understood it, crumbled. This opened me to alternative ways of healing. Thus began my path of personal healing, Network Chiropractic and facilitating others in their healing. I now lead a vibrant and healthy life practicing Network Chiropractic, Embodiment Sessions and Songs from the Cells. I also travel throughout the East Bay, the South Bay and Marin helping animals and their caregivers through communication and healing. I am passionate about helping people and animals heal, and empowering them to know and experience their inherent healing power.