Rediscovering Joy

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January 29, 2011Rediscovering Joy

A few years ago, I heard something that's stuck with me ever since - the Ancient Egyptians believed that upon their death, they would be asked two questions before granted entrance to the Afterlife:

Did you find joy?

Did you bring joy?

Yes, the Egyptians took their joy seriously. In fact, Egyptians saw joy as a sacred responsibility. Now I don't know about you, but the concept of joy as a sacred responsibility lights me up. Can you imagine if everyone saw joy as a sacred responsibility? Oh, the possibilities!

TRY THIS: Meditate on joy as a sacred responsibility and ask yourself the questions above. If you want to take this even further, try asking yourself these questions every night before you go to sleep.

I find joy in unexpected places -- nature, serendipitous happenings, sensation, my breath, connection with another, movement, during my yoga practice. My mind often rolls right over these experiences but my body desires to savor them. I suppose that's why I look at my time on my yoga mat as my very own sacred responsibility. It's when I slow down, recognize joy, and savor it. My body moving at the pace of my breath fills me with deep, abiding joy. Rather than think about asana form or the next posture or what I'm going to write about in my blog, I'm in my body feeling all of the sensations present and savoring the miracle that is me.

If you're wanting to find more joy in your days, check out these joyful resources:

Say Saraswati is a joyful moving meditation that will reduce stress and bring a smile to your face in just about 7 minutes. Click here for this delicious Kundalini Celestial Communication offered by YogaMint. If you're a music lover like me, you know the power that music has to change your mood. For a mellow, uplifting experience, check out these free tracks from the CD Wonderland (I'm listening right now, in fact).Ever since my first taste of Pranayama, I've studied and practiced on a regular basis. One of my favorite morning practices is Breath of Joy. Click here to learn the Breath of Joy and invigorate your spirit and your senses. I recently found a fabulous Web site called Do As One. It's not simply a site to be visited -- it's one to be experienced. Be As One invites you in with interactive "rooms" including a breathing room, a laughing room (this is my favorite), and an om room. It's the perfect site to visit throughout your day when you need to recharge your joy batteries. Click here to check it out. 

My wish for all of you is that you bring joy and find joy.

Namaste!

 

January 29, 2011 | Permalink

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