The picture that is “Today I Choose Joy” is one that I see every morning from my bed, before even putting my feet on the floor. I don’t always listen, but most days I try. After all, isn’t that what we are all looking for in this life? Joy or Happiness. I’m not sure if they’re different, and to me they feel the same.
Feel the same. That’s the word. To have the feels and recognise it when it happens would be the secret in that happy/joy sauce. What makes us happy? I know at this point in my life that it’s not the stuff that up until now I have spend a great deal of life in hot pursuit of, it’s not status either. Not that I ever really had “status”, or recognised it if I did at any point. I once saw a mug in a gift shop that read “Today I choose happiness” and pointed it out to someone who replied, quite adamantly, “You can’t CHOOSE happiness”. I don’t argue, so I walked away. There really is no having a discussion with this person so I chose happiness by walking away. Man, I wish I could insert a smile emoji here.
There has been so many days in my life that I just feel sadness. Most recently, this week. Recognising the timing on that might help to not feel it as often though. It seems to come when the clouds cover the sun for days in a row, or when someone I care deeply about doesn’t respond in a way that I “expect”, or maybe it’s just the upcoming full moon. It’s hard to tell. What I do know for sure is that to see a pattern is likely one of the first things to overcoming the sadness and finding the happy.
There are all kinds of tricks that help with it and I do try to do them all, and often all in one day. Good thing I don’t have a paying job. Haha, because sometimes it takes the whole damn day to do all the things. This last bout that hit me got dealt with by doing the early morning Yoga Asanas and then getting outside for a brisk walk in nature. During that walk I tapped into the 5 senses. What I could feel..the cool air on my face, what could I smell…the fresh air, what I could hear…the birds singing, you get the picture. It’s a thing that brings me back to the present moment and that’s the only place to really try to stay to be happy. Sometimes it’s a good memory too, but mostly just being present. Gratitude. That’s the next thing to practice. It really isn’t that difficult, except when we are exceptionally sad it’s hard to pinpoint the things to be grateful for. This is when we can take a deep breath and try to be grateful that we can do that. Writing in my Journal is super helpful for sure. I will write a page and just rant if that is what’s necessary to just get shit off my mind and out, without hurting anyone. If necessary, I’ll just burn that page afterwards and visualise it all going away from me as it goes up in smoke. Safety first. Don’t burn it in the house. I use a cauldron in my back yard. It’s a little witchy and I love it. Then there’s the no expectations part. It’s a really hard thing for most humans to get their heads wrapped around. Most of us put our potential for being happy in the hands of someone else. We want people to do and be as we expect them to be so that it lines up with our core values, and not necessarily their core values. This is why learning to not expect things from other people. Communication is key though, and this always varies from one relationship to another. There’s a whole different blog regarding relationships and I’m not even going to go there. I’m talking here about finding happiness. It’s in the present moment, and recognising it when it flutters in. Also, the realisation that when it goes away that it will be back, and trust in that. When I feel that sadness that creeps in I really do tell myself that “This too shall pass”, and I carry on.
I did the Inner engineering Course offered by the Isha Institute and Sadhguru. This has helped me a great deal and by having a morning ritual of Yoga every single morning that includes asana’s as well as breath work and meditation, it brings me back to my centre and grounds me. In the 7 steps of Inner Engineering there are mechanisms that I can revisit during the day to bring me back to what it is that’s important and to a place of peace, and Joy. That thing we are all looking to have more often and on a daily basis. I highly recommend that every human over the age of 13 do the inner engineering program. It’s also what has lead me back to yoga and to get working on getting my yoga teacher training.
Happiness and Joy is what I truly wish for all humans, it’s actually our birthright and something we were born with and somehow lost along the way. I say all of this with love and sincerity, from the inside out!
