Breathe Joy

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.
When the mind is pure, a joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Buddha



Release the joy inside another and you realease the joy that is inside you.
Neale Donald Walsh



We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need to earth we share
Maya Angelou

This morning, first thing- it was very early. I felt my sweet dog jump on to the bed right next to me. He put his face next to mine as if to gently awaken me. I remained lying there for a moment - allowing myself to feel the amazing joy that was coursing through my body, tingling, sparkling, oscillating and renewing me. All from a short moment of bonding with Bo.

These moments are priceless. Joy is priceless. Whatever we can do to generate a sense of joy is priceless. "We need joy as we need air" We need to breathe joy.

All positive emotions create more positive emotions. That is the law of attraction in action. As I am writing this have put my ipod on shuffle and decided to see what it wants me know..... "I will sing your praises, I will sing your freedom song" - a song celebrating life, "we are eternal". The title of the song is "Inner Flight". I could take this as conincidence- and I know better. The world is constantly reflecting back to us, mirroring us- in every moment. So right now the Ipod is the world reflecting back my own emotions. I am the one who is receiving the information- and creating within myself the overflowing pot of JOY.

It is so easy for us all to forget what it is that brings us Joy. A client recently said to me- that she had not reallized how 'dry' her life had become. What she meant was that in her attempts to "get things under control- take action and not procrastinate" she has totally stifled the joy out of her life. She was not allowing herself to feel joy. There is the key- she was NOT ALLOWING. When we deny ourselves the life force in our beings- when we shut it down in an attempt to "get a handle on things" we also shut down our creativity- we stop breathing. "We need joy as we need air". This is not living!

How do we allow Joy? How do we even realize when we are not allowing Joy? (please note the song now playing - The Miracle of Love!)

Practice #1 - Do you have time for Joy?
Take a deep breath- allow yourself to find a space inside to take a moment. Now take a moment to look at your day. Ask yourself how many times have you missed the chance to feel joy? Perhaps your kid or dog invited you into a playful moment - but you were too 'busy'. Perhaps there was something funny on the radio- but rather than listen you had to 'do" something else. or maybe it was that your friend called to tell you something sweet, but you let it go to voicemail. Busy-ness and the attemtpts to control our lives kills the joy. We have to make time to feel the positive emotions. We have to notice them...and notice the opportunity for them.

Practice #2- Breathe the Joy
Now take a deep breath- let go of whatever it is that you need to do right this moment. All the 100's of things that could pull at your attention. That want you to deal with them. Now take a prescious moment- and bring light to yourself. Allow yourself to feel the energy inj your body, take a moment and look around the room you are in- even if it si your office- look and find something that gives you joy- it could be the way the light is coming through the window, it could be your co-worker who is sweet, silly, annoying- whatever it is find the JOY for a moment. Become an expert at finding the Joy...become a joy receiver- tune yourself to Joy!!! Turn up the light on your Joy....allow it to be radiant. For this moment. And notice what happens inside your body. Joy heals......Joy creates more Joy- this is no mistake- and the positive emotions are regenerative......

Now.....
Notice the Joy card- the kids who are on the front of the card are a profound reminder of the tenacity and prevailing nature of JOY. These kids are living in the most terrfying country in the world- in the midst of war and terror, and yet even they can allow Joy.

I invite you to be JOY to day- to breathe it into your being at every opportunity. To take the time to unlock in another Joy- for the in the act of giving we so deeply receive.

Breathe Joy today.......