Nourishing Joy
When I first went off sick one of my health care providers recommended I do things that gave me joy. The sad thing was I no longer knew what those “things” were. I have spoken to others since to learn I was not alone. Her advice was well intended. The problem is my thoughts brought me to a darker place as I tried to “think” my way to solutions. Some of those options were effective in providing me with momentary pleasure, like attending a concert or dance performance or being of service to local organizations.
However, joy is not a thought. Joy is a feeling and one of the highest vibrational feelings there is.
When we want to nourish joy we often look outside of ourselves to do the things we love. And there are indeed activities which invokes the feeling of joy - the arts, a child’s laughter, a cat purring, reaching the summit of a mountain, a beautiful sunset.
We are often told to think positive thoughts. Words do indeed carry an emotional tone which does effect our emotional state. But, thinking is doing and nourishing is breathing life into what is already there.
Joy which lasts comes from nourishing the feeling from within. Relaxing both the body and mind and feeling into either your heart or your belly allows you to tap into your Inner Being. There are many names for Inner Being - Higher Self, Spirit, Connection to Source. What language you use is personal to you. Regardless, this is the aspect of Self which rarely uses words to speak and if it does it uses 5 words or less. So, one way to know if you are connected to your Inner Being or not is if there is a running dialogue going on in your head, you are not connected. If there is instead a strong feeling of stillness and a quiet mind then you are.
Your Inner Being remembers the feeling of joy, wellbeing, ease, peace and stillness as that is its natural state. When you allow a drop of joy to be felt when you are in your heart or belly, with the breath you can expand the sensation. You are not doing anything, just being with the sensation and the exhalation.
During the meditation I use with clients, you are encouraged to cultivate joy before you go to sleep at night by allowing your body to fall asleep in the felt sense. And when you wake up in the morning, to tap into the feeling so you step into your day in joy. Those clients who commit to the practice find they can tap into the feeling of joy throughout their day.
For some, choosing a symbol to place by your bed, which has no emotional charge of other feelings, can be a tool that supports you to remember to engage in the practice.
Nourishing the feeling of joy in the body strengthens the neural pathways in the brain and central nervous system. Having a clear intention and an elevated emotion creates the bridge from the body which stores our unconscious memories to the opportunity to create new possibilities.
Being connected to your Inner Being is where true relaxation exists. When you are truly relaxed, deep healing can take place and fresh energy can enter your body. This energy has many names - Source, the Divine, Unbreakable Wholeness, Unified Field. What is important is you are now connected to something greater than yourself where new possibilities exist. Nourishing joy will stimulate the feeling of the joy to be alive. And, in this day and age, the world is in great need of more of us living from our Inner Being of Joy.