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april / may 2017yogajournal.com.sgstrengthen your immune system; boost your
energy; diminish your perception of pain,
anxiety, and depression; protect you from
the damaging effects of stress; increase your
ability to sleep restfully through the night;
and more. And the best thing is that you can
access feelings of joy at any time through
meditation.
Practice: Welcome Joy’s Opposite
Every sensation, emotion, and cognition,
whether positive or negative, is half of a
whole. This is true for joy, too. When you
welcome joy into your life, its opposite may
come forward in the form of a negative
feeling. For example, when you try to
experience joy in the face of an illness,
accident, or dissolution of a relationship,
you can end up with unresolved feelings like
sadness, grief, and shame. Instead of falling
into despair, use an exercise called Welcoming
the Opposite of Joy, which allows you to
invite these feelings in as messengers that
help you experience healing and resolution.
Try this practice next time you’re experiencing
a negative sensation, emotion, thought, or life
event, or even during a thought or experience^
that is overall positive but do esn’t
necessarily evoke joy—like finding a good
parking spot. You’ll be surprised by how this
simple exercise can have such a life-changing
effect.
With your eyes open or closed, welcome
the environment and sounds around you:
the touch of air on your skin, sensations
where your body touches the surface that’s
supporting it, your body breathing, and
sensations present throughout your body.
Now, locate a feeling of joy in your body.
This could be a feeling of connection, well-
being, peace, happiness, or any sensation
that feels like joy to you. If it’s helpful, bring
to mind a memory of a person, animal, place,
or object that evokes joy. Notice where and
how you experience that joy in your body—
perhaps it’s a warm feeling in your heart or
a glow in your belly. Welcome and allow the
feeling of joy to grow and spread throughout
your body.
Now, pair your joy with an opposite,
stressful sensation, emotion, or cognition, or
with a particular stressor in your life. Feel how
this stressful thought, emotion, or situation
affects your body and mind.
Now, alternate between experiencing the
feeling of joy and the stressor. Go back and
forth, first feeling joy in your body, then the
stressor. Then, feel both at the same time,
letting joy spread throughout your body
even as you feel the stressor. When it feels right,
relinquish the stressor and just feel joy radiating
throughout your body. Rest here for as long as
you feel comfortable.
When you’re ready, let your eyes open and
close several times as you encourage the feeling
of joy to accompany you into your daily life.Practice: Welcome Gratitude & Joy
Another practice for welcoming joy is to spend
time experiencing gratitude moments—
welcoming feelings of gratitude and joy into
body and mind. You do this by taking time to
recall that which you’re thankful for. Research
shows that people who regularly practice
gratitude moments are more joyful andexperience less depression than those who
don’t. The following is good to do at night,
before falling asleep.
With your eyes open or closed, welcome the
environment and sounds around you: the touch
of air on your skin, sensations where your
body touches the surface that’s supporting it,
your body breathing, and sensations present
throughout your body.
Welcome into your body feelings of gratitude
and joy: perhaps for a friend or animal in your
life; for where you live; for something someone
has done for you; for having food, shelter, and
clothing; or for simply being alive. Allow feelings
of gratitude and joy to spread throughout your
body. Feel an inner smile or your heart growing