Yoga JournalUSA-January-February_2017

live well
MEDITATION

LIKE THE ABILITY TO learn a language

or love another human being, the ability

to feel joy is something we’re all born

with. And perhaps surprisingly, we

can feel joy independent of whatever else

we’re experiencing, even amidst intense

physical or psychological pain and suf-

fering, according to psychology research.

That said, many of us still believe that

joy isn’t innate—that it only comes with

possessing a specifi c item or achieving

a particular outcome. So we keep search-

ing for joy through objects, relation-

ships, and experiences, which prevents

us from realizing that this essential

emotion is already within us, patiently

waiting to be experienced.

Unfortunately, when you resist or

deny feelings of joy, your life and rela-

tionships can lose their meaning and

value. For instance, when you feel you’re

not living life fully, or when you’re feeling

bitter or jealous about that which others

overshadow your ability to feel your

innate joy. This happened to me in my

early 2 os, when I fell into a depression

upon moving to a new city. I failed to fi nd

employment and felt isolated and alone. I

lost touch with my intrinsic sense of joy

as I fl oundered in feelings of confusion

and grief, and slid into a downward

spiral, losing all sense of purpose.

That’s when I discovered that medita-

tion could unearth my innate, unchanging

joy, no matter what my circumstances.

In the midst of my depression, I found

my way into a course on yoga. At the end

of the fi rst class, during meditation, joy

unexpectedly fl ooded my body. I suddenly

felt reconnected to myself and the uni-

verse, and regained my sense of purpose

and meaning. I walked home that evening

feeling renewed, with a burning desire to

understand what had just happened to me.

Since then, I’ve come to see, through

both my personal practice of meditation

and reading countless research studies on

Let joy in

ILLUSTRATION: ABIGAIL BIEGERT

How to find happiness, even in your darkest hour.

By Richard Miller, PhD

of insight.

Joy is good medicine

Since ancient times, joy has been

recognized as a powerful medicine.

For instance, in ancient Greece, hospitals

were built near amphitheaters so patients

could easily attend comedies prescribed

to promote healing. One of the most

well-known cases of joy as good medicine

occurred when the writer and peace

activist Norman Cousins, in 1964 , was

diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

While researching his disease, Cousins

learned that negative emotions are detri-

mental to health and healing. He then

correctly hypothesized that positive emo-

tions could improve his health, and he

began reading humorous stories and

Joy can strengthen your

immune system, boost your energy,

and protect you from stress.