Yoga JournalUSA-January-February_2017

24

february 2017

yogajournal.com

live well

MEDITATION

watching funny movies, essentially laughing

his way back to wellness. In 1989 ,validating

Cousins’s case, the Journal of the American

Medical Association published a pioneering

article on laughter therapy as a treatment

for improving the quality of life of chroni-

cally ill patients. Research shows that

regularly experiencing joy—whether in

the form of laughter or of activities that

promote happiness and well-being—can

produce healthy changes throughout your

body. Joy can strengthen 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

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 Welcom-

ing 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 experienc-

ing 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 fi nding 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 support-

ing 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, fi rst 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.

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