Yoga JournalUSA-January-February_2017

26

february 2017

yogajournal.com

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MEDITATION

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 and experience less depres-

sion 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 support-

ing it, your body breathing, and sensations

present throughout your body.

Welcome into your body feelings of grati-

tude 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 warm. Allow feelings of

gratitude to expand and radiate throughout

your body, and into the space all around you.

Notice opposite feelings that may arise,

such as disappointment, grief, and unhappi-

ness. As opposites arise, welcome them. Then,

in turn, welcome feelings of gratitude and joy.

Allow gratitude to saturate every part of your

body that feels, or has felt, unhappy.

When it feels right, let go of all opposites,

allowing yourself to feel only gratitude and joy,

for no reason at all.

When you’re ready, open and close your

eyes several times while affi rming your inten-

tion to feel gratitude and joy throughout your

day. Then, go about your activities knowing

that gratitude and joy are always with you,

wherever you are, whatever you’re doing,

whomever you’re with, helping you feel con-

nected to yourself and the world around you.

Practice resting in feelings of gratitude

and joy during meditation, whenever you’re

falling asleep and waking up, and as you

go about your day. Taking in small, regular

daily doses of gratitude and joy go es a long

way toward enhancing your overall health

and well-being.

Moving forward

Yogic meditation invites you to treat every

life event you encounter as an opportunity

to remember, experience, and strengthen

your realization of joy as innate and

ever-present, no matter what your cir-

cumstances. Accessing joy will help you

explore your interconnected wholeness

with all of life, which in turn enhances

your ability to experience unchanging

well-being, gain insight, and take the

actions you need to experience harmony

within yourself, across your lifetime.

Richard Miller, PhD, is the founding president

of the Integrative Restoration Institute (irest.us)

and co-founder of the International Association

of Yoga Therapists. This is his eighth in a se-

ries of 10 columns designed to help you create

a lasting and impactful meditation practice.