Love Yourself: Invoke Joy
So I’m sure we all have been there, right? You know, we dread geting up in the morning and heading to work half-awake and then are faced with all kinds of real-world challenges not just from our job but from our life and really can’t find any reason to enjoy tackling all that life brings in a typical day, right? I mean the drive along, faced with traffic and other drivers, is enough to rip the joy right out of us to start 
Well, I realized yesterday that my breathing exercise helped to alleviate stress (and I’m going to keep working on it throughout the week), but there’s something else that may help as well…
Invoking Joy
I was reading the February Yoga Journal yesterday and found a great article entitled “Feel the Joy“. I realized that it was fate for me to have read that article because it was perfectly fitting for “Love Yourself Week”. To be honest, the only truly time when I feel the joy is typically on the weekends and I want that to change because you can’t go through your entire life only truly being joyful 2 days out of every week!
The author of the article, James Baraz, leads an online course entitled “Awakening Joy” that you may find interesting and he also has written a book of the same name. For more information on this, I suggest checking these resources out or picking up the February issue of Yoga Journal.
Baraz states: “We think that if we are successful, rich, or well-liked, happiness will follow. But to awaken our natural joy, it’s essential that we conciously prioritize our intention to be happy.”
“For example, in the middle of a random act of kindness, you can notice this gladness. By bringing midful attention to the sensations generated in the body and mind, you strengthen this ‘gladness connected with what is wholesome…‘”
“More than just feeling good, you learn to recognize what it feels like to feel good. By becoming more aware of the landscape of well-being, you amplify your joy.”
The Joy Of Letting Go
The author states, “This is relevant if you tend to fill up your life by taking on more than you can possible handle. Simplicity can mean bringing more balance to an overcrowded, busy, life. To use simplicity as a joy practice, consciously choose to say no to the next delicious invitation or decide not to add one more “important” task to your schedule. Then notice how good it feels in your body and mind to give yourself the space that opens with that de-cluttering.”
I found this part of the article to REALLY hit home with me. I am generally known as a huge multi-tasker and often crowd up any and all free time with tons of over ambitious activities, so when I read this I felt like it was really critical to share with you all because I’m sure many of you are the same way. Now I know that most things can’t be put off or said no to, but you can at least begin to prioritize what it truly important and what isn’t. Hopefully by doing so, you will find a sense of peace and of course, joy!
So, in closing, it appears that if you make a habit out of being joyful and shift your focus to finding the joy in every aspect of life, it will become more than a habit and be able to arise naturally. No matter what the situation, it seems like the takeaway here is to find the joy in everything. In some way, shape or form, there is joy in EVERYTHING, even just being alive.
On that note, I’ll leave you with one last quote from the author: “We all want to be happy, but many of us don’t put this desire at the center of our lives.”
Love Yoga Journal!!
Amen! I’ve been reading lots of things like this lately and it has helped me shift my attitude
Totally agree with you and the author. I have the magazine right here and I’ll check that article out. The mental focus is the hardest part sometimes. It’s not that I’m unhappy- just not focusing on happy.
Simplicity can mean bringing more balance to an overcrowded, busy, life. To use simplicity as a joy practice, consciously choose to say no to the next delicious invitation or decide not to add one more “important” task to your schedule.
Thank you Lindsay. I so needed to hear this!
What a great message. I’m always planning and writing out my to do list of all these ambitious tasks I want to accomplish from the time I get home from work until the time I go to bed, perhaps I need to let go a little and take the time to relax. Thanks for the reminder.
Great article! I really needed the reminder! I am always stressed and need to relax more!
great post – I’ve been trying to do this since school ended for me in December. I felt so busy all the time with working 2 jobs and homework that I never felt like I had time to do anything. Now I’m enjoying the down time
I love the quotes! I think I need to pick up that magazine.
I think I may need to get this quote tatooed on myself: ““Simplicity can mean bringing more balance to an overcrowded, busy, life.” I am like you–I multi-task to an extreme and it definitely effects me in negative ways.
I am loving the love yourself week. I couldn’t wait to see what you wrote for today!
sweets&sweats.wordpress.com
Awesome post! Especially since I’m having a huge negative nellie day.
Great article!
And I had a question for ya regarding pb2…when you make your smoothies and add your pb2, is it powder form or do you mix it with water and then add it to the rest of the ingredients?
I really like this concept. Too many times I’ll realize that I’ll living for the weekends, even though so much great stuff happens everyday! I’m trying to focus more on finding that joy everyday and appreciating it.
I’m loving this series so far. Great job!
Tracy ~ I just use it in powder form
Aw so sweet. Every morning when I wake up I just think to myself for a moment about how good and wonderful it is that I’m actually ALIVE and able to live in this world and have such amazing experiences. There’s so much to appreciate and be grateful for.
“…But to awaken our natural joy, it’s essential that we conciously prioritize our intention to be happy.”
I loved this part. I have every intention of being happy and I let other things in life get in the way and get me down. I need to remember that sometimes its a concious effort to just BE happy in life, that its not something that is just given to me.
This was so wonderful!!!! I really believe we CHOSE happiness!!!
Thank you so much for this post Lindsay! I forget this all too often.
What a beautiful post. I can definitely relate, so this reminder is wonderful. Bravo!
so true, i love your thoughts this week, it’s always important to keep things in mind