12 Aug 5 Practices to Bring You Joy in the Here and Now
Happiness, joy, pleasure … they’re all forms of positive emotion.
And happiness, joy, pleasure etcetera … are all good for you (even if in different ways).
So, if you’d like to experience more happiness and joy, here and now, then read on …
via Psychology Today by Diana Hill
It felt nearly impossible to pull out of our busy family life and head to Plum Village Monastery in France. As is often the case, doing the impossible is what makes life magical. It’s available to you right now. Here are some of the lessons I want to share with you upon our return.
1. Look for the Path
Plum Village is full of walking paths—paths through plum orchards, aspen trees, and even tiny paths between meditation cushions. Unlike pills that may make the pain go away short-term, paths can offer a long-term solution to our suffering. We expect and crave quick fixes when we hurt, but often these fixes only worsen our pain.
In the book Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor describes spiritual paths as having three beneficial qualities: direction, freedom to move, and a feeling of never being alone.
Practice at home:
- Find a path and follow it. What gives you a sense of direction? How can you move flexibly along that path? Where do you find community?
Photo: Enjoying a lotus flower growing in the mud pond at Lower Hamlet
Source: Diana Hill
2. Wake Up and See What’s Here
The first thing I noticed when I stepped into Thich Nhat Hanh’s hermitage was his view. “Thay called this his TV,” said Brother Phap Huu. He pointed to the large window overlooking orchards, rolling hills, and a dramatic blue sky with puffy white clouds. The brown hues of his hermitage made the colors pop even more.
We have the right to enjoy life even when it’s painful and uncertain. Often, we are so caught in our thoughts or distracted by wanting things to be different that we miss out on the natural joy right before our eyes.
Practice at home:
- When you wake up, watch nature’s television. Instead of turning right to your phone or ruminating in your thoughts, step outside, look out a window, and enjoy what’s here now…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE