Joy
Let’s speak about joy. It is something that
shines out of every pore in your being. It bubbles
up out of your heart and your mind. Its energy
is soft, light and clear. Joy is very transforming.
You don’t need a lot of anything to be joyful. People
in the poorest of circumstances can be filled with joy.
One can choose to be joyful. It is a choice that can made every day.
Joy can also be a tool of guidance. If we can be
led by what makes us joyful, we can begin doing more
of the things that will bring us a fulfilled life. Just follow
the joy.Somehow we have been told in the past that we
are not meant to enjoy life, and that it must be drudgery
and hard work. I didn’t enjoy my life much in the past,
but I began to transform misery into joy. I gave myself
permission to laugh and enjoy my life. I began to ask
myself, “What do I really love to do?!” and I started
doing more of these things. Even if it was something
very small, it was a beginning. Now, I often feel a
tremendous amount of joy.
There is an exercise that I suggest that can
transform whatever mood you find yourself in to one
of joy. It is to list ten things right in the moment that
make you joyful. They can be very simple things to
list: that you found a seat on the train, that you are
going to your favorite place, that you are meeting
your favorite friend, or that you have this moment
alone; that you see a child playing, that you see a
little dog and his little tail is wagging enthusiastically,
or that you hear a beautiful song; that you are in love,
or that there is something special happening, that it is a
sunny day, that you have ten toes, and ten fingers;
that a stranger standing across from you is wearing a
fantastic color, or you are wearing your favorite color,
or perhaps you remember a day at the beach and the
sound of the ocean.
You can add anything you want to your
joy list. Your list will change moment by moment.
And you can keep it very private if you like.
The point is to do it in the moment, and you can
add an affirmation for yourself: “I’m happy right
now because that person is wearing blue today.” or,
“I can be joyful because that silly little dog is wagging
his little tail.”
I find many things to be joyful about during
the day, and you can too. Look around you to find
what can prompt you to be joyful. Do it. Make a
choice to be joyful. Make a choice to embrace
the moment, to enjoy the moment. ‘Enjoy’ is a word
that to me that means to join with joy. So if you
en-joy someone or something, you are joining to
them for that moment with joy. To enjoy life is to
join with life with joy. To enjoy soccer game is to
join the game and the fun with joy. To enjoy moment
by-moment the life that you are building is to join to
each moment that you find yourself in with joy. Fun,
isn’t it!!
You can create joyful moments and carry
these with you wherever you go. When you meet
someone, let your joy really flow to her/him. Enjoy
the meeting, enjoy the discussions, enjoy the food,
enjoy the touches, and the show of affections.
Joy is something to be shared and savored. When
your pool of joy is filled up, empty it all out
in another moment and for another encounter.
Enjoy animals. Enjoy people. Enjoy your life
moment by moment.
Add new things and new moments to
your changing joy list. If something happened that
was very unpleasant, and you just don’t want to
remember it, then your joy might be remembered
when you left or as you were leaving. Or that it is
now finished and you never have to go through it
again. Joy, that you were strong enough to go through
it, or that you knew Jesus, or your guardian angel never
left you in that moment. Or Joy that you are now free.
We can be incredible instruments of joy for someone
else. Open to each person, and choose joy. Enhance
the joy that is already there and let it flow out.
Call it forth.
Yoga Kat–aka Katheryn Hoban is a yoga teacher with twelve years experience. She teaches children’s yoga ages 3-6, and 7-12 and Adults privately in NJ. She is the author the book DAUGHTER BELOVED which will come out next year. She has created a children’s affirmation CD (ages 3-6) and an affirmation CD for adults. Yoga Kat is available for speaking or writing and can be reached at katscoolcorner@yahoo.com or 201 970-9340