Joy Week!

This weeks yoga theme is joy. I’m loving this theme already.

We have gone into our 3rd lock down due to Corona Virus and most of the world are miserable about it and miserable in general, understandably. People are really suffering. It’s hard. A good time to tap into reservoirs of happiness.

I’m reading a book about positive journaling. In the first topic she gets you to notice, remember and anticipate moments of happiness. These joy thoughts flood us with joy emotions. Writing about it enhances them yet further. We might be locked in physically but we can choose our thoughts and focus. You might even notice that certain things bring you joy that you’d forgotten about, things you could do more of or read about whilst you can’t. I didn’t realise that most of my happy thoughts were about peaceful moments or enlightening times. I could definitely invest in both of those things during lock down.

Today’s moment of joy lasted half of the day and was unexpected. I was cooking and out of the blue decided to put on a random 80’s playlist from I Tunes. I got hit by the boogie bug. I couldn’t keep my feet still, dancing like a loon around the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand. Poppy cat was seriously disturbed lol. I think my singing must have been the cherry on the cake for her. She decided sitting outside in the freezing cold was preferable, and shes a bed bug. She doesn’t really enjoy going outside in winter. I must have been bad.

I then received a message from a friend saying she’d done a meditation I’d sent her and felt my mum was in her meditation, telling her to party. It was unbelievable timing. I used to always dance and sing in the kitchen with my mum. It was our thing. I don’t think I’ve done it since she died years ago. On the first day I do, I get a message like that. Wow. Life is extraordinary and the magic never ceases to amaze me.

Next I hoped on my bike for the 1st time in months and cycled for hours, dance cycling with earphones in. If you drove past a woman miming songs and head bopping down the Kenilworth Road, that was probably me. I didn’t care what I looked like. The music, the freedom, wide open sky and sunshine made my heart feel like it wanted to burst. I was so happy. I can honestly say that practicing awareness of happiness will genuinely fill you up. You tend to feel what you think. See if you can go to good places in your head sometimes and see if you can do more of what you love. Ask yourself what you love. You might be surprised. If in doubt I have a meditation on joy in the library of past classes.

What does joy mean to you? What memories bubble up when you open to joy? What hopes do you have for more joy? What daily moments of happiness can you notice more? Write them if you feel to, or photograph them, share them with friends or spread a little sunshine on social media.

This isn’t an exercise in pasting over unhappiness. Cry your tears. Shake in your fears. Don’t pretend you’re ok when you’re not. This isn’t suppose to make you a fake it til you’re happy type. It’s just a gentle reminder that joy is a thing just as real as fear and sadness. You can go there when you feel to. Sometimes gently and subtly. Sometimes, like me today, full force both feet first!