Welcome to Joy Lab!: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Joy Lab podcast, where we help you uncover and foster your most joyful self. Your hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, bring you the ideal mix of soulful and scientifically sound tools to spark your joy, even when it feels dark. When you're ready to experiment with more joy, combine this podcast with the full Joy Lab program over at JoyLab.coach.
Aimee: Well, hello, it's Aimee here to welcome you to this sympathetic joy meditation. So Henry will be guiding you through this meditation. You can start to get into that settled, comfy position. Henry might suggest an upright posture, but please lay down if you need to.
This meditation is a surprisingly helpful tool to shift mood and perspective. I come back to this a lot. If you're not sure what sympathetic joy is, head to our last episode, number 36, before [00:01:00] or after this. But, the short version is that we're sharing in each other's joy. This meditation is also a bit of a taste of how we work in the Joy Lab program.
So I hope you enjoy it and I hope you join us over there for the program to continue to apply these elements and build them in your life in a way that makes sense for you. So do enjoy this. Use it to help you tap into the joy that is around you, especially when your cup feels dry.
Henry: Sitting quietly, holding [00:02:00] yourself comfortably, let yourself sink in. And sink into your chair, into your cushion, sink into this moment.
Bring your attention to your breath and let that ground you even more
As you breathe, as you ride the waves of your breath, allow your mind to settle.[00:03:00]
Now bring your attention to your heart center.
If it's helpful, you can place one or both hands over the heart area and just notice whatever you're feeling at this [00:04:00] moment, accepting it just as it is.
As you sit, bring to mind someone you know who has recently had good news or who seems to have success or happiness.
Whenever someone comes to mind, just let yourself focus on that person.[00:05:00]
And with as much generosity as you can, invite that image to enter close to your own heart.
As this image becomes clear,
you can silently offer them a blessing.
You can choose your own phrase or you can say silently something such as: "May your happiness grow and be with you always."
"May your success continue."[00:06:00]
"Your joy is my joy."
Notice how this feels.
And if there is any resistance. See if you can just open yourself to that. [00:07:00]
With your attention still on your heart center, you can allow that image to go. And just sit for a moment with your awareness on whatever you're feeling right now. No need to change it. Just noticing what is.
[00:08:00] And now if you'd like. Invite up another image, some other person who comes to mind that seems to be having good [00:09:00] fortune or seems to be truly happy.
Invite that image close to you and offer the same kind of blessing.
"May you always be happy."
"Your joy is my joy." [00:10:00]
Noticing what you're experiencing. Be really generous to yourself if you're finding this practice to be hard. And if you'd like, you can repeat those phrases to yourself. "May my happiness grow and be with me, always."[00:11:00]
"May I continue to have success and good things in my life."
" May I be able to take joy in others joy and success."
[00:12:00] [00:13:00] Bring your awareness back now to your breath.
Just sitting quietly, observing, riding the waves of your breath.
Notice what's in your heart now and accept that no matter what it is.
[00:14:00] As you go through the day, you might remember from time to time to bring back these phrases to remember your intention to take joy in other people's joy. So when you see people, when you pass them on the street, you can silently repeat, "May you be happy. Your joy is my joy."[00:15:00]
