In his 2012 book, Awakening Joy, James Baraz reminds us that it is possible to cultivate joy in everyday life. Our lives may cycle through triumphs and hardships, but there’s no reason to operate from a place of perpetual suffering, punctuated by moments of joy. Instead, it’s possible for joy to be our default mode, even if sometimes interrupted by human moments of sorrow.
The following James Baraz quotes from Awakening Joy are each accompanied by a brief video. May they inspire you to turn towards the mindfulness practices that will further open your heart to joy.
“When we pay attention to wholesome states, they increase.”
Baraz’s book begins with the call to incline our minds toward joy. The practice of mindfulness can help make this possible. Our minds have a negativity bias that likely once helped protect us. For many of us, it now leads to ruminating on moments of hardship, which can make it harder to see the joy that’s available.
Through mindfulness, we strengthen our self-awareness. Not only do we notice when we’re unnecessarily dwelling on the bad, but we open our field of perception to more of the good. When something’s on our mind, we notice it more. By intentionally seeking joy, even in the tiniest moments, we nourish the ability to notice joy more often.
You might practice focusing your attention with the following video on breath awareness, then bring that awareness to noticing joy during the day.
“A grateful heart is a joyful heart.”
When we train the mind to spot joy, we begin to notice joy all around us. Similarly, when we intentionally cultivate gratitude, our hearts open to the sheer magnitude of all we have to be grateful for. As a gratitude practice matures, many people find reasons to be grateful even amidst life’s difficult challenges.
Living in gratitude can keep us from taking things for granted. Small accomplishments become reasons to give thanks, and we may feel a greater sense of contentment. We no longer have to wait for a future set of circumstances before connecting to joy. The grateful, joyful heart is available to experience joy in the present moment.
You might deepen your present-moment gratitude with the following meditation, practicing it daily and noticing what shifts.
“Not resisting the pain of negative states of mind is an act of bravery that allows them to dissolve.”
Mindfulness and gratitude can be partners in developing the capacity to be present with our current circumstances and state of mind, whatever that may be. We develop a sense of acceptance that’s grounded in present-moment reality. By accepting reality as it is, we give ourselves and our circumstances the opportunity to evolve.
Joy is not something outside of ourselves we must fight for, it’s intrinsic to our nature and lives within us. When we cease fighting the states of mind that obscure joy, we no longer give them as much power. In the space of mindfulness, hardships can soften and joy has more room to be noticed.
The following video explores being present with challenging emotions without being overwhelmed by them. One way to look at it: you are not your emotions, and challenging emotions sometimes arise in a mind that is also capable of joy.
“If you want to be happy, don’t intentionally cause suffering to yourself or others.”
Happy people rarely hurt others, and if we keep hurting others, happiness is hard to find. Minimizing the harm we cause others, either physically, with our words, or in our minds, can reduce our own suffering. Acting with integrity can ease stress, calm the mind, and allow us to relax. We can take this one step further by not only ceasing to harm others, but by intentionally bringing them joy. Sharing joy with others can be a good way to feel good ourselves.
While Baraz emphasizes that mindfulness is not about religion per se, there’s a good reason why many of the world’s religions present a code of ethics as a foundation for cultivating a happy, joyful life. Being kind releases us from the drama that might otherwise obscure our joy.
Watch this four minute video in which Baraz discusses the influence of ethics, kindness, and integrity and why it’s important we not leave these out of our mindfulness practice.
“Circumstances change, we change, things change, and letting go of what we’re holding on to can be a great relief. It is also the road to happiness.”
Anything we’re attached to in this life can become a source of suffering when it changes. The physical objects we carry with us will get lost, old, or damaged. Our jobs and our relationships will change. Our own bodies will become old and sick. When we learn to let go we accept the fact that this change is coming, and our hearts and minds can be more at peace. Then, when the inevitable happens, it may feel less crushing.
We also carry with us a set of expectations, and a particular identity or history of stories. Letting go of this opens us up to a world of potential. Letting go of our past can be freeing, and we may find ourselves becoming the joyful people we’ve always wanted to be. When we let go of expectations we gain possibilities. No matter how things turn out, there’s a chance they’re moving in just the way they are supposed to.
In the following video, Tara Brach leads a guided meditation on letting life be. Anchoring awareness to the body in the present moment helps us increase our capacity to let go and be with things as they are.
“Speaking kindly to yourself is one of the most important ways to bring more joy into your life”
Self-compassion can be a foundation for joy. We deserve to be happy. We may have a history of thinking joy is a frivolous pursuit, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. When we open ourselves to joy, we become humans who give and share joy with the world. On the contrary, remaining contracted and trapped in an energy of pain and victimhood tends to serve no one. Joy can turn us from helpees into helpers.
But our compassion for others can be hard to sustain until we extend compassion to ourselves. Embracing our full humanity allows us to let go of what Baraz calls the ‘anxiety about non-perfection.’ Our flaws become gifts we can learn from, and a potential means of connecting with others.
You might practice befriending yourself with a guided mindfulness exercise led by psychologist and author Rick Hanson. Many people find it easier to love others when they also love themselves.
“Connection with others is one of the most important sources of joy.”
Human beings are wired for relationships. Our relationships with others are often our most accessible portals to joy. Sympathetic joy, or mudita in Sanskrit, is the ability to relish in the joy of others. Letting go of jealousy, envy, or ill-will reminds us that joy is not in limited supply, available only to the winners. Joy is not a limited resource, and recognizing it in another can open the way to our own.
Just like mindfulness or gratitude, compassion is something we can develop with practice. In the following video, Joseph Goldstein leads a guided meditation on mudita. May it help you share more freely in the joy of others.
“Build the foundation for a mind that needs no entertainment to enjoy the moment.”
We frequently make the mistake of thinking joy exists only in the far-off future. In our confusion, we view joy as a side effect of getting the new job, the bigger house, or the right relationship. But joy isn’t out there ahead waiting for us to catch up. Joy exists within us, and is waiting for us to stop, pay attention, and notice.
Mindfulness teaches us to quiet the mind and be present. It’s in this state of calm and presence we’re most likely to spot joy. Through mindfulness, we learn the value of being versus doing. When we relax and open our hearts to presence, we’re available to experience awe and a deep, felt sense of joy.
You might insert more pauses into your life with the following mindfulness exercise on simply stopping. This foundational practice helps us be present in the here and now, where joy is found.
To read James Baraz’s book on Awakening Joy or to participate in his 5-month course, visit the Awakening Joy website.
