A note from Sean
Try this today. Think of one person whose good news stung a little, or anyone doing well. Rest a hand on your chest and take a slow breath. Silently say, “May your good fortune continue.” Say it three times and notice what happens in your chest and your face. If envy shows up, notice it, and keep wishing them well. You don’t need a crowd. One person is enough to start.
Keep going: Altruistic Joy and Overcoming Jealousy.
This suits anyone who compares themselves to others, which is most of us, and anyone who wants to feel glad for a friend and can’t quite get there yet. If envy is tangled up with loss or a painful comparison, go gently. Stop when you need to.
Here’s a Sample of the “Reduce Envy And Celebrate Others” Guided Meditation Script:
Try this meditation practice:Celebratory Love. Find a locationwhere you can situndisturbed;place your feetflat on the floor, and adjust your positionand posture, until your bodyfeels both alertand open. Lengthen your spine, as if it were an antenna. Lift your heartas if you wereoffering it upas a gift. Again, you will hearmy voicefollowed by periodsof silence;in the silence, continue to offeryour good wishes.We will beginand end this practicewith the soundsof a chime. Take a fewslow, deep breaths, bringing your awarenessto eachas it risesand falls.
Set an intentionfor this session;perhaps it’s toreduce envy, or learn tocelebratethe success of others. Good events, large and small, are abundantin other people’s lives. All you needto dois awaken to them. Throughout this session, bring your awarenessto your heart region;notice how your practiceaffects your body, even your face. Know that thesentimentsand sensationsyou createare more importantthan the wordsthemselves. Visualize someonewho is experiencinggood fortune.It could be abig event, like ahealthy newborn, or a promotion at work, or small, like enjoying a runor a sense of easeas the day unfolds.
