WHAT IS THIS JOY YOU SPEAK OF?

I remember when I first heard a teacher talk about JOY and the pursuit of it, I’m going to say I was likely in a Yoga class.

It seemed like the most unobtainable thing to me on the planet at this particular juncture in my life, but I was intrigued. I was what you would call totally disconnected from my body and feelings. Numb, yeah. Like they might as well have told me to dance on my head for all intensive purposes.

I mean, I had moments of it kicking about here and there. On a dance floor, laughing with friends, but deep down I was not in a place to really embody it.

I understand that we all have our shadows in some capacity of seeing the world through a distinct lens that may be driven by old patterns and wounds, so this honours that on the path to this joy I speak of.

That being said, the JOY notion also popped on my radar not too soon after the toxic happiness journey ended. If you have ever gone through the toxic happiness journey, you know that it involves ignoring your true feels so much that you literally collapse in a extra super sad heap, but for like months.

You likely learned about it in a Yoga studio (I love Yoga, but this is a deep shadow in a lot of the teachings out there) or my other favourite “high vibration law of attraction” ones that use this mindset guilt to really bypass your experience.

So, the pendulum MUST swing to the other side.

So while I am still a little mad at happiness for being like a false currency in some schools, I really wanted to discover this joie. What I like about joy though is that in the way I was seeing it taught, it was also tied into life fulfilment.

Joy felt embodied.

At the time this seemed like a needed goal.

My wounds were still too omnipresent.

I was pretty directionless.

I was super disconnected from my body. My therapists words.

So here I was, setting the intention for this shift to awaken within.

I want to say too that I understand impermanence and the cyclical nature of things. We get to feel all the feels but our baseline can shift, so where our landings are as we heal can be softer.

So let’s look at that fulfillment piece.

Actually, let’s look at the heart.

"The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it." 

— Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

You are probably wondering what is the path to JOIE already, Sheri.

One of the path’s to joy is through the heart.

That's what we will discuss today.

We take the journey from the head to the heart.

This is the journey to a radiant heart and when we live a heart centred life and cultivate that inner spark, that’s what we shine outwards.

So the path to joy isn’t necessarily something that is sparked by felt experience and what happens around us, but rather our relationship to that heart alignment. THEN the experiences shine brighter.

“Radiate your light and energy toward the life of your dreams, and watch your brilliance shine” - Adele Basheer

Our connection to our hearts desires, essence and dreams. When we are clear about what we love in the world and what lights us up. When we can be present in those moments and have a clear path to those calls. When we know our divine calls and what bring us pleasure in this world and what our purpose is, that baseline I spoke of really changes things. I understand the path is not always an easy one to discover, but it’s our birthright and mission to live that truth and a sure path to joie baseline. I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t take me years.

Visoka va jyotismati

Or, the light within which is free from all suffering and sorrow.

—Yoga Sutra I.36

Enter the spiritual heart. When you hear the words “heart opening” this is that space. Hridaya where our soul’s essence lives our Atman or true self. When I refer to the inner radiance of the heart, this is the stuff I speak of. Why? Because the teachings say that deep in the cave of this precious spiritual heart of ours lies a light beyond all sorrow. We reach it by this journey of connection to this deeper experience that is a compass to our joy and Ananda, bliss.

I know, I took it a little deep there but at the heart of this discussion is that pull inward to our desires and our soul and its purpose which resides on our hearts.

Here are some other ways to tap into joy that you may find helpful.

Everytime I had an experience with a renowned teacher the thing I remarked the most from that experience was just how funny they were. Like, they ran so deep in their wisdom and the amount of teachings absorbed yet they could still laugh at themselves. So humour is a clear indicator of joy, especially when it allows us not to take things too seriously sometimes.

Community connection as we know after the past couple of years is a hugely impactful path to joy,

A connection to the sacred and the divine - or whatever you believe in that is bigger than you.

Knowing your inner voice and what turns you on - need to reiterate that one. I love getting into the body for this exercise and really listening to what that means, takes practice but it works.

Finally, being able to receive, Receving is believing as I often say. It’s also a journey and can take time to rewire old pathways that may feel unsafe, but it’s maybe a little harder to have joy emanate all around us and within if we can’t see it or absorb it.

When you see Joy through this lens it’s a path to liberation. It’s a brave one to take but often it’s also a deep call and desire and we deserve to live in it. Just like our hearts’ our version of joy is unique to us too.

Sxo

Book in a reading or energy healing with me to help get clear, shift and support your growth journey or free discovery call if you are unsure where to begin.