It’s winter and in most parts of the northern hemisphere, it’s cold. Some places it’s really, really cold and the sun doesn’t shine for months. During these deep freezes, it can be easy to feel down and depressed.
Do you feel down?
Are you feeling depressed?
Is the heavyweight of winter causing the blues?
You don’t have to wait for the rays of the sun to peek through the cloud cover to feel it penetrating you! Light yourself up from the inside out and feel the rays of warmth beaming out and back at you.
Little Miss Sun-shine
Think about those warm happy people who seem to exude joy even on the coldest days of the year. They don’t whine and complain about the weather or life. Their shiny glow warms everyone who encounters them.
So, what is it about them that allows them to be sunbeams even in the dark of winter? They are connected to something that brings them joy and they stay in that feeling no matter if they have icicles growing off their eyelashes. (Like seriously, that used to happen to me when I lived in Northern Minnesota.)
What is joy?
Well, emotionally joy is as high as we can go. It means we are directly connected to something that vibrates at a high frequency or level. Most of us call that something God but there are many names for that high vibe. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Source, Life Force, Krishna are just a few of the most common names
I’ve noticed that everyone — even if they follow a religion, has their own unique interpretation of God. I like to say that as many people that are here on this planet there are names, ideas, connections to a higher power.
All I really know is when you are connected to a higher energy vibration you feel joy. Many of the ancient texts, poets and rituals say that the path to joy/God is a daily practice. Here’s what Rumi has to say about a daily practice from his poem–
The Sunrise Ruby
Submit to a daily practice.
Your loyalty to that is a ring on the door.
Keep knocking, and the joy inside
will eventually open a window
and look out to see who’s there.
This week’s Ageless Movement Practice will slowly flow you to connect to joy. It’s all about joyfully honoring the sun. Yes, the ancient body prayer to the sun called Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit.
Sun Salutation is slowed way down to teach you how to protect and open your shoulders in this body prayer. Flow on over to joy, — warm-up and tone up your whole body. Take the higher energy in and beam it back out. Be warmth itself.
Share with us what brings you joy in the comments section below.
Warmly,
Kristin Osgood Lamelas says
Dance parties with my daughter bring me joy. ❤️
Michelle Andrie says
I so love that! Childlike joy!!
Wendy says
Cooking in the garden with freshly harvested ingredients!
Michelle Andrie says
Oh, yes… nothing more joyful than eating from the garden!