JoyFull Living by Louise Lavergne
Are you happy or too busy “trying to be happy”? Many people spend their lives chasing after happiness and never quite finding it. The Declaration of Independence expresses every citizen’s right to: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” implying that happiness is something that must be chased.
We are constantly bombarded by the media to look outside ourselves for happiness, as if our happiness depended on “things” and events. And the endless chase begins with the conditions we establish for achieving happiness:
• When I have that healthy and fit body, then I will be happy.
• When I have that perfect relationship or ideal career, then I will be happy.
• When I have more money, more time, more…fill in the blank, then I will be happy.
The fact is that happiness (just like change) comes from within, and is not dependent on any outside circumstance. Every day when we wake up we face two choices: to be happy or not to be. Some days it is easy to feel happy, but other days the uncertainty of the future and worries about family, health or money get the best of us.
Being happy requires daily practice and just like a muscle, the more we exercise, the stronger and easier it will get. Without a peaceful heart, it is impossible to experience a lasting sense of happiness. When we rely on external events, we experience great highs, then we can come crashing down when they are over. Yoga and meditation practices are excellent tools to awaken and strengthen inner peace and connect to a sense of deep well-being. They allow us to become less dependent on external circumstances in order to feel good about ourselves and life in general.
Another tool I always come back to is gratitude. Don’t we all want to feel good and excited about our lives? To be able to jump out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead? Here’s an easy daily exercise that can help. You can do this upon waking, before you even get out of bed:
* While still in bed (lying or sitting up), make gentle fists with your thumbs tucked inside your closed hands.
* For a few seconds, squeeze your thumbs and put a big smile on your face (fake it ‘til you make it!).
* Then relax your fists and begin to think about the things you are grateful for in your life right now.
* For each thought, open one finger, until you have both hands open. It’s okay to repeat the same thing more than once if you can’t come up with 10 things. Some days you may need to repeat the same 2 or 3 things over and over, other days you will run out of fingers!
* As you lay or sit with your palms open and that smile still on your face, take a few more slow breaths while enjoying this feeling of gratitude.
* Then, while lying on your back, put your feet and hands up in the air (if you can) and shake them vigorously for as long as you can. Laughing is definitely allowed!
* Now get up and decide to have a happy morning!
If you repeat this exercise every time you start to feel grumpy or gloomy, you’ll see how your life starts to shift from the pursuit of happiness to the joy of actually feeling happy. I should warn you that this condition is contagious!
Remember to take time to breathe, laugh often and En-Joy.
© Louise Lavergne 2001-2013
www.JoyFull-yoga.com;www.JoyFull-living.com 899-0707 2012 Louise is an international inspirational speaker, coach, author, creator of JoyFull Yoga and JoyFull living coaching. She owns JoyFull Yoga LLC in Jacksonville where she offers private sessions and group classes. Email us your questions at louise@joyfull-living.com
Louise is a spiritual teacher of Personal Growth & Empowerment. As a JoyFull Living Coach she offers effective, transformative tools, guidance and inspiration to assist you in releasing the attachment to struggle, pain and suffering. She empowers and inspires you to partner with yourself for success with personal and health goals, offering tools and strategies to live your best life NOW. She is also the owner and creator of JoyFull Yoga, which has it’s home here in Jacksonville. 541-899-0707. To find out more, please visit
Thanks for the information. My thought, first you have to be happy with the person you see in the mirror every time you look in it. I agree happiness comes from within ones self, with a lot of help from God. It always seems to help to pray about all things first not when it’s too late or bad stuff is about to happen. Be thankfull for everything in life, good or bad, happy or sad. He will help you through anything, all we need is to ask.(pray) Just keep in mind, he will answer only in his time. I am thankful every day for my daughters, my husband, job, grandchildren, good health, family, even the ones I consider crazy too. Thank you for allowing my comment.i will have to try some of your methods. Have a happy day! ;) God bless all your readers!