This is the season of joy and frivolity, yet for many, it is just the opposite.

I always hold on to a teaching by my meditation teacher: 

It takes great effort to hold onto joy. 

It’s easy to think that joy, happiness and contentment just happen, or that holidays, people you love, or gifts received make you feel that way—but that kind of happiness is very short-lived. True and lasting joy bubbles up from within, for no apparent reason. To cultivate contentment, the effort required is to build self-awareness and connect to your center of love and wisdom by taking time for reflection and practices to quiet the mind, calm emotions and become steady in the body.

This is not an easy habit to develop. Undisciplined thoughts and feelings run the show, and rebel when you try to control them. Feelings just are, but they can transform when you call them out without judgment, and change the story that the mind makes up about them. It helps to have a centering practice that brings presence to mind, body and heart.

Here are two videos that will help you get centered, one is short, a minute and half, the other just over 12 minutes:

How Can I Feel Fully Rested When Fear and Anxiety Are Present 

Activate Your Power Centers

Use them or others that you find, or develop your own. Whatever works best for you, just do it!

The greatest gift you can give to yourself, others and the world is to cultivate joy and peace within.

Have a truly joyful holiday season!