By Suzan Colón


(Oprah.com) -- It came as no surprise to a woman we'll call Joan when, after 16 years of marriage, she and her husband started discussing the possibility of divorce. Deep down she'd never believed her marriage, or any marriage, could be genuinely happy. Still, the reality was crushing. "I was desperate," she says. "I thought, 'I'd do anything to feel better.'"

How about singing every day, making lists of things that made her happy, and getting a "joy buddy"?

Those are among the suggestions given in Awakening Joy, a class taught by James Baraz, a meditation instructor and founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. A series of exercises, lectures, and meditations stretched over 10 months, Awakening Joy is designed to bring more happiness to people's lives.

Like some participants, Joan, who heard about the program while attending a meditation retreat at Spirit Rock, initially balked at the idea of singing. "I thought James wanted me to join a choir," she says, "but I took it on faith that the singing was going to work." So she started trilling along with the "Hairspray" soundtrack while driving. "It seemed ridiculous, but that's what initially helped me the most."

"The course uses practices that lead the mind toward states of happiness and well-being," says Baraz. "In other words, it teaches you to focus on how it feels to feel good." The first and most important step, he says, is intention: making the decision to be happy.

Robert Holden, Ph.D., author of "Happiness Now! Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good Fast" and director of the Happiness Project in the United Kingdom, agrees that this is key. "Intention is another word for focus. Whatever you focus on will become more apparent and will grow. For centuries, optimists and pessimists have argued over who's right, and the answer is they both are; each sees what they're looking for. If you focus on happiness, that's what you become more aware of."

Once participants have made up their minds to be happier, Baraz gives them the tools -- delivered in lectures to the live class he teaches in Berkeley and in twice-monthly e-mails sent to participants in other areas -- to teach them how to cultivate a positive state of mind. Among them:

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• Writing what the word joy means to you

• Doing some form of physical movement -- such as yoga, dance, or walking -- a few times a week

• Making a "nourishment list" of activities you enjoy, checking off those you do regularly and circling the ones that could be done more often

• Checking in with your "joy buddy," a kind of running partner in the pursuit of happiness.

"That's important," says Holden. "One of the major blocks to happiness is a sense of isolation. If you're alive, you need help."

There are also guided meditations, including instructions on how to be mindful --being present for whatever you're doing and, as Baraz says, "simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different."

For Joan, that turned out to be a bigger challenge than singing -- especially when her husband suggested that they begin the separation process.

"Awakening Joy isn't about being a happy little do bee," she says. "You're taught that when feelings arise, no matter what they are, you stay with them. When my husband said we should contact a mediator, I cried years of tears. But by accepting those painful feelings, I had a watershed moment: I realized that I really wanted this marriage."

Rather than assuming divorce was inevitable, Joan started to see other possibilities. "From that day to this, it's been a whole different experience," she says. "My husband and I are still together, and in a way that I honestly didn't think was possible."

For Baraz, the best testimonials come from former skeptics; he admits that he himself wouldn't be the best case study. "I've always been a relatively joyful, celebratory kind of person," he says. He found his spiritual path in Buddhism, but when his studies became very serious, so did he.

"Then I realized that the Buddha was called the Happy One, and he said, 'Go for the highest happiness.' That became the focus of my teaching." (Baraz points out that one needn't be a Buddhist, or of any particular faith, to reap the benefits of Awakening Joy. "Ministers, rabbis, and secular experts have successfully used these basic principles," he says.)

The idea for the course began eight years ago, when Baraz's wife, Jane, gave him a book called "How We Choose to Be Happy," by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks. "The instructions made a lot of sense, but they didn't have a spiritual dimension," Baraz says. "So I added that and presented it as a series of talks with my weekly meditation group for about three months to see what would happen." The results: "We got happier and happier!"

Baraz then turned Awakening Joy into a six-month class and found that participants maintained a positive attitude even after it ended (as long as they practiced the exercises; as with diets or working out, continuity is essential).

Word of mouth about the course that could make people happier began to spread: The first round of Awakening Joy meetings consisted of about 40 members. The next numbered 100; the next, 200, and then 500. It went international when its members began e-mailing their monthly homework assignments from the lectures to friends. Baraz was thrilled to receive messages from strangers in Europe, Africa, and New Zealand. "It works!" they wrote. Apparently, you didn't have to be there to get the joy.

Nor do you have to be the type who can deftly turn a frown upside down. "I'm the person who walks into a nicely designed room and notices only that the painting was hung too high," says Gretchen, age 56.

In addition to being a "serious" woman from a depressive family, Gretchen also found herself in chronic pain after sustaining a back injury. "It was horrible," she recalls. "Medication made me sick. I felt guilty about not being able to work, and I thought people were judging me." Though a specialist was able to alleviate some of her physical discomfort, Gretchen fell into a deep depression.

She heard about Awakening Joy after taking Baraz's meditation classes at Spirit Rock. "The first thing I was hit by was the instruction to notice what it feels like when you're happy," she says. "I loved the walks I took to help my back, but before, I just plodded down the street, not noticing anything. Now I'm aware of how I feel when I'm walking, which enhances my enjoyment."

Writing lists of things she's grateful for was also a big help. "A lot of my seriousness has lifted," she says. "I have a lighter heart. I still have chronic pain, but I know there's a lot to feel good about."

Baraz is writing a book about Awakening Joy and the people who now routinely roll up the windows in their cars so they can sing as loudly as they want to. "More than 2,000 people have tested it, so it's not some airy-fairy idea," he says. "I've learned that it's possible to change, no matter what your history or the limiting beliefs you've held on to. If you have the intention to be happy and you do the practices, if you give it your best shot and are very patient, it works."

We're all so used to thinking that we'll finally be content when we find the perfect partner, lose weight, or get our dream job. Is it really possible to become happier just by deciding you can?

"We use the language of having, getting, and chasing to describe happiness, rather than being," says Holden. "What we've learned about happiness is that it isn't an it or a thing. Research has proven that there is no one set of circumstances that makes someone happy; it's more about having a healthy mental attitude toward whatever you're experiencing. So, you can either chase happiness or you can choose to be happy. It really is that simple."

By Suzan Colón from "O, The Oprah Magazine," January 2008.


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This piece right here really pulled on my HEART STRINGS


Quite simply, those with the ability to harness the highest levels of light have done the most work. All are presented with the same opportunities but this is an individual and soulular choice, and evolution is the birthright of every soul. Remember this as you witness the miracles around you, that your ability to create and harness those moments of synchronicity is pure science and the science of spirit includes the ability to release discord and incorporate more light to attract a higher and better reality.

Friends of the light, a time of play is approaching. Your quintessential nature as spirits in biological form is just that...playfulness. You will find in this new energy that it is difficult to do anything but feel the playfulness of creation. All else will feel outdated and heavy. This is what it means to be a human angel, and many already walk your earth. Be playful in all your pursuits and know that the time for play always supersedes work in this dimension.

If you find yourselves out of alignment, simply engage in fun and you will find yourself catapulted back to your roots. A time of cheerfulness is needed on earth at this time and you who engage the realm of play so well will do so for all to wonder at. Be light in your steps and be joyous at the new dawn and share the ability to laugh with all. You, the once warriors in the battlefields of miscreation, are now the warlocks and witches of eternity. Your word is your wand, dear wizards, create your visions with intention in the world of form and showcase your splendid creations to all.

Harvest season is upon you and so are the fruits of your divine labor. The new cycle has arrived not to take you to Eden, but Eden to you. History will be rewritten and those with the courage to embrace the golden paradigm shall eat from the enticing apples of the sacred garden in faith of a new world. Use your wisdom to plant new trees and bear new fruit with greater truth of divinity.

In Gratitude,
Lauren

Laughter is Still the Best Medicine - Dr Robert Holden - Daily Express, Nov 2004


Every day a new medical “wonder-drug” is launched by another global, multi-million dollar drugs industry, and yet, according to recent research, laughter is still the best medicine. A series of recent trials by scientists confirm that laughter is the most effectiveness and inexpensive “drug” on the market. So, to celebrate National High Hopes Week – an initiative sponsored by Nickletoons – here are some good reason to carry on laughing.

Stationary Jogging Imagine being prescribed laughter for weight loss. It is not as silly as it sounds. Dr William Fry Jr coined the terms “internal aerobics” and “stationary jogging” to describe the physical effects of a good belly laugh. His research found that laughter, like physical exercise speeds up heart rate, expands circulation and enhances oxygen intake. In fact, he calculated that 100 to 200 belly-laughs a day is the equivalent of a high-impact workout that can help you burn off as many as 500 calories. Surely this is good news for all failed joggers everywhere!

Internal Massage
Laughter is the ultimate chill pill. We instinctively turn to laughter and humour when we need to rest and relax. Medical researchers have found that while we laugh our upper body is exercised, and after we finish laughing, we experience a physical afterglow in which we relax muscle tension, reduce stress in the nerves, massage the lungs, restore a full and flowing breathing pattern and gently expand our circulation once more. Laughter is the perfect “internal massage” for our busy, manic, hyperactive lifestyles.

Comic Relief
Laughter is a natural pain killer. Norman Cousins is known as the modern Father of Laughter Therapy. In his famous article for the New England Journal of Medicine, Cousins told how he used laughter to heal himself of a painful spinal disease called anakylosing spondylitis. He wrote that he made “the joyous discovery that 10 minutes of genuine belly-laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.” Cousins prescribed himself Marx Brothers movies and cartoons to raise his spirits and relieve pain. Subsequent research verifies that laughter can produce a feel-good chemical called “endorphins” which help to kill pain.

Happy Cells
The repeated research experiments of Dr Lee Berk at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, CA, shows that laughter, happiness and joy “inspire” the immune system to create white “T” cells, commonly called “happy cells”, which help to prevent infection. The philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, hit upon the idea of joyful immunity when he wrote, “Contentment preserves one even from catching cold. Has a woman who knew that she was well dressed ever caught a cold? - No, not even when she had scarcely a rag to her back!”

Stress Buster
Laughter is a very effective stress-buster. Psychologists describe people who are prone to frequent bouts of stress as “Type H” personalities. The “H” stands for hostile, hurried and humourless. These people are too busy to be happy, too busy to smile, and too busy to laugh. Dr Patch Adams, the subject of the movie Patch Adams played by Robin Williams, prescribes laughter as a stress buster. “Overseriousness is a medical emergency,” he says. “Morbidity blows problems up, but laughter blows problems off”. Physicians have discovered that the “mirthful laughter experience” physically reduces the serum levels of cortisol and other stress hormones in the body.

Merry Heart
Since time immemorial, sages and physicians have advocated a “merry heart” as the finest medicine. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones”, Proverbs 17:22. It is fitting then that modern medical research had discovered that laughter is a good medicine for the heart. Cardiologists are keen for heart-attack survivors to rediscover the therapeutic power of humour, laughter and play. Whereas emotions like “anger” can damage the heart; laughter has a positive effect on heart rate and blood pressure.

Shock Absorber
Humour and laughter are excellent shock-absorbers that increase personal resilience during testing times. Our legendary British humour is possibly our greatest national export. We Brits have led the world with laughter from luminaries like Monty Python, Eddie Izzard, Black Adder, Benny Hill, and of course, SpongeBob SquarePants - who is a star with celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears who have been snapped wearing the SpongeBob SquarePants T Shirt. Humour transforms anxiety into laughter. And laughter is victory over fear. “If I had no Sense of Humour, I Would Long Ago Have Committed Suicide,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

Smile Power
The best facelift is a smile, because it’s natural, safe, free, and, unlike most surgical face-lifts, it actually looks good on people. A smile youthens a person, not least because it takes only 16 muscles to smile, and 28 to frown. A smile can also lift a person’s mood. Psychologist Paul Ekman, of the University of California, says that a smile not only reveals emotions; it can also create them as well. The reason life always looks brighter from behind a smile is because a smile helps to change perceptions, attitudes and beliefs.

Natural Aphrodisiac
A positive attitude is attractive. When happiness researchers ask couples what first attracted them to each other, the most common answers are “their smile” and “their laugh” and “their sense of humour”. When happiness researchers ask couples who are in happy long-term relationships what is the key to their on-going success, the most common answers are exactly the same. Smiling, laughter and a positive attitude are literally attractive in that they attract great relationships that are fun, loving and intimate.

Shorest Distance
Laughter is a healer that makes way for grace. It has been described by philosophers and physicians as a form of prayer, a song of the soul, and as God’s hand on a troubled world. Victor Borge, the American entertainer, once wrote, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”. Whole-hearted laughter teaches love. inspires hope, preaches tolerance and encourages contact and communication. True humour inspires true humanity. The comedian, Alan Alda, put it another way: “when people are laughing, they’re generally not killing one another”.



Dr Robert Holden is a pioneer in the field of positive psychology and personal well-being. He is the Director/Founder of The Happiness Project – a unique project featured in the BBC TV QED documentary called “How to be Happy” - now shown in 16 countries to over 30 million television viewers. Robert holds a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Happiness. He is the author of ten best-selling books include Happiness NOW and Shift Happens! For further information visit

Music for an Inner Journey

Robert Norton

Amasing Music for Inspirational Musician Robert Norton, Music Supports the Writings and Seminars of Dr.Robert Holdens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjmS93M0q_4