Altruistic Joy (S3E7)
Inspired by teacher Martine Bachelor, altruistic joy asks us to be joyful for others even if we may be not feel like it. In this meditation, you’ll be guided through a number of doorways into cultivating this heart quality.
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Transcript
Start by setting up your meditation posture. Something comfortable - it could be lying down, seated, or standing.
Relax your gaze or close your eyes and take a few moments to settle into this moment in a way that feels good for you. It might be with a few full breaths, or an invitation to the body to relax, or you might try to focus on a part of the body that feels pleasant or neutral.
Once you feel tuned into your body, take in, or silently repeat these next phrases to yourself:
I am grateful for this existence
I appreciate my efforts
I rejoice in understanding
I am grateful for this existence
I appreciate my efforts
I rejoice in understanding
If these particular phrases don’t resonate with you, you can simply try to connect to the experience of joy by asking:
What is it I can appreciate right now?
What is it I can rejoice in?
What is it I can be grateful for right now?
What is it I can appreciate right now?
What is it I can rejoice in?
What is it I can be grateful for right now?
We’re not trying to create the experience but rather uncover the way joy already resides in us.
You can even try orienting yourself towards the quality of the feeling like:
What does it feel like to appreciate something?
What does it feel like to rejoice?
What does it feel like to experience gratitude?
What does it feel like to appreciate something?
What does it feel like to rejoice?
What does it feel like to experience gratitude?
In a moment, the bell will ring. Receive the sound of the bell for a few moments before reacting to its signifying that practice is over.
