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Joy - An Essential Element of the Spiritual Path



If I were to 'bottom line' the spiritual path it is to 'follow the path of joy'. Work out what it is that brings you joy and do it!

There are many differing voices out there discussing what is happening and where we are in our planet's evolutionary process and each person is correct from their perspective. So it can get pretty confusing. So while asking within for your own guidance, I would encourage peeps to look at the level of joy they experience.

When you participate in an activity that brings you joy, not only are you bringing peace to your physical body and encouraging optimal health, you are also simultaneously receiving and emanating the frequency of joy. Your environment will begin to transform to reflect or mirror this joy bringing uplifting and inspiring situations and people for you to experience - despite what the news is telling you.

A number of years ago while listening to the radio I heard a story with which I totally identified. It related the story of one of their producers who had had a heart attack, partially as a result of the stress that ran his life.

During recovery the producer’s doctor was discussing his lifestyle and the changes he needed to make and asked him 'What brings you joy?" He had no answer to give her. It was a total unknown to him. After recovering and returning to work he travelled to Russia on an assignment and while there he was invited to attend a traditional Russian folk dance gathering where he was encouraged to participate. To his surprise he discovered that it was what his soul craved - the act of dancing and moving to the music gave him great joy. He was changed forever.

This story resonated with me as I remembered a point in my life when I was going through a rough patch where I felt I was 'existing' instead of 'living'. I 'stumbled across' a 5Rythms Class in Olympia, Washington with teachers Sarah and Amara.

Gabrielle Roth its creator, describes 5 Rhythms as thus: “The five rhythms are a way to become conscious through dance, to move through the self-consciousness that traps us into some fixed idea of ourselves."

Dance (and music) has always been a part of my life but during this difficult period of my life I had lost contact with joy, and discovering this class reconnected me with it.

The first Sunday morning I attended a 'Sweat Your Prayers' session - for one and half hours I moved and 'felt' the music, giving my body permission to move as it chose, not thinking, but 'being'. I actually cried at one point in response to the joy welling up within me. This response took me by surprise. Over the years as I've moved around I search out places to dance and if I’m living where there is no class available I put on headphones and dance around my living room.

So, what brings you joy?

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