Mind Tools & Inspirations: Sparkles of joy

Joy often arises in brief sparkles—showing up like a magical moment of sun reflecting on the water. In this 3-minute practice you bring your attention to how it feels when you experience joy.

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TRY THIS…

If you have time, let me guide you so you can focus on your experience.

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HERE IS THE PRACTICE

Sit comfortably and close your eyes.
Remember what joy feels like.
There’s no hurry, just invite a time when you felt joy to show up.
Remember your experience of feeling joy.

Have your hands resting on your legs out toward your knees, palms facing down. Have your back gently rounded, looking down slightly.
Exhale here.
As you inhale, slide your hands along your legs toward your waist, coming to an upright position, drawing your shoulders gently back, opening your chest.
As you exhale, let your hands come back out toward your knees, rounding your back, looking down.
Continue moving and breathing like this at your own pace.
As you’re inhaling, you’re bringing your hands toward your waist, sitting up straight, slightly arching your upper back.
As you exhale, your hands come back toward your knees, gently rounding your back, looking down.

Now sit comfortably.
Invite a recent time when you felt joy to arise.
Perhaps even within the last week there was a moment of joy.
Remember what you were doing when you felt joy.
Remember what joy felt like.
Stay with this feeling for as long as you like.

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WHY DO THIS?

In my graduate serious game design classes part of the weekly homework assignment was to notice “sparkles of joy” that showed up. While students gathered online for class they would add their sparkles of joy beside their name on the shared powerpoint slide. We spent the first 5 or 6 minutes of the hour-long class discussing everyone’s sparkles.

Yes, it’s that important.

Throughout the week they watched for joyful moments to report. I was helping my students develop their ability to notice joy. To notice what joy feels like. To notice what activities or situations tended to bring them joy.

In class discussion we began to recognize kinds of activities that brought different people joy, as well as what triggered the joy, how long it lasted, how it felt.

I highly recommend paying attention to and appreciating sparkles of joy when they arise. You’re likely to start experiencing more of them.

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Mind Tools & Inspirations are experiences for busy, smart, curious people to help you operate your human system.

The Mind Tools library (https://www.yogamindtools.com/mind-tools-inspirations ) is organized into three groups: Uplifting and Nourishing, Calming and Supportive, Discovery and Exploration.

I add a new experience every week.

Kindly,

Carrie

Carrie Heeter, PhD
Yoga Mind Tools