Tag Archives: Joy

Upping our JOY Q…Our joy quotient is woefully low!

featured, homepage, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

I once took a philosophy class in college and the teacher asked us to define happiness.

I remember saying that it was an illusion and that people who said they were happy were liars. I also said that if people can find a little happiness, it would be fleeting and can never last.

Fast forward 30 years and I have completely and irrevocably changed my mind. As a matter of fact, it feels more like I have healed my mind and in the process healed my spirit.

Over the past few years I have been steeping myself in the study of and the living of Joy. Last year, I even went as far as to do a virtual joy event called Unpasteurized Joy. It was a series of conversations with many different folk from the very famous, like Dr Patch Adams, to the absolutely non-famous, like yours truly. I asked every person to speak of joy and how their work contributes to joy in our world.

Focusing so intently on joy over that past few years has allowed me to stay focused on the good in my life, even as challenges continue to flow in and through, and I am able to keep negativity at bay.

Recently, I heard from a colleague of mine who had surgery and she told me that while she was in recovery she listened to all 26 joy recordings. She said that it really helped her. Thanks Catherine, for sharing this lovely bit of information. It warmed my heart.

My challenge to you is to keep upping your JOY Q by finding the joy all around and by speaking joy as often as you can.

What are some ways that you can increase your JOY Q?

1. Stay focused on the positive aspects of your own wonderful self.
Sign up at www.indranislight.org for a tool called Five minutes to
Happiness for a way to get to your finest values.

2. Take time each day for using your eyes to see the beauty in all those who you
meet. Look for something that you can admire in each person.

3. Find the courage to forgive someone. One of my dear friends found
her courage this weekend to forgive someone who really hurt her a few
years ago. The very next day, the woman she forgave gave her some
wonderful compliments on face book.

4. Write a letter to yourself and forgive yourself for any grievance
that you feel you have committed.

5. Spend a few moments in nature everyday to notice how much intricate beauty
surrounds us.

Up your JOY Q.
We must if we want to save our world.

Love and light,
Indrani

To laugh, or not to laugh? That is the question…

featured, homepage, , , , , , , , , ,

I just got home from the MBI Summit (Martha Beck Coach Conference)
and I am ready to REST.

BUT before I rest I must tell you something really funny.

The first morning of the Summit started off with a delicious welcome by Jessica Steward, Alexis Robin and Gretchen Pisano. They were organized, energized and actualized ready to lead some 320 plus coaches on a three day adventure. We would learn to write better blogs or books, grow our businesses in new and amazing ways, listen to Martha’s wisdom and buy sumptuous market place products made by our compadres as well as loads of other stuff!
We were ready!

BUT first we would LAUGH… At least that was the hope.

Yours truly got the head nod from Jessica and I let my biggest and
boldest belly laugh burst forth from my throat. I even surprised
myself as to how loud my laugh sounded.
I realized that people did not immediately understand what was
happening so I leapt upon my chair and started waving my hands wildly
trying to encourage my fellow coaches to rip the roof off with the
loudest laughter we could muster.
Some took the hint and I began to hear the laughing all around me.
I was really surprised however that it was not louder. We had about
320 mouths in that room that had to be hushed just a few minutes prior
and now some were being… SHY?

The laughter soon died down and we got around to the more serious business.

Then the MOST curious thing started to happen.
People started coming up to me and offering their thoughts on the
whole laughter thing.

Here are a few of the offerings:

You made me jump up and laugh, thanks.

Seeing you standing on the chair laughing was too funny.

Was that laughter yoga?

Are you certified in laughter yoga?

Why didn’t we know that we were supposed to laugh?…. Wait what???

Why didn’t you put many people around the room to show people how to do it?

Some of these offerings were easy to understand, some required a
simple response like, “no I am not laughter yoga certified, and I was just laughing not
doing laughter yoga”.

Others were really confusing, and that too from a group of coaches who
are trained to question the thoughts.

How far have we come from doing what is natural?
If the room was on fire would you have to be told to RUN?
If you we suddenly cold because of the air conditioner, would you need
permission to put on a sweater?
If you were thirsty do you need permission to take a sip of water?

I am betting the answer is NO to all of the above.

Some people were waiting for a cue, or a specific leader, or an
instruction that may sound like “laugh now”.

I remain amused and bemused by the variety of responses to my laughter outburst.
I can take heart in one thing however, no one told me that my voice
hurt their ears or to shut up, as has happened on some occasions.
So for that I am grateful.
I am also grateful that I had the courage to look silly and sound
silly and allowed others to find their “silly” because I tell you
what, there is much too much “unsilly”
going around.

So laugh your butts off and here is a short recording of laughter to
get you started.

Laughter IS the best medicine!

Keep laughing, just for the health of it. It really is the best
medicine, but only if you really want to be healed.

Love, light and LAUGHTER,
Indrani

Don’t click send

featured, homepage, Uncategorized, , ,

You hear about it all the time Facebook this and Facebook that. Are you on Facebook?  Find me on Facebook!   Friend me!

Facebook is a wonderful tool to connect with many people especially during the holidays.  We can send virtual cards, post on their Facebook walls, share holiday photos.  We can connect with so many so fast, but are we really connecting?

The electronic connections are conveinent, wide spread and inexpensive.  Not a lot of thought is required.  The entire cyber world can see anything we write so we keep things generic, superficially friendly and warm for all to read.   Then we move on with our day. Is this really connecting?  Is this a joyful connection?  I think we can all admit no.  It is nice and easy but it is not a joyful interaction.

Think about when you receive an electronic greeting or Facebook post, are you really touched by the connection?

Is it heartfelt, is it meaningful, is it memorable?

Joyful connections may take a little more time than a Facebook post but they can mean so much more.  So my holiday challenge to you is this… Before you send that e-card, e-gift, post on Facebook stop to think about that person and consider whether a visit, a phone call, a hand written note or card would be a special way of letting someone know you are thinking about them during this special time of year.

Take the extra effort to connect with those who you love, or people who need a little extra love, who may be struggling for whatever reason, and show them you have them in your mind and heart.

It will mean more to them, and put joy in your heart. Truly a connection that works both ways.

When you wish upon a star

featured, homepage, , , , , , , , ,

…Makes no difference who you are.  The song written for Walt Disney’s 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio, rings so true when it comes to our dreams and happiness.  We forget the “makes no difference who you are”!  We do not dignify our dreams and wish for happiness.  Perhaps we ignore our wishes out of feeling embarrassed, undeserving, or just too busy to give our dreams and longing for happiness the recognition and time.  We live as if it really does not matter that much.

We instead choose to play it safe.

When we play it safe, there is no fear of embarrassment in pursuing the dream, no fear that someone will ridicule us about our wish, no fear of failure that the dream may not be exactly what we had hoped.  We sit safely on the wish side lines, thinking happiness not worth the risk of stepping out into the playing field.

Too undeserving to dream?  What a lie we tell ourselves, “I am too ____( fill in the blank)_____ to have dreams, hopes for happiness”.  Would you tell a child they are undeserving?  Of course you wouldn’t, so why would you tell yourself that?  Age is not a factor.

Too busy to dream or wish for happiness? Make time!  There is time if you want there to be time.  If you invest that time in that wish or dream you can jump start your creativity, step a little lighter, smile a little brighter.  Heck, maybe just start smiling. Happiness is for everyone, and it CAN be obtained.  But you cannot obtain it if you do not recognize the wish for it.   I am not saying it won’t take some work.  But isn’t your wish for happiness worth it?

Wishes and dreams are not just for children. As a parent, how can you truthful encourage kids to dream and wish if you yourself do not believe that wishes & dreams are for everyone and that they can come true?!

Dreams & wishes DO matter. Perhaps even more so when we are older.

So, what is your wish or dream?  Write it down and start making your own dreams of happiness come true.

PS> Now that we have settled that… remember dreams have a bill of rights too!

I LIKE it

energy, homepage, life, videos, women, ,

I have been following the events in Japan with teary eyes and a sad heart. The catastrophe is much greater than expected. The effects of radiation will be seen in generations ahead. Then I noodle on iodine pills and how the intake of “good” iodine can stave off the uptake of the radioactive iodine, to prevent thyroid cancers.

That simple statement had me thinking about what we humans have to do to stave off negativity from people who “vomit their radioactive energy” all over us… at any damn time they feel like it.

And there she was… a beautifully negative woman… sitting right in front of me and smiling like she meant it.

I mentioned the Flash Mob and she immediately said, “Forgive me for not being joyful but I have been around dancing all my life”…

I was quite taken aback, but if you know me, I do not give up that easily

so I said….

Did you see all the women our age who had fun?

She replied, “Well you had 200 people and I spent the day with 5000 dancing queens (meaning drill team)”

I said, “NO I will not accept that, The Flash Mob was awesome and you missed out” and I turned away and began another conversation.

She did not infect me!!!

WHY?

Becauese I had my uptake of the good iodine… I was full of pure unpasteurised JOY.!

TRY it… Keep JOY in your lives… it will protect you from folks who “vomit their negative vibes” all over your sweet life.

Take my LEAD

featured, homepage, women, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

L – Let go of what others expect of you.  Make your own rules.  Take your power without permission.

E – Engage with the messages from your body… Easy as 123.
1- accept that your body has wisdom.
2- allow your behaviors to first do no harm to your own self.
3- believe that joy and happiness are your birth rights.

A – Allow yourself to feel the discomfort of Fear Regret Hurt Guilt.  Feel these and other emotions deeply and freely without judging yourself.  New life comes from birthing pain… Allow the pain so your new life can be birthed.  What new thing will be birthed in you today.

D – Decide to chart your own course.  Find and follow your purpose.  We all have a divine purpose and you KNOW what it is.  Sit in silence each day for about 10 minutes and allow the whisperings of your purpose to surface.  It wants to, but the noise of your everyday life keeps it silent.