7 Shortcuts to Daily Bliss
Sure, the ancient yogis found inner bliss by stretching in their yoga poses and sitting on their cushions for hours on end. But we live in the real worldfrequently too busy treading water to spare that kind of time! Fortunately, after digesting tons of spiritual books and attending myriad workshops, then experimenting with what works for me, Ive created my own Readers Digest-ish shortcut to daily bliss. To connect to your elevated interior, try (as best as you can) to sprinkle these simple steps throughout your day.
1. Sing in the shower. One thing the ancient yogis were right about: Set a good tone first thing in the morning and you float through the day. But I often cant drag myself out of bed early enough to meditate, so my solution is, I sing in the shower. Rather than fixate on problems and to-dos, I send my thoughts skyward via song. I learned this technique from a healthy and joyful 99-year-old man, whom Im convinced got that way because he belted out Oh, What A Beautiful Morning with every shampoo. I prefer Natasha Bedingfields Unwritten.
2. Listen for the bird chirp (or the dog bark.). Several years ago, I read the old Aldous Huxley novel, Island, where the Mynah birds on his Utopian Pala constantly shout, Attention, attention, to remind the natives that here-and-now is most important. I decided to use the occasional chirping of the birds outside my window as my own prompt to pause; I stop and take a long, deep breath, and am immediately pulled into the present momentthe only place we can access our higher selves. If you dont have regularly cacophonous fowls, any vocal animal, or even a neighbors crying baby, are equally wonderful cues.
3. Stop whining. The biggest problem with our chronic complain! ts: They keep the mind fixated on whats going wrong, rather than on the higher-vibration, fabulous things that are working. Next time youre ready to criticize or complain, stop and ask, What is this unhappy situation making me desire? Then turn your whole focus to that.
