Can A Person Choose to Be Happy? With Breathwork, The Answer is Yes!

By Jade Doherty

Ready to learn how to become a happy person? With breath-based meditation it's as simple as breathing in and out.

Everyone wants to be happy, right?

You could say it's human nature to aspire to live a happy life. Though we may take different routes, the goal of feeling happy drives most people.

Many of our decisions and desires all aim at feeling happy. We have a sense of "I'll be happy when....". When I get that new car, or the big promotion at work, or find the perfect relationship, or get enough "likes" on social media.

Many of us are searching

But can a person choose to be happy, and if so how does one go about making that choice?

What is happiness?

Let's get clear on what we're talking about! What actually is this thing called happiness?

Merriam-Webster defines happiness as:

- a state of well-being or contentment

- a pleasurable or satisfying experience

That's what most of us are seeking, an inner-state of well-being, and some pleasurable experiences too.

This doesn't sound like it's asking for too much, right? No one said "ecstatic", just content and satisfied.

Why is it so hard to be happy?

For many of us, being a happy person remains elusive. We might experience moments of happiness, but can't really say we're happy. It's a temporary thing, that comes and goes.

No one has really taught us how to be happy. Have they? They might have given us experiences of happiness, but the inner-workings of how to manage one's internal state, and be happy, content, and peaceful were certainly not taught at my school!

We are left to fend for ourselves and try to learn how to be happy by osmosis, strictly as an observer. People appear to be happy when they have an experience related to attaining things.. In money, in "things", in relationships, in external approval, in being popular, in having the right car, in being the best at something, and so on.

So, we're looking for happiness in things that are all out there, and are all transient. After a while the new car won't be new, the expensive bag will go out of fashion, and even the best relationship will end at some point be it through divorce or death.

And this is on top of all the very real challenges people face, from inequality to discrimination, to poverty, to health complications, family difficulties, trauma and PTSD, and so many more things, all of which make it a challenge to feel happy.

So what to do? Resign ourselves to a life of difficulty and unhappiness, or explore a different way?

How to cultivate happiness?

Once we realize that lasting happiness does not come from outside, we have taken the first step to cultivate internal happiness. It means we stop chasing external highs, and start looking inside.

This is where spiritual teachings come in.

Spirituality is like the manual for life. It teaches us to have the correct attitude and also gives us tools and techniques to use.

Through these practices, we can cultivate a garden of inner happiness and a sense of joy that is present regardless of our external circumstances.

This doesn't mean bad things never happen, it simply means that when they do we are still ok. Like an umbrella in the rain. Though it is raining all around us, we stay dry.

So, what are some of these spiritual practices and teachings you can use to feel happier?

Happiness is in your breath

A bold claim, I know. You might be thinking "How will breathing make you happy?" Or even “I already breathe. A lot”.

The breath is an untapped treasure trove of joy, and learning how to work with it can make you so much happier.

1 - Making friends with your mind

The mind causes so many problems! It's constantly chasing something, holding onto something else, and thinking both positive thoughts and negative ones.

For many people, their mind is a source of misery, and makes life so difficult!

You will have noticed that it's very hard to turn your mind off. Even in meditation, your mind can be moving in so many directions and thinking about so many things.

It's near impossible to solve the challenges of your mind by using your mind or to stop difficult thoughts by using a different thought. Even thinking "OK mind, be quiet now" is just another thought!

I remember at my Elementary School, at the end of "playtime" was "tidy up time". Obviously, no one wanted to tidy up, so rather than putting their toys away most children would run around the room shouting "Tidy up time! Tidy up time!", and no tidying up got done.

That's what it's like expecting to be able to control your mind and thoughts with your mind and thoughts! You just have loads of thoughts saying "Be quiet now!" but no actual quiet is found!

By working with the breath, we can soothe, calm, and still the mind. You can check out some great breathing techniques to calm the mind here.

2 - Making friends with your nervous system

Many people have dysregulated nervous systems, and this causes all kinds of challenges and makes it very difficult to feel happy.

Whether it's from acute or chronic trauma leading to PTSD or cPTSD, or chronic stress, many people have nervous systems that are stuck in "fight or flight" mode.

This means you're always alert, stressed, and find it hard to relax and unwind. It can also make it harder to sleep, and we all know how unhappy we feel when we're sleep-deprived.

By working with the breath you are able to help your nervous system more from the "fight or flight mode" to the "rest and digest" mode. To be a bit more technical, you move the sympathetic nervous system, to the parasympathetic nervous system, and can finally rest and recharge.

The course we teach, SKY Breath Meditation, has been shown to reduce PTSD in war veterans after just a few sessions.

Here is an article with more on calming your nervous system through breathwork.

3 - Learning to manage your inner state

Sometimes life can feel so random. A good thing happens and we're happy. A bad thing happens and we're sad. It seems so unpredictable.

By working with the breath, you can start to be in the driver’s seat of how you feel.

Every emotion has a corresponding breathing pattern, and by learning how to work with the breath, you can have a ton of ways to manage how you are feeling.

By learning these techniques you can create a sustainable happiness level, that is dependent on you, not your circumstances. In that sense, you could say true happiness is a habit. By regular practice of breathing techniques, you can create inner peace and lasting happiness.

Tell me more about SKY Breath Meditation

SKY Breath Meditation is one of our most popular courses, which will teach you how to do all of the above!

You'll learn to calm your mind and your difficult thoughts. You'll notice that your mind is so much calmer, and even if you do have a negative thought, it has less power over you.

You'll learn how to work with your nervous system so that you're not stuck in panic-mode, and can actually relax and unwind. You experience fewer negative emotions, and your natural state is calmer and happier.

Finally, you will have tools when you need them. No matter how much meditation or breathwork you do, challenges will still occur. Bad news from a loved one or any of life's challenges will still occur, but this time you'll have tools to help you stay calm, grounded, and be happier than ever. It'll even help you respond to these obstacles as you'll be calmer, and able to respond rather than react.

In recent studies, SKY has also been proven to reduce depression, increase positive emotions, and increase social connectedness.

How can I get started?

If you're ready to start your journey to personal happiness and become a happy person, you can get started by joining us for a free class called Beyond Breath.

Beyond Breath is an intro class to SKY, and a skilled instructor will take you through a guided meditation, and also tell you more about the full SKY program, and answer any questions you may have too.

You can sign up by clicking the image below.

See you there!