By Denise Everheart
Are you happy? Really happy? Read to learn a surprising secret to what makes me happy and how you too can be truly happy, day in and day out.
Have you ever wondered about what really makes you happy? After all, it is possibly the number one thing we wish for, both for ourselves and our dear ones, isn’t it? How do we get true happiness? How do we get long-lasting happiness?
What if I were to tell you that there is a little-known secret to being a happier person? Well, I am here to share exactly that! Prepare to be surprised!
The pursuit of happiness
Finding happiness can seem like a life-long pursuit! What makes us happy is always changing, or might even be out of reach.
As a young child, candy or a new toy made us feel happy. After some time a new toy or candy didn’t bring us as much happiness. Making a new childhood friend brought along some happiness, at least for a while. By the time we were teenagers what made us happy was getting a license to drive and experiencing romantic love for the first time. But that too wore off and the idea of being on our own seemed to promise more happiness. When I have my own car, I will be happy. When I have a job and make my own money, I will be happy. When I get married I will be happy. When I have a child I will be happy. When my child is grown up, is married, and has a child, then I will be happy…
We chase happiness our whole lives! We think that happiness is somehow in an experience or even in an object. But does a piece of candy really make us happy? If you sit and eat one piece of candy after another do you become happier? No! In fact, at some point, you will say “No more candy!” So happiness cannot be in the candy.
How about a job, a car, or being married? Can having a job make you happy? There are people with jobs that are not happy and people without jobs that are happy. The same is true with cars and marriages! So is happiness found in having a job, or a car- even a fancy red sports car, or in being married? Nope. But somehow we expect all these things, all these experiences to make us a happier person. Aren’t we really just postponing our happiness when we tie these things to the state of our mind?
That’s not to say that there isn’t some pleasant experience or even joy with all of these things, but what we really want, and maybe missing in life is- lasting happiness. How do we get that?!?
Lasting happiness
For most of us feeling happy seems to come and go with having or not having things or certain external experiences. It’s like being on a road trip to find happiness and ending up in all the wrong places. Ultimately we are seeking happiness that is present regardless of whether we have the toy or not- a more spiritual internal sense of happiness.
What else jeopardizes lasting happiness? The twist and turns of life challenges! When bad situations create negative emotions, happiness takes a backseat, or a whole separate road trip not to be seen again for weeks, months, or even years. In between challenges sometimes we manage a smile, perhaps even feel gratitude for the positive emotions and situations we are momentarily experiencing. But again, along comes a major challenge and we have lost our ability to smile and enjoy the present moment.
Being happy regardless of circumstances and challenges is the happiness we all seek. Imagine being able to be happy in the face of challenges. Not laughingly happy when things do not go right, but true happiness that doesn’t get lost when something we want to happen doesn’t happen or simply a bad thing happens. Can you imagine that? It is possible! I have experienced it for myself and witnessed others also being happy without cause even in the face of difficult circumstances.
A happier mindset
How do we get a happier mindset? You may have heard someone say, “Just decide to be happy!” or “Fake it until you make it!” And while this is within our power to some degree, we also need a tool to help us cultivate happiness and deal with daily stressors! We need a tool that helps us find our internal joy!
Here’s where the secret to being a happy person is revealed! Drum roll………………………..
Your very own breath is the secret to real happiness! Ok, you may be thinking, “Really? REALLY?!?” YES, REALLY!!!
Have you ever noticed that how you breathe changes with your emotions? When you are angry your breath is faster. When you are relaxed your breath is long and slow. Well, it turns out that the breath can be used to experience deep and relaxing meditative states but your breath can also help release stress and negative emotions! But you need a proven technique to get the results you want. Otherwise just breathing in random patterns isn’t going to do the job.
SKY Breath Meditation (formerly known as The Happiness program) is an evidence-based meditation practice that utilizes the power of your breath. SKY is an ancient breathing practice from India that is now a modern-day technique practiced by millions of people across the globe. Here’s what practitioners have reported experiencing:
Feeling less stress
Enhanced optimism
Increase in self-esteem and joy
Enhanced deep sleep
Increase in life satisfaction
Greater contentment
Improved health
Decrease in depression and anxiety
I know from my own experience I find myself not only able to handle whatever challenges come my way but I also find I am happy for no particular reason. Happiness that no one or no situation can take away from me, is indeed true happiness!
So what makes me happy? My breath! Imagine that, you have had the secret to happiness inside you this whole time!
If you would like to learn more about SKY, please accept my invitation to attend Beyond Breath, a free breath and meditation online session. Click below to choose a day and time that works best for you. You will be happy you did!
Denise Everheart is a freelance writer, life-long meditator, SKY Breath Meditation instructor, party planner, veg chef, and recipe designer. Follow her @everheartstudio4meditation and @celeplateyourlife on Instagram.
