Joy and Happiness are an Inside Job with James Baraz

Product Description

Life is not a destination, it is a fluid movement. It takes practice to overcome the daily stresses that make us dense, concretized, and armored. Baraz gives us many steps that we can take to help life move through us as a blessing. He says, “I’ve always felt that having a positive vision, not burying your head in the sand, but having a real positive vision, and wanting to make a difference out of love, and out of your own celebration of the beauty and miracle of life, is much more magnetizing and effective engagement than coming from a place of fear.” In this dialogue Baraz shares several simple but effective meditations to help us be more present and more joyful in our life. (hosted by Michael Toms)

James Baraz has been teaching meditation since 1978, and the 10 month “Awakening Joy” class since 2003, which can also be taken on-line. Thousands have taken the course. He leads retreats, workshops, and classes in the U.S. and abroad, and is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California. He is the co-author with Shoshana Alexander of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness (Bantam Books 2010). To learn more about the work and classes of James Baraz go to www.awakeningjoy.info or www.jamesbaraz.com

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• How can we find happiness and joy that resides inside all of us
• What is our happiness set point
• What is the “Kumbaya Factor”
• How the Dalai Lama maintains his sense of happiness
• How can we practice being more fluid in our opening to life
• How being more present to your life, especially for the moments of well-being, is a key to real happiness
• Why loving yourself is a key to happiness and joy
• What is the difference between romantic love and loving-kindness

Host: Michael Toms Interview Date: 9/9/2010