Becoming A Cheap Date

I have been doing yoga since I was ten years old and I have been meditating for the last 20 years and I think it is working.

I find myself being happy most of the time. More interestingly, to me at least, is how little it takes to make me happy. Or perhaps, another way to describe it is, I derive extreme happiness from the most simple and ordinary things.

I remember that persimon tasted very good and it made me very happy when I ate it. But the colors and shapes in the photo still make me happy whenever I see it.

I am not sure of what the exact process is to this happiness, but I think it is the daily letting go of tension through meditation and yoga that eventually leaves one open to the endless beauty and infinite creative magic of life.

So that is how I have become a cheap date. Don't get me wrong, I don't live in a cave. I enjoy food and wine and movies and many other things, but I can do without them also. It is very liberating.

I guess all that stuff that all the yogis said is true. Cool!

Here's a little exercise for opening the heart.

Find a quiet place and a comfortable position to be in for a while and turn off your cell phone. Relax your body and close your eyes. Take a breath in through the nose, swallow, hold the breath in the heart for a few moments and let it out through the mouth. Repeat the breath a few times if you want.

Now think of all the things that you are grateful for in your life. Go through your list and as you think of each thing, visualize it in your mind and notice how it makes you feel in your heart. Take a breath and let that feeling expand in your heart. Smile softly to yourself and let the energy of gratitude start to spread. Keep breathing and visualizing and when you feel a vibrant cocoon of energy around your body, relax and let it absorb. Notice how you feel. Give thanks and repeat it regularly. You will get better at it the more often you do it. Have fun.

Peace,

James