Enjoy your body, mind, and spirit –
use them every way you can.

“Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.” This is the definition of joy.

I want to live with intense ecstatic joy.

I want to be ecstatic joy!

My goal in this lifetime is to create as much joy as possible for myself, my children, and all beings. And I’m learning.

David F. Vennells, a Reiki practitioner and teacher from England and author of “Reiki for Beginners,” says in his book, “As we meditate daily, we see that happiness is simply a state of mind and that since we have the opportunity to create positive states of mind through meditation, prayer, and Reiki, these methods are the key to lasting happiness. Understanding and acknowledging this is wisdom.”

Mr. Vennells statement resonates with my entire being. On my way home after giving reiki to a client, I often hear myself think, “If I could do this everyday for the rest of my life, I would be the happiest person on the planet.” I can do this! Whether I give reiki to a client, my children, my home, or our planet, I am filled with joy and I can do this everyday.

Giving and receiving reiki fills me with joy, with intense ecstatic happiness!

Recently, after teaching a level 1 reiki training class and witnessing the joy in my students from learning and becoming attuned to this healing energy was a wonderful validation that everyone has the ability to bring healing as well as joy into their lives.

Meditation, prayer, and reiki bring is in close connection with the present moment, where we are not worrying, we are not angry, we are giving thanks, we are being kind to ourselves, and others, we are finding and living our truth. The five spiritual principles of reiki are exactly these. The spiritual principles of reiki are:

• Just for Today:
• I Will Not Worry
• I Will Not Be Angry
• I Will Do My Work Honestly
• I Will Give Thanks For My Many Blessings
• I Will Be Kind To My Neighbor And All Living Things

I posted these spiritual principles on my refrigerator after receiving my first initiation into reiki. Reading them each day, or even several times each day has also led to increased feelings of peace and happiness.

Osho, a spiritual teacher and author says, “Not to be ecstatic is simply unnecessary.” I love this statement because it is both true as well as to the point.

Our happiness is within our control, it is our state of mind, which we determine each moment of each day.

When we make a conscious effort to see the beauty all around us, we find joy.

When we make each daily task an opportunity to practice our spiritual principles, we find joy.

Whether our task is washing the dishes, paying a bill, changing a diaper, weathering a storm, or preparing a meal, we can make this task an opportunity to practice our spiritual principles. We can perform our task with love and joy.

In Peace is Every Step, Thich Nhat Hanh says, “I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. The dishes themselves and that fact that I am here washing them are miracles!”

And when all else fails, dance the funky chicken-and make it ecstatic! That will surely bring a smile to your face! The smile is where it starts!

Take a look at this video which inspired my blog. I first heard this song during a 3 hour spin-a-thon at the YMCA almost 2 years ago! It kept me going for sure! See the lyrics below as well.

Baz Luhrmann Lyrics – Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…