Happiness and Joy – Cultivating Positive Emotions
There is an inner freedom that expresses as happiness and peace, and it is accessible when we arrive in openhearted presence. As the Buddha said, “If it were not possible to find liberation, I would not teach about it.”
In these talks, videos and meditations, we will look at the conditioning that blocks happiness and pathways of practice that can evolve our consciousness and free our hearts.
Talks on Cultivating Positive Emotions
Joy – Part 3 of Present Heart: The Universal Expressions of Love
Part 3: Joy - blossoms in the moments our hearts open boundlessly to reality, to the 10,000 joys and sorrows. This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise...
Part 2: Rewiring for Happiness and Freedom
The Buddha said, “I would not be teaching this (a path of awakening) if genuine happiness and freedom were not possible.” While this is our potential, we each have deep...
Part 1: Rewiring for Happiness and Freedom
The Buddha said, “I would not be teaching this (a path of awakening) if genuine happiness and freedom were not possible.” While this is our potential, we each have deep...
Making the Whole World Your Friend
A wonderful translation of the Pali word Metta is friendliness. This talk looks at friendliness through an evolutionary lens, and explores ways we can cultivate a more open...
Joy – Part 3 of Present Heart: The Universal Expressions of Love
Part 3: Joy - blossoms in the moments our hearts open boundlessly to reality, to the 10,000 joys and sorrows. This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise...
Happiness Is Possible: De-conditioning the Negativity Bias – Part 2
There is an inner freedom that expresses as happiness and peace, and it is accessible when we arrive in openhearted presence. As the Buddha said, “If it were not possible to find...
Happiness is Possible: De-conditioning the Negativity Bias – Part 1
There is an inner freedom that expresses as happiness and peace, and it is accessible when we arrive in openhearted presence. As the Buddha said, “If it were not possible to find...
Happy for No Reason – Part 2: Opening to Happiness
These two talks explore the two different kinds of happiness, the blocks to happiness, and the ways that mindful presence and intentional gladdening the heart (positive...
Happy for No Reason – Part 1 : Opening to Happiness
These two talks explore the two different kinds of happiness, the blocks to happiness, and the ways that mindful presence and intentional gladdening the heart (positive...
True Happiness: Realizing Well-Being
Well being is the deep contentment that arises from a relaxed, wakeful presence. This talk explores the beliefs and habits that contract us away form presence, and several key ways we can nourish our natural capacity for happiness.
Meditations on Cultivating Positive Emotions
Guided Meditation: Loving This Life – Happiness – Metta (17:05 min.)
This guided meditation, grounded in the practice of Metta, invites us to awaken the heart by softening the body and quieting the mind. We begin with the simple image of a...
Meditation: Nourishing Happiness with RAIN (15:17 min)
While RAIN is regularly used for untangling suffering, it is also a powerful tool for deepening our access to positive states like happiness, gratitude, wonder and love. This...
Tara Talks – Guided Reflection: From “If Only” Trance to Open-Hearted Presence (7:47 min.)
When we notice that we’re in the trance of “if-only” mind, we can choose to re-open and surrender to what is right here. When we make that U-Turn and stay with our experience...
Tara Talks – Reflection: The Practice of Savoring As a Gateway to Happiness (5:53 min.)
It is radical and transformative to pause and sense the goodness that is right here in this moment. When we experience gladness for simple things, we know we really can be happy...
Meditation: Relax into Happiness (19:19 min.)
Meditation: Relax Into Happiness ~ Lama Gendun Rinpoche writes, “Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower, but it is already there, in relaxation and letting...
Tara Talks – Reflection: The Practice of Serving as a Gateway to Happiness
Taste what it’s like, in the body and in the heart, to feel a sense of your own being when you’re helping. “Every time I take a step in the direction of generosity, I know that I...
Meditation – Loving This Life – Happiness (Metta Practice) (16:30 min)
This meditation focuses on cultivating a sense of friendliness and openness through the imagery of a smile, allowing the mind and body to relax and soften. It encourages being...
Other Resources on Cultivating Positive Emotions
Blog: What You Practice Grows Stronger: Choosing Joy to De-Condition Our Negativity Bias
What You Practice Grows Stronger:Choosing Joy to De-Condition Our Negativity Bias Some years back, I was talking with a woman in our community. She was a breast cancer survivor...
Tara Talks: Shining a Light on the Habits That Block Joy (3:06 min.)
If we’re in the trance of unworthiness, we can’t embrace each other and our world in an open-hearted way. In this short video, I share a story (a personal favorite!) of...
Blog: Joy
Not too long ago, my ex-husband, Alex, brought us a big batch of his homemade almond butter. It is such a really delicious treat. I took a bite, and as I tasted it, I thought,...
Blog: Rare and Precious Joy
When I talk to people about how much they experience joy, most say, “Not so much.” Joy is not a frequent visitor, and when it does appear, it’s fleeting. Joy arises when we are...
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