August 19, 2024
This month’s blog post is written by Pye Marshall
Finding your JOY
Discovering Ananda
We all want to feel good, right?
I used to chase “happiness” through material things, career titles, life milestones, or my next big adventure. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve came to realize, as we all eventually do, that true happiness, aka: JOY, doesn’t reside in external, temporary things. Joy is actually something we tap into from within.
In Sanskrit it’s called Ananda and translates directly to "bliss" or "pure joy."
So what is it?
Ananda isn’t something you earn or deserve. It’s not the fleeting happiness you get from external items or achievements. Ananda is a deep, lasting sense of contentment that’s always present, regardless of what’s happening in your life.
How is Ananda different from Happiness?
Ananda and happiness both relate to feelings of joy, yes, but they differ in depth, source, and stability. Happiness often stems from superficial factors, and it’s typically tied to specific events or circumstances. By nature, it is fleeting.
Ananda is a deep, enduring sense of contentment and bliss that arises from within, independent of outward conditions. It’s more stable and remains steady regardless of life’s ups and downs.
In essence, while happiness is often linked to what happens to us, Ananda is about accessing a constant, inner joy that exists regardless of external factors.
Practice: Connect with Your Ananda
You don’t need drastic life changes to experience Ananda. It’s about slowing down, reducing distractions, and turning your attention inward. Simple practices like meditation, mindfulness, or even a quiet walk can help you reconnect with this inner joy (I don’t know about you, but whenever I take a walk outside, I always feel better).
Try these journal prompts to better understand what your Ananda looks like:
When do you feel most at peace, and what about those moments makes you feel that way?
Reflect on times when you’ve felt deeply content. What were you doing, and how can you create more of those moments?
What superficial distractions or habits might be clouding your experience of inner joy?
Consider what might be preventing you from feeling content. Are there things you could change or let go of to feel more connected to your inner bliss?
Don’t be misled… uncovering Ananda can be a difficult practice, because life has a way of being muddy and messy. I like to think of the nuances, situations and challenges of life as passing clouds. Even on a cloudy day, we know there is an inherent blue sky… we just need to patiently wait for the clouds to clear in order to witness the blue sky again. Ananda is the blue sky: ever-present.
Why It Matters
In our fast-paced, consumption-based, overstimulated world, it’s easy to think happiness comes from the next big thing. But true, lasting joy is always there, waiting for you to notice. And when you do, you’ll find that life feels a lot more balanced, peaceful, and, well, joyful.
Ananda isn’t something you need to achieve—it’s something you can access anytime. By focusing less on external pursuits and more on inner connection, you’ll find that true, lasting joy is always within reach… even on cloudy days.
Thanks for reading & for sharing in this human experience.
With love,
Pye