Blissology

Is there any more basic goal to life than happiness? Finding Bliss is something we all seek. Yet, in our pursuit of happiness sometimes we try too hard.  In the Blissology Project Book we talk about how BLISS is an acronym: Beautiful Living is Super Simple.

As a Blissologist, I have spent most of my life exploring strategies for happiness. You will be surprised how a few simple activities everyday can lead to a positive state of mind. Try these five steps from the Blissology Project for this 28 day lifestyle program and make Bliss a habit.

1) Yoga will make you happy:  To find Bliss, don’t try too hard.  Yep, lower the bar.  Don’t try to be happier, just have less tension in your body and you will be amazed what happens.  Happiness and Bliss are always inside of us but stress, worry and tension obscure it like clouds block out the sun.  When the sun is blocked by the clouds, it doesn’t try to shine harder, it just waits for those clouds to go.  The best way to rid the body of stress is by practicing a yoga routine that heats the body up with a little vigor, making us fit and ready to go deeper and then blissing out with some stretching, breathing and relaxing.  It’s a magic formula!

2)  Meditation – impossible, right?: “I’ll never still my mind,” you say.  Maybe not completely, but again lower the bar.  Take ten minutes every day to free yourself from distractions, your “To-Do List” and mental clutter and set a goal of just feeling more peaceful.  In the Blissology Project Book we talk about putting your brain in a hammock and allowing the wisdom of the heart come through. Through just ten minutes of daily meditation, you will find that you have more patience and calm in your day-to-day life which is the foundation of Bliss.

3) Nature Appreciation:  What does Nature have to do with Bliss? Everything.  It is the most fundamental thing we can do for our health. Most children practice Nature Appreciation all day every, every day.  They are blown away with the texture of stones, the feel of cool mud on their feet, how flowers grow and what the bees are doing.  Our ancestors practiced Nature Appreciation every day, but we have built a world for ourselves where we cage ourselves in with busy schedules and concerns for making or spending money so we disconnect from the big picture.  Nature Appreciation brings us back. There is a ton of Nature right out your door, even in a big city.  Relax and look at some miracles around you and bring on the Bliss!

4) Food Awareness:  Most people are content eating food that is 60-70% as good as it could be.  The Blissology Project is about stepping up to 90 to 100 percent by eating fresh, healthy food that is free of chemicals and that has not come from a factory or industrialized process.  The yogis called the energy from food Prana. Think about the difference between a well- seasoned steamed kale dish and Twinkie.  You feel different eating one than the other, right? That is because your cells will literally be more able to reproduce healthy tissues.  One gives us energy with a crash and Prana filled food gives us more sustainable energy that makes our bodies feel turbo charged all day.   Eat food high on the Pranameter and watch what happens to the Bliss factor in your mind and body.

5) Gratitude: Our state of mind is everything.  Rich people are not necessarily happier than poor.  What makes the difference? Our attitude.  The state of mind called Bliss is always inside us. As William Arthur Ward sad, “A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.” How do we get this sunny disposition?  All the other 4 commitments work wonders, but the fastest is Gratitude.  It is easy and when we think about three things that we are grateful for, our attitude becomes positive and we become conduits for the bliss we seek.  Practicing Gratitude daily makes Bliss a habit.