This talk from the Spirit Rock Family Retreat explores what joy is, what gets in the way of joy, and how to cultivate it: intend, savor, and recall. We also focus on how mudita or appreciative joy shows up and can be called upon to help us with tricky family situations such as comparison or disappointment. Joy is accessible to us all!
Choosing to be a householder and not a renunciate can be it's own deep path of practice. Chaos, emotional turmoil, lots to do, many to care for: these things don't have to be obstacles, but could actually be important benefits on a path to awakening. The path of the householder accelerates us towards patience, flexibility, compassion, and love.