Awakening Joy | Free Book
Joy is not for just the lucky few–it’s a choice anyone can make. In
this groundbreaking book, based on his popular course, James Baraz
helps you discover a path to the happiness that’s right in front of
you, offering a step-by-step program that will reorient your mind
away from dissatisfaction and distraction and toward the contentment
and delight that is abundantly available in our everyday lives.
You
can decide to be happy. For years, James Baraz’s online Awakening
Joy course has offered participants from around the world the
benefits of this simple but profoundly radical proposition. Grounded
in simple Buddhist principles but accessible to people of all
faiths–or no faith at all–this concept provides the jumping-off
point for a transformational journey toward a richer, more
meaningful, more positive outlook on life. Now readers everywhere
can follow the same ten steps Baraz teaches to his program
participants. In this practical down-to-earth guide, you will learn
how to
• make happiness a habit by inclining your mind
toward states that lead to well-being
• find joy even during
difficult times and avoid the pitfalls that prevent you from
achieving the contentment you seek
• cultivate effective
practices for sustaining joyfulness, such as reclaiming your natural
sense of wonder and finding joy in the midst of everyday
experiences
Each chapter of Awakening Joy consists
of one step in Baraz’s ten-step program and includes engaging
exercises and practical advice to make happiness your natural
default setting. For everyone from the cynic despondent over life’s
many sorrows to the harried commuter raging at freeway traffic, this
book offers up a simple yet powerful message of hope grounded in the
realization that joy already exists inside every one of us. Like a
precious child, it only needs to be recognized, embraced, and
nurtured in order to grow to its full potential.
In The Press
"I've personally taken the Awakening Joy program and can say
this unequivocally: It's fabulous and it works! This book,
filled with moving stories and rich teachings, will give you wonderful
tools to experience true happiness and well-being. It's a
gem!"— Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of
Happy for No Reason
"Opening to joy takes courage
and intention. This book will inspire you to discover genuine
happiness, and show you how. Drawing on perennial wisdom and
accessible meditative practices, James and Shoshana offer teachings
that can awaken your love of life."— Tara Brach, author of
Radical Acceptance
"Awakening Joy is an
important guide to transforming our everyday experience into genuine
happiness. James and Shoshana's insight, kindness, and clear and
practical language make this a direct, pragmatic and valuable manual
for a better life."—Sharon Salzberg, author of
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
"In this beautiful and heartwarming book, James
Baraz and Shoshana Alexander take us on a journey that truly
awakens joy. There are stories that bring tears to our eyes and
practices that transform our
lives. This is a loving, wise, and
compassionate testament to what is possible for each one
of us. Highly recommended."—Joseph Goldstein, author of
A Heart Full of Peace
"I'm so happy that James
Baraz's Awakening Joy class is now available in book
form. His class has been helpful to thousands of people. I
plan to give it to all my clients who are struggling with creating a
life of meaning and happiness. Joyfulness is our
birthright. This book shows you how to reclaim it."—M.J. Ryan,
author of AdaptAbility
"This is a life-changing
book that not only teaches practical, useful strategies
for increasing your awareness, but also illuminates choices about
how you can lead your emotional life." —Paul Ekman,
Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of California, San
Francisco, co-author of
Emotional Awareness and author of Emotions Revealed
"To awaken joy in oneself and others is one of
life's great skills, a skill taught by sages across the centuries, and
now distilled in this book."—Roger Walsh M.D., Ph.D., University of
California Medical School, author of
Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices
"This book is an inspiring gift that will open your heart
to the presence of love and joy in everyday life."—Frances Vaughan,
Ph.D., psychologist, author of
Shadows of the Sacred
"Every page of this wonderful
book has something that inspires faith or confidence: a new story, a
memorable quote, an exercise that invites participation....From
beginning to end, it is a joy to read."—Sylvia Boorstein, author of
Happiness Is An Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life
"This book should be read by every person who cares
about making this a better world. It can enhance the joys of working
to develop a wiser and more compassionate society, and help make us
both happier and more effective in challenging times."—Daniel
Ellsberg, author of
Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers
"This is an important book—and a great read! With
its unique mix of story, philosophy, and practice we can explore our
needs, free ourselves from the bonds of suffering, and innovate new
ways of being that will last our lifetimes. And, because James
has woven himself and his characteristic smile throughout the book, we
can have a lot of fun in the process."—Rick Foster,
co-author of How We Choose to Be Happy
"Faith, hope, and love have long been
considered the essential virtues of the religious life. James Baraz
has done us all a great service by elevating joy to its rightful place
alongside the trinity of sacred emotions. What a gift is it, to be
surprised by joy, and to awaken, in the midst of a difficult world,
the impulse to rejoice."—Patricia E. de Jong, Senior Minister, First
Congregational Church of Berkeley
"Awakening Joy is
an inspirational and practical resource which helps us identify where
we are or are not experiencing joy in our lives. This original book
addresses the primary obstacles or beliefs that hinder our access to
joy, and includes timeless practices and ways in which we can expand,
cultivate, express, and experience more joy in our lives and within
our own nature. Well-written, informative, and a significant
contribution to everyone's well-being."—Angeles Arrien, Ph.D.,
cultural anthropologist, and author of award-winning
Second Half of Life: Opening to the Eight Gates of Wisdom
"In our pursuit of happiness, this moving book should be
a dog eared, worn out companion....As you work through this elegant
material, you will find yourself laughing a little longer, dancing a
little more, and awakening to the beauty of what lies inside you and
in those nearby."—Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology, UC
Berkeley, and author,
Born To Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
"I have been deeply touched and inspired by James Baraz's
accessible, practical wisdom. His genuine caring for people and
enthusiasm for life generously pour forth and permeate everything that
he teaches--now in the pages of this book."—Rabbi Margie Jacobs,
Institute for Jewish Spirituality
"Awakening Joy
is a wise treasure house of valuable information, anecdotes,
potent quotes, and creative suggestions to step into one's power and
live life to the max. This book is a rich, inspiring resource I'm
excited to share with my yoga students."—Gabriel Halpern, founder
and director of the Yoga Circle [Chicago]
- Title: Awakening Joy | Free Book
- Author: Steven
- Created at : 2024-10-24 02:42:43
- Updated at : 2024-10-26 23:41:53
- Link: https://novels-ebooks.techidaily.com/439116-9780553907261-awakening-joy/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.