How would you explain bliss?
In a recent conversation with someone dear to me, I was expressing (possibly 'over-expressing') how much I loved my life, how grateful I am to live my life in a state of bliss, a veritable shower of bliss bubbles.
This beautiful person turned to me and said: "what is bliss?"
The simple enquiry caught me off guard.
What is bliss.
Was it a question. Was it a statement. Was it an insight into something stirring in their heart.
Whatever it was for this person remains for their knowing.
It did however trigger off an avalanche of questions in my mind.
Would you like to join me on exploration of bliss? A 'blissploration'.
The first question on the journey: what is bliss?
And then we will have to discover: what is bliss for me?
And the ultimate destination: how do I get to live in bliss?
What is bliss?
bliss
/blɪs/
noun
perfect happiness; serene joy
All the dictionaries included the term 'joy' and 'happiness' in varying intensity degrees of vocabulary. Some people describe bliss as being in a state of euphoria, but if I had to translate into Linda speak, I'd go with:
'what's your most extreme concept of joy and happiness? Now intensify that by 10"
Being blissful is a state of profound joy. When you’re in a blissful state, you’re listening to the voice of your heart. It's a mindful, focussed happiness —not simply excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. Bliss means paying attention to yourself, and being aware of the pleasurable sensations in your body and the delicious thoughts in your mind.
Which brings us to the next stage in our blissploration:
What is bliss for me?
A blissful life is available to all of us, however, each of experience bliss differently. The lens through which you view life will define your idea of bliss. No matter how you experience or define your bliss, the benefits of bliss are the same - decreased depression, reduce stress and subsequent/ related diseases, increased overall health, deeper connections and stronger relations plus a generally more positive life experience. Living blissfully also increases our confidence and courage as it taps into our inner strength and releases us from the bonds of negativity and limiting beliefs that hold us back.
The foundation of achieving a life of bliss rests on living a life of gratitude, intention, understanding and peace. Dedicating to this blissful existence will produce a more ecstatic life experience.
Dedicating ourselves to achieving the persistent blissful state is noble and is literally a world changing pursuit. However for those of us at the beginning of our spiritual path, or looking for an immediate improvement in our daily lives ('instant gratification" is not a dirty word) - it's possible to access bliss and enjoy the positive effects to improve our lives immediately with an exquisite little technique I like to call: Lollygobblyblissbutton
For this section I want you to close your eyes for a few moments (after you have read this bit) and allow your brain to reveal all your happiest memories, your most joyful moments. Drop into that delicious space where all the good bits of your life are stored, all the memories to swirl and dance with you.
Now, imagine you have a volume dial in front of, reach out and turn the dial up on the colour and sounds, see the memories as if it was happening now but brighter, more intense. Turn that dial up again and feel the juicy emotions swelling and reaching out to play again. Notice the sensations of happiness and joy that you are feeling now, feel into that state and allow it to fill you up. Allow the sensations to blossom and unfurl within you. Invite those feelings to inflate and take up all the space inside you.
Now, take a moment to really notice how your body feels at this moment – where are you feeling your bliss? Put your hands on your body where you can feel the bliss at it's most intense.
What does your bliss feel like to you? How would you describe your bliss, what words would you use?
While you are in this gorgeous state of heightened sensation place your index finger on your body where you feel it most and hold it there for the next few seconds or until the sensation starts to fade.
Allow the sensation to subside, and then continue the next stage of our blissploration.
(this is the bit where you go back and do the exercise, and then pick up reading again from here when you are done)
Ah, that feels good, doesn't it.
Is your whole body tingling, or fizzing gently? Is your mind a little bit gooey like a marshmallow just before it goes too brown over the fire?
We are now arriving at the final destination in our blissploration –
How can we live in a state of bliss?
The first thing to say at this point –yes, it's possible.
It may take a little bit of effort to begin with, but everything worth doing is worth a little effort. And if you are anything like me (and I think you are), that gentle fizzy marshmallowy feeling is well worth a dash of effort.
We are the designers of our life, we get to choose our experience, and so we are the architect of the change we desire, but change is intentional and like all mindful practices requires focus and repetition.
Daily we need to:
Focus on what delights you
Focus on what lifts up others
Live intentionally, conscious of our choices
Live on purpose
Live with love, forgiveness, understanding, compassion, humility and harmony
'Following our bliss' or 'living in bliss' is a lifestyle choice. A choice that with the most wonderful outcomes. And while we are all keen to live intentionally, choosing to live mindfully and consciously... wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a #blisshack? A fast track option to access our bliss?
Turns out, I just happen to have exactly that!
And it's so simple!
All you have to do is 'press the button'. The #lollygobbleblissbutton
Yup, you read that correctly.
The first step is to press your bliss button on a daily basis. That part of your body where the bliss was most intense, every day take your index finger and gently press that same spot for a few seconds up to a couple of minutes. While you press the button, breathe deeply and return to those memories and blissful sensations you created the first time. Allow your face to smile, your body to embrace the feelings of joy and happiness. Drop right back into the juicy swirls of your most favourite memories.
Take several deep breaths as you dance with the emotions and twirl with delight as the sensations wash over you. Allow your body to move and share the joy. Let your face show the unbounded happiness you are now feeling.
After a minute or two allow the sensations to fade and remove your finger.
Note – this is a daily practice, for a minimum of 28 days.
Incorporate it into your regular routine – imagine blissfully cleaning your teeth every morning? Or twirling with irrepressible joy during your shower.
This daily blissploration will overflow into all areas of your life, delivering buckets blissfull benefits. The big bonus - the longer you practice and the more often you practice the more the bliss will blossom for you, creating beautiful big bubbles of joy every moment of every day.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not pretending any of us can live in complete bliss all the time.
It's just not realistic to live in a blissful state all day every day.
The universe works in scales of polarity, shades of light and shadow, expansion and contraction. To experience the heightened state of any emotion, we must experience the shades in between the poles to appreciate it fully.
To experience the sheer euphoria of bliss, we must experience shades of misery. The shadows and darker moments of the day allow us to enjoy the lightness that bliss shines on us.
And while misery and all the shades in between (yes boredom, I'm looking at you) aren't fun to get through, we know that these are just moments in the day.
Like the tides, our emotions come and go, we expand and contract. These moments of misery don't need to last, we can choose to accept them when they appear and then choose to move through them, choose to press our bliss buttons and intentionally step into gratitude and joy. It's your choice.
We have come to the end of this blissploration, but don't stop here, continue seeking and expanding your bliss bubbles.
But wait, before you go – I'd love to hear your experience of bliss. Head to the socials and drop me a dm of your experience of bliss, or comment on the bliss posts so others can share your joy.
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