How to Be Happy: 10 Keys to Happier Living

by Vanessa King

First – notice what’s going on inside * Bring your awareness to your thoughts. Notice them as passing events and try not to get caught up by them. * What emotions or feelings do you notice? Have a curious but ‘warm’ look at them, even if they are unpleasant. Don’t try to change them in any way. Just notice that they are there. * What sensations do you notice in your body? Any tightness, tension or discomfort? Again be curious and ‘warm’, don’t try to change the sensations in any way. Just notice that they are there. Second – focusing attention * Focus on your breath and the sensations it creates in your abdomen, expanding and relaxing as you breathe in and out. * Each breath is an opportunity to come back to the present, bringing the mind back if it wanders. Third – expanding your attention out * Gradually expand your focus on the breath in the abdomen out to your whole body, as if the whole of you is breathing. * If you notice an area of discomfort, look at it ‘warmly’. Don’t try to change it. Imagine, for a moment, breathing into and around it. * If your attention is being pulled into the feeling, return to an awareness of your body as a whole.