Filling Your Vessel

Refilling Your Vessel With Joy

What is your vessel? Why does it need to be filled? What does it mean to be replenished? These are all wonderful questions.

Your vessel is you, all of you, everything inside you from organs, toenails, to a single blood cell. But it's not only your physical vessel but your spiritual and mental wellbeing.

Take a look around you, look at all the toxicity that we are exposed to on a daily basis. For example, the media. Several months ago I turned on a news channel, I typically will read an article instead of watch a live broadcast.

My first observation was how very loud the hosts were. This loudness right away cultivates an environment that's toxic, regardless of network or story.

Whom do you follow on social media? Do they promote a positive influence? Do they promote the wholesomeness that you want as a person? Or are they lashing out at someone else? Do they give you body positive affirmations or do you find yourself comparing to them. This is toxicity as well.

Consider movies and violent video games. Certainly there are many video games out there that are extremely violent.

All of these things add up to a toxic environment. A toxic environment we invite into ourselves. This steady inflow of negativity is what is taking us from our joy. Drop by drop making your vessel more toxic.

We are ourselves might not become violent but it certainly can lead to us becoming disconnected, becoming disengaged with the world around us. And if we keep exposing ourselves to these toxic environments we do not get to see that the beauty around us because we are feeling empty inside. As a result, you begin to lose the the true joy of what life has to offer.

Joy is like rain that waters the flowers during a drought, allowing us connect to people, not just the plants, but dogs, cats, and birds, all life.

Joy cultivates compassion and empathy towards others.

But how can we replenish our vessel and cultivate joy?

1. Disconnect. You can turn off your cell phone or computer so you won't be bombarded with irrelevant news and social media updates which are distractions from joy. If you have a landline this might be the better option for those necessary calls.

2. Games and entertainment. Be mindful of purchasing violent games and movies. Overexposure leads to desensitization. You may think that these are computer generated code or actors but humans have this ability to feel the emotions of imagery. Look at The Lion King or Frozen or Bambi. They're not real beings and we feel sorry for them or grow to love them. Now imagine constant exposure to the violence in entertainment media. They empty your vessel of joy.

3. Get back to nature. Take a 15 - 20 minute walk. Get out of your house or office. Walk in the park, or trail, a clear lake. No matter where you are in nature look at the smallest little details. Walk up to that tree and look at the bark. Feel the bark. Listen to the birds. Find a patch of grass that's no one's using, listen and observe. If you are on the beach, look at the amazing colors, all the different colors in the sand. The whites, blacks, and sometimes greens.

4. Boundaries. Minimize contact with negative and sarcastic people they're going to bring you down certainly you know if you will have to interact with them at work set the boundaries can you set those healthy boundaries you're going to have more positivity around you and if it persists you know they're always negative always negative always sarcastic just kindly remind that let the positive positively blossom in you cut the positive it also works with family boundaries with your family

5. Meditation. Thirty minutes a day is all you will need. You will experience relieving decompression even after your first sitting. But at this point the practices is still immature so give it a few weeks and you will notice a positive change because remember you have been living in a toxic environment for a very long time. So it will take time to replenish the joy.

We are what we consume, from what we eat, drink, read, watch, play, and listen to. Be mindful of what you allow in.

Wishing you peace and wellbeing,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.