Ask? Is it really that easy to get what I want?
What keeps you from soaring?
Could it be that you never really ask to fly?
Most of us ask for very little; we "keep both feet on the ground."
"I just want enough to pay the bills." Splat.
Most of us never notice that in fact, we get exactly what we ask. Not because we're punished; because we asked for it.
"I don't ask for much....I'm not asking for the world...I need very little...I can't afford that....I don't need money.... rich people are greedy...."
As if being meager is rewarding.
Toby Calandra created a series of meditations around a simple and powerful premise called "Ask and Receive."
Yup, that's all there is to it. How does that work? Beautifully! Listen to the Ask and Receive meditation below and get ready to take off...
Here's the big idea behind the simple Ask and Receive meditation.
There is a part of you that already knows that there is a great life in store for you. You knew it when you were a child. That's why playing was so much fun back then; playing was happiness in the moment.
That's why it's still so much fun to watch kids play.
Now you've "become too much like the adults; you've had to grow up," as The Little Prince would say. And that means playtime: over. You stored that knowledge of asking and playing somewhere deep in your subconscious, so it doesn't interfere with your job. Whenever you dare to do something you really enjoy, you call it a "guilty pleasure."
If you're guilty of anything, it's playing small. Get over it; it doesn't serve anyone. Your example of total happiness is what expands the playing field, for everyone.
Consider the inspirational people in your life. Do you admire their brooding, moping, whining? Or is it their happiness that reaches out and speaks to you?
For those who argue that asking for stuff is not a spiritual path, consider this: everything you ever wanted is for one reason only: you believe that in the having of if, you'll be happy. Your happiness lifts you and everyone around you. Thus, happiness is a spiritual pursuit. Isn't the happiness of being enlightened wanting any different from happiness wearing your new Manolo Blahniks?
It's all happiness.
There is everything right with asking to be happy. I have witnessed the Dalai Lama spread happiness instantly to thousands of people by his own example of being completely immersed in it. He eats large meals in NYC restaurants (yes, he eats meat). He laughs a lot - he has kicked up his sandals on stage in peals of glee. He is genuinely self deprecating - at a seminar I attended at Rutgers Stadium someone asked, "What should be done to acheive peace in the Middle East," and he answered, "How would I know?"
This is a happy person - an exiled, persecuted, happy person.
Happiness is a practice - a lot like hot yoga. A good start is being happy with wherever you are right now. If you can't kick up your sandals and click your heels over your current situation, that's OK. You may also not be in a position to complete a full-on Standing Bow Pulling right now, either.
But you can look into the mirror, right into your own eyes at the start of each hot yoga class or the start of your day as you brush your teeth, and make peace with wherever you are right now. You're in the perfect position to see that your Big Happiness is always close behind.
Making Peace With Where You Are is a simple meditation from Toby's Ask and Receive series...it takes under 3 minutes to hear. Click below and tune in.
Then I recommend you lather, rinse, repeat, as often as you need more happiness conditioning.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Reader Comments (2)
I agree Rhonda. We need to find the right balance between dreaming/visualising/goalsetting and being/appreciating/allowing. So that we can manifest what we are truly capable of and maintain our presence and awareness and serenity.
Andrew, What are some of things you do to visualize and goal set? I like vision boards or I will close my eyes and imagine exactly what it is that I want... Rhonda, I think I went to the same Dalai Lama visit at Rutgers when he last came to the states... I was eighteen and fell asleep because it was way too early and I did't have enough caffeine. :) I never thought I'd be getting up even earlier without coffee for my hot yoga classes. I love it when I find out that the people I glorify don't take themselves so seriously. It makes me happy because I've always had this impoverished image of the Dalai Lama reminiscent of Sister Mercedes from my Catholic Elementary school. Two very different things. Yayyy