Friendliness toward the joyful

The Four Qualities of the Heart
The practice of the four brahmavihara are essential to truly breaking down the perceived barriers between self and other:
1) Friendliness toward the joyful - August
2) Compassion for those who are suffering - Sept
3) Celebrating the good in others - Oct
4) Remaining impartial to the faults & imperfections of others - Nov
(yoga sutra 1.33)

As householder yogis, these four attitudes can be most useful.  If you go off and live in a cave, there is less opportunity for testing your spiritual fitness in the presence of others.   Most of us live real lives with all sorts of people and relationships that test us.  Taking our Yoga off the mat and into the real world, can be a very powerful tool for personal growth and transformation.  When we practice these four brahmavihara we can cease what I like to call the “spiraling” of emotions and mental unrest that comes from unresolved or unsettled relationships.

August Monthly Theme:  Friendliness toward the joyful – it is easier to start with this one to gain the confidence we need to live more compassionately toward all.

"The first brahmavihara is perhaps the easiest, and that is simply to extend our friendship toward people who are already pleasantly disposed toward us.  We can do this in very real terms--by extending assistance and support to friends when they need us and by availing ourselves of the same support. Without being indiscriminate, we can assume friendliness toward others in our daily interactions and by doing so wear away at the thickness of our skin.  Clearly, it is easier to be friendly with someone who likes us or someone we admire, so by starting with an easy practice we gain confidence in our ability to live compassionately." ~ Donna Fahri

We'd love to hear from you about your experience, practice or wisdom regarding the first of these four qualities.  Today, practice kindness and friendship toward someone you like or admire.  This first step toward living a life of true compassion is an important one to practice.  It helps us with the more difficult ones.