Happiness is an overall feeling of contentment, free from anxiety, worry, or unease. It’s not that happy people go through life never experiencing hardship, loss, or other negative emotions. The key is that happy people know how to cope when life gets rough. They know how to get past negativity and focus on the positive. Although it might seem natural to bystanders, happy people actually work to maintain that contentment.

Many people seek outside stimulants and activities to find happiness; some are healthy and some are not. When people look to alcohol, drugs, and other unhealthy activities to release stress, it never results in finding a true contentment with life. Exercise, volunteering, and socializing with friends are often healthy ways to release stress and find happiness. While drugs and alcohol are more like a bandage, covering the pain for a short amount of time – exercise, friends, and volunteering are more positive activities, which result in an inner satisfaction and peace.

Happy Benefits of Meditation

Meditation also allows a person to look within one’s self, to work on what truly makes that person happy. The key to happiness is realizing that it comes not from outside sources, but from within. Meditation forces you to sit with yourself for a while, focusing on one of the most basic necessities of life: breathing. It stills the mind and calms the body by allowing you to focus on your breath and letting go of all thoughts.

A Mindful and Thankful Meditation for Happiness

Close your eyes and relax. Let all thoughts leave your mind. Focus on something for which you are grateful. It might be something as simple as air, water, or earth. Sit with this for as long as you like. It might be five minutes, or it might be much longer. As you progress in your meditations, performing them for longer intervals and more often, it will be easier to experience an enlightened state of mind. Over time, you might find that you can achieve this same state throughout the day, as you experience feelings of anxiety or stress, just by taking a few deep breaths and focusing on the positive.

A Pranayama Technique for Happiness

Here is another Yogic technique for happiness, but it is much more energetic. We all strive to find happiness and balance in our lives. It seems like some people have found that magic key to a peaceful, grateful life, while others keep searching to find a happiness that seems unreachable. The secret lies in the way we are able to cope with negative thoughts and feelings, letting them into our bodies, and then releasing them. » Read more: Yoga Techniques for Happiness