Aug 24, 2023
Happiness Break: Awe in Impermanence
Take a few minutes to develop your sense of awe for the circle of life in this meditation with Dacher Keltner.
LINK TO EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://tinyurl.com/2tv3whj2
All sentient beings are impermanent, and out of our reflections on this we find appreciation. We find poignancy. A little sadness, but also out of that sadness and poignancy, a sense of deep appreciation for the people we love.
How to Do This Practice:
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Find a comfortable place. Focus on taking a few deep breaths, relaxing your body from head to toe.
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Think of an older relative who you are close to. Picture them in your mind.
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Imagine how they entered the world years ago as a newborn.
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Continue to imagine this individual growing up — through adolescence into adulthood, developing the qualities that you admire.
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Now imagine them later in life, into seniority.
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Reflect on the progression of the individual’s life, from the beginning to the final stages in this natural progression of the life cycle for humans.
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Recognize that they'll pass or maybe they have passed, and that's part of this cycle
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Take note of how you feel.
Today’s Happiness Break host:
Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Check out Dacher’s most recent book, *Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: *<https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)
More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
What I Learned About Resilience in the Midst of Grief: https://tinyurl.com/2uw7uvxd
How to Face Grief in Yourself and Others: https://tinyurl.com/yckknp9r
Death and Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/mwcn752j
How to Bring More Meaning to Dying: [https://tinyurl.com/vnbkwf52>\
Learning to Live in a World Without a Loved One: https://tinyurl.com/2v4avfvv
How do you find awe in impermanence? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
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We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.