• Passing a smiling person on the street is my cue to practice joy.

• Whenever I see people dancing at a party, I am reminded to release the joy that resides in me.

• Knowing how much pleasure there is in making others happy, I vow to practice joy.

• Blessed is Lady Wisdom who draws an abundance of joy from our souls.

The rock group Three Dog Night took the phrase from the familiar hymn and put it on the Top-40 charts: "Joy to the world, all the boys and girls. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me." The beat is so infectious, it is more suitable as a mantra than as a meditative breath prayer. Repeat the mantra wherever you are.

Joy to the World

Colette Aboulker-Muscat is a world renown teacher of imagination as a way for us to explore our inner reality and discover how to live in the depths of our experiences. She has created many thousands of imagery exercises, sharing them with her students who could from many countries to her home in Jerusalem, Israel. In this one, you are encouraged to discover the benefits of “Dance.”

Breathe out three times. Get in touch with your physical existence. Know that each breathing has a purpose and direction. Notice what is going on in your body.

Imagine that you are alone at the edge of a large, clear, quiet, and calm meadow with the sun above you and all the space to dance. Look at your meadow and be aware of your feelings. Then begin to dance freely. Now see in this space another dancer dancing. He or she is offering to show you how to dance. You are free to accept, reject, or share this dance. See how the two of you dance together in the green, clear, quiet, large meadow. Then open your eyes.

Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavor, keeps it from being too dry, and makes it easier to swallow.
— Diane Johnson quoted in Zen Soup by Laurence G. Boldt

To Practice This Thought: Make sure laughter is part of your breakfast menu.

B. Alan Wallace in Boundless Heart explains a Tibetan Buddhist practice of rejoicing in virtue.