From ABC, it's the 10 percent happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, hey, it's Friday, so we're dropping a bonus meditation. This one comes from Jay Michaelson, who is a frequent guest on this show. He's also an ordained rabbi, a long time meditation teacher and an author. His latest book is Enlightenment by Trial and Error.

Oh, and also on his CV, he's the editor of Wisdom Content here at 10 percent happier. And in this guided meditation, he's going to get us to contemplate a question that seems simple, but it really isn't. The question is, what is happiness? A lot of us get the answer to this question wrong, either consciously or subconsciously, and it has serious consequences. So here we go with Jay Michaelson. Hi, this is Jay. When we're feeling happiness or joy, it needs no definition, it's just the feeling of happiness.

But we don't really want to be happy all the time. That would be weird. Human life has its ups and downs. It would be really odd to just feel happy all the time at cemeteries or reading news of injustice or war. So what is happiness then? Let's do a little guided meditation together to take a look. We'll begin by settling the mind, resting in the body, coming to rest in the present moment. Go ahead and close your eyes or leave them open if you prefer, and find a stillness in your posture, a comfortable position where you won't have to move around much for the next little while, maybe take a nice deep breath just to start.

All right, let's bring to mind something you really want, something that you're pretty sure will really bring you happiness to something that's real for you. Whatever it is for you, bring it to mind. Get in touch with the yearning that's a big part of what it is to be human, to yearn for something or someone. Getting in touch with what you really want and what it feels like in your mind and your body to want it. Now, next to.

Shift your imagination to what it would be like to have that thing. What would it feel like to have that be real in your life now? Take just a moment to feel that. And then see if you can put some words to this feeling, maybe contentment. Acceptance. Let's take some time now and explore that for a bit. You might also notice that any feeling can coexist with this kind of happiness, this natural is the mind resting. You can feel profound sadness for the suffering in the world or among people you love.

And yet it's still now still this moment still here. This kind of happiness isn't a feeling that comes and goes, it's the ease of the mind at home with itself. See if you can explore this a little bit, thought comes up, rest in the mind. And see how it feels in the body. Go ahead and open your eyes if they've been closed and do a quick check. Is it now? Is it here? See you next time.

Big thanks to Jay, really hope you enjoyed this meditation on happiness, you can always share these Friday bonuses with your friends, but we're also running a sale to help you and a friend kick start your meditation practice together for a limited time. You can buy yourself a subscription to 10 percent happier and we will send you a free gift subscription to share with anybody you'd like.

As we like to say in Buddhist circles, nothing is permanent. This offer is no exception. Get it before it ends by going to 10 percent dotcom December. That's 10 percent. One word all spelled out. Dotcom December. We'll see you back here on Monday with a fresh episode. Streaming on Disney plus, I don't see how you can break a horse like that. She'll come around from the beloved classic Black Beauty really are comes an inspiring new vision.

The rescues have a time limit here.

You can't, Salviati. Our Greatest Journeys, A Brave Horse Bring US Home, featuring Academy Award winner Kate Winslet as the voice of beauty, Mustang's spirit can never be broken. Black Beauty now streaming only on Disney. Plus.