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.
\n\nLINK TO EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://tinyurl.com/2tv3whj2
\n\nAll 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.
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\nHow 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.
\nThink of an older relative who you are close to. Picture them in your mind.
\nImagine how they entered the world years ago as a newborn.
\nContinue to imagine this individual growing up \u2014 through adolescence into adulthood, developing the qualities that you admire.
\nNow imagine them later in life, into seniority.
\nReflect on the progression of the individual\u2019s life, from the beginning to the final stages in this natural progression of the life cycle for humans.
\nRecognize that they'll pass or maybe they have passed, and that's part of this cycle
\nTake note of how you feel.
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Today\u2019s Happiness Break host:
\n\nDacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center\u2019s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC\u2019s popular online course of the same name. He\u2019s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
\n\nCheck out Dacher\u2019s 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)
\n\nMore resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
\n\nWhat I Learned About Resilience in the Midst of Grief: https://tinyurl.com/2uw7uvxd
\n\nHow to Face Grief in Yourself and Others: https://tinyurl.com/yckknp9r
\n\nDeath and Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/mwcn752j
\n\nHow to Bring More Meaning to Dying: [https://tinyurl.com/vnbkwf52>\\
\nLearning 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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\n\nWe're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout \u2014 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 \u2014 what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.