Podcasts Science The Science of Happiness Happiness Break: Pause to Look at the Sky, with Dacher Keltner

Happiness Break: Pause to Look at the Sky, with Dacher Keltner

Published: March 9, 2023, 11 a.m.

Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder.

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Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/35b2fsu9

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Practice:

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  1. Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky.

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  2. First, focus on your breathing. Take a few slow inhales and even slower exhales. As you breathe in and out, relax your shoulders, your hands, and your face.

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  3. On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is.

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  4. Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light?

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  5. Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in.

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  6. On the final deep breaths in and out, reflect on how doing this practice has made you feel.

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Today\u2019s Happiness Break host:

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Dacher 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.

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Check out Dacher\u2019s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: \xa0https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

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Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

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Why we Should Look up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6

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Six Ways to Incorporate Awe into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3j5hdtj7

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How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/py6b729h

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How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative:\xa0 https://tinyurl.com/2fmpdpkj

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Why is Nature so Good For Your Mental Health? \u200b\u200bhttps://tinyurl.com/23zavth3

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\nWe love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of looking up. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

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Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

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Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

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We'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.

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