Happiness can not be taken away from you. However, if you begin to wish for it rather than to accept and express it you automatically create polarity in your mind and wish indirectly for unhappiness. Just as night and day follow each other, every happiness is followed by unhappiness, and each unhappiness is followed by a happiness.

The happiest people have a high self-esteem. They feel themselves and feel good about themselves. They engage in relationships that are mutual and varied. They seek challenges that keep them stimulated and that let them express their skills and feelings at increasing levels of refinement. They feel open and look to the future.

A happy person creates prosperity, not just abundance. Prosperity is when you have or trust you can have all the resources you need to fulfill the true desire of your soul and identity. Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga, says that a prosperous person "will not barter the values of their character or identity for any temporary benefit." Prosperity is not about wealth or poverty. It is about fulfillment of your destiny—your mission in life. When we act consciously to express our own truth and purpose, we strive for a success that fulfills our basic identity.

A meditative mind is essential to be perpetually happy and is one of your built in capacities. The only challenge is that it is not automatic. You must do some practice to evoke it, train it, and cultivate it. It is your hidden genie—your inner power to go beyond conflicts and enjoy every moment of life, to express your uniqueness and be happy. When you are awake and conscious, you can develop an attitude of hope, victory, joy, gratitude and contentment. You can be perpetually happy.

How does one attain a meditative mind? At the dawn of the Information Revolution, at the time when the whole globe is being interconnected, that timeless urge has some special challenges. When things were more sedate, we could just take a day off, or be still and listen to music. These are still great things to do, but they are not enough to penetrate the layer of tensions, reactions and emotions we have in contemporary life. Now we need to check our habits everyday.

Change is everywhere. It is relentless, it happens whether you like it or not. Our jobs are downsized, upsized, reengineered constantly. We are exposed to dozens of spiritual traditions, hundreds of life-style options, and thousands of choices. Change is faster than ever. We are no longer facing the problems of scarcity of the last few thousand years. We are facing the problems of abundance.

The result of the flood of information and the speed of change is that the subconscious is filled to the top with old patterns that need to be cleared. In order to do this, you must first let go of all the comparisons and seeking outside. Second, you must bring every cell in your body into a state of awakened aliveness and align them to act and support the honest expression of your heart.

The best way to do this is to engage all three parts of your self: body, mind and spirit. Raise the core energy in your body. Without a certain level of energy it is difficult to feel anything. With enough energy you are willing to act and risk change. Clear the mind so it is not noisy or in conflict and so you can tap your intuition. Trust your own heart and soul. Commit to fulfill your purpose. Yogi Bhajan says, "No one is happy who is not content; and no one experiences that happiness without service. The fundamental steps to perpetual happiness are: Commitment, character, dignity, divinity, grace, the power to sacrifice and serve—happiness."

An Exercise In Meditation

For your own practice, here is a meditation that is simple and effective to develop the meditative mind. Sit straightened with the spine erect, neck straight by pulling the chin in a bit, and shoulders relaxed. Bring the fingertips of both hands together in front of the torso at the level of the solar plexus. The hands form a teepee, palms separated, fingertips on opposite hands touching, fingers slightly spread. Focus the eyes downward past the tip of the nose. Inhale in a smooth, powerful deep breath through the teeth. Exhale slowly as the breath goes out through the nose. On the inhale, think mentally "Sat Nam," a mantra that means "My true essence or identity." As you exhale mentally think "Whahay Guru," a mantra that means "I dwell in the Infinite Ecstasy of Being." Continue for 11 minutes. Then inhale and relax. The inner door to happiness is open to all.

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Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., is a yogi, psychotherapist, teacher and writer, and a recognized expert in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. He directs a large community of yoga practitioners and has a broad-based therapy practice in Wellesley, MA. Visit his website at www.Breathwalk.com.
For further information call 781-237-9587.