"I have seen the most miraculous changes in my life
since beginning this course.
I cannot thank you enough. It is as if there is now a light on my path,
where before all I had was feeling around in the darkness. I understand how to be happy and that it is my choice. What an amazing feeling!"
“This course changed my life.
I understand now that I have
a lot more
to do
with experiencing joy than I thought.
To be joyful had always seemed like luck,
or some sort of accident even,
and I felt like I was a victim of life’s circumstances. I now see that I have more “control” over how often I experience joy. I can choose to be happy and choose to be unhappy, even miserable.
Joy seems to occur more often as a result of this realization.”
Awakening Joy is Both an Internet and an Onsite Course
Awakening Joy is an engaging and highly regarded Internet course that has been written up in O Magazine. There is an add-on option to attend onsite recording sessions in Berkeley, California.
The course starts each year the first week in February and lasts for 10 months. During this time, the fun and nourishing material gradually, but deeply, impacts one's life, resulting in increased well-being and joy. Joy is not for just the lucky few–it’s a choice anyone can make.
Please
use these links to jump down the page to any
section of interest:
For slower Internet connections, wait a few moments for the video to buffer.
COURSE OVERVIEW
The Awakening Joy course was created by James Baraz, who is the main teacher.
Over 10,500 people
have participated in the previous courses with very
positive results. (See Feedback
from Past Participants.) The course is meant to
be user-friendly. Its goal is to awaken joy through
monthly principles and practices that incline the
mind toward well-being, happiness and joy.
Everyone taking the course is enrolled as an Internet participant, but there is an add-on option to attend the onsite recording sessions in Berkeley, California. The live classes are video and audio recorded so they are available to both Internet and onsite participants whenever they choose. The recording sessions are held the week before each month's material is made available (the classes are not viewed as a live feed). This means, for example, that the onsite class for the February material will be held at the end of January.
Course
Principles
The principles of the course are universal,
although much of the material includes Buddhist philosophy
drawn from the course leader’s 30 years as a
Buddhist meditation teacher. Three of these principles
that work together are at the heart of the program:
1.
Developing and
Increasing Wholesome States: The course uses practices that lead the mind toward states of happiness and well-being. Once we understand what healthy activities help support these wholesome states, we can intentionally invite and cultivate them.
2.
Focusing
on the Gladness That Arises with Wholesome States:
While engaged in a healthy activity we experience
an actual positive uplift of energy. The teachings
speak of the value of experiencing “gladness
connected with the wholesome” and of delight
that “gladdens the heart.” By being
very present for this gladness we increase its
impact on us. This gladness is what we call a joyful heart.
3.
Inclining
the Mind towards Wholesome States: “Whatever
one frequently thinks and ponders upon will be
the inclination of their mind,” taught the
Buddha. As we incline the mind toward wholesome
states of well-being, such as gratitude or kindness,
they are more available to us. Current brain research
confirms this. As we practice certain states of
mind we actually change our brain structure, deepening
the groove towards depression or happiness.
Each month there is a theme, which will incline the mind towards a specific wholesome state, bringing awareness to the gladness that accompanies it. Some of the themes are: Intention, Mindfulness, Gratitude and Working with Difficult Times.
The monthly themes are presented in a particular sequence of topics. Each month there is an onsite presentation in Berkeley, CA, which is recorded and made available to download onto your computer or MP3 player. The themes are also laid out in detail in two monthly letters, along with meditations and experiential exercises.
There will be people from all over the U.S. and abroad doing the course on the Internet. All participants will receive:
Access to the letters describing the monthly themes and practices (about ten pages long)
Access to Audio and Video recordings of the monthly onsite presentations
Email notification of the availability of the materials on the website about a week after each onsite recording session
A mid-month letter (approximately five pages) to help keep you on track
In addition to the practice themes that James will be presenting, the 2012 line-up of guests will include:
Sally Armstrong - Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California
Debra Chamberlin-Taylor -Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, psychotherapist
Rick Foster and Greg Hicks - Co-authors of How We Choose to Be Happy, international happiness experts
Rick Hanson - Psychologist, neuroscience expert, author of Buddha's Brain
Dr. Fred Luskin - Stanford University Professor of Psychology, author of Forgive for Good
Phillip Moffitt - Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, author of Dancing With Life
Wes Nisker - Author, radio personality, performer,
teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center,
founder and co-editor of “Inquiring Mind” journal
Frank Ostaseski - Founder, Metta Institute, Co-founder, Zen Hospice Project, spiritual advisor for the Esalen Institute
Arisika Razak - Associate professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies , Women's Spirituality Program Chair
Sharda Rogell - Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts
Shauna Shapiro - Associate professor at Santa Clara University, author of The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating Mindfulness Into Psychology and the Helping Professions
Spring Washam - Teacher at
Spirit Rock Meditation Center and
East Bay Meditation Center
Other special guests:
Jane Baraz, Life Coach and Awakening Joy Workshop Leader
Patricia Ellsberg, Leader of Guided Meditations
Musical Guests - Jenifer Berizan, Vernon Bush, Eve Decker, Melanie DeMore, Lisa Ferraro & Erika Luckett, Betsy Rose
Participants
are encouraged to do the course with a buddy. The
support of a partner with whom to check in regarding
the themes and practices helps keep the course in
one’s awareness. Also, Internet participants
benefit from doing exercises from the onsite recording sessions
with their buddies. The course is even more effective
when done this way. For some, the check-in may be
weekly (5-10 minutes by phone or email). For others,
it may be more or less frequent. (If you do the course
with a buddy, it’s important to honor whatever
agreement you mutually have about checking in.) You
can use our Message Board to find your buddy. (The
Message Board can be found in the Members section
of the website.)
Onsite participants will be able to choose their
own buddies at the onsite class. Email participants, and people
missing the first class, should use the Message Board to find a buddy, if they don’t already
know someone with whom they would like to buddy up.
The "Getting Started" portion of the Members section includes a document called Finding and Working with a Buddy. This document provides guidelines for matching with a buddy and suggestions for what to cover in communications with your buddy.
Although the idea of cultivating more joy
is meant to be an uplifting experience, it takes genuine
intention to develop new habits that begin to naturally
incline the mind that way. The more you put into the
course, the more you will get out of it. However,
you can do it to whatever extent you are able. We
have enough responsibilities to make us feel guilty
as it is. Joy does not follow from guilt. You will
be encouraged to do whatever practices we are focusing
on in a way that works for you.
Quiet time:
You'll be encouraged to take some quiet time regularly.
If you have a daily meditation practice that’s
great. However, meditation practice experience
is not a prerequisite. If you do not meditate,
then even taking a five minute coffee or tea break
to relax and stop the momentum of busyness will
be very helpful.
Another title, How We
Choose to Be Happy, by Rick Foster and Greg
Hicks is a great adjunct to the course, although not absolutely necessary. You can order this book from your local
bookstore. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Spirit
Rock Meditation Center
and Black Oak Books in Berkeley, stock
the book. It is also available in paperback from
various websites.
3.
Other supportive
practices: You will be encouraged to do other
practices regularly, including some body exercise
or movement (yoga, exercise, walking), some regular
creative expression (singing, drawing, writing,
dancing, etc.) and keeping a journal. Remember
these are all suggestions. No guilt. No pressure
to do everything or anything. Just do what you
do in a way that works for you. The more you do
the more you will get out of it. However, it’s
completely up to you.
The word "joy"
may be a stretch for some. Perhaps you can’t
imagine yourself skipping through a meadow with childlike
exuberance. Don’t worry. Truly happy people
are not happy all the time. They feel sad and angry
and have the whole range of human emotions. We’re
not talking about having a syrupy facade or being
in denial. What we’re calling joy is a general
feeling of aliveness and well-being that is characterized
by engagement with life, meeting its ups and downs
with authenticity and perspective. It can look very
different from person to person, from a quiet sense
of contentment to bubbly enthusiasm. That will be
one of your discoveries—identifying how joy
expresses itself uniquely through you.
The course brings the book to life. People are given the opportunity to work through the book, relating it to their own life situations and to real time world situations with the author himself. The course gives tremendous support by creating a community (joy groups, joy buddies, online material, guest speaker perspectives, etc.), so that the participant can experience Awakening Joy fully. Also, since the course is 10 months long, it slows down the experiential practice of Awakening Joy over the course of almost a year, allowing a deepening of understanding and a development of ongoing happiness practices.
We
will have eleven monthly sessions (ten themes and
one final closing session). Internet participation starts the first week of February. The recording sessions are held the week before each month's material is made available. In other words, the onsite classes are not presented as a live feed over the internet, but are made available on a delayed basis. For example, the onsite class for the February material is held at the end of January.
All participants will
receive access to the monthly themes and practices,
including email notification of their availability
on the website.
For those who can come to the onsite recording sessions in person in Berkeley, CA, there will be two separate classes each month, one on Tuesday night and the other on Wednesday night. People will be registered for one or the other night as they sign-up for the Onsite Add-On component. Both nights cover the same material and there may be as many as 275 people at each session. If you would like to attend the onsite classes, register as soon as possible because they will probably fill quickly. People on the wait list will be notified when a seat becomes available.
Tickets will be emailed to onsite participants shortly before each meeting. Tickets must be presented at the front door.
Time and Location for the Onsite Recording Sessions
Time:
Time: 7:00-9:00
PM once a month,
as shown below.
Location:
Berkeley,
CA/Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda.
The location is between Marin and Solano Avenues
in North Berkeley, with some parking in the lot and easy street parking.
Tuesday Dates in 2012 for the Onsite Recording Sessions
DATE
GUEST SPEAKER
MUSICIAN
January
24
Rick Foster and
Greg Hicks
Eve Decker
February 28
Wes Nisker
Betsy Rose
March 27
Arisika Razak
Jennifer Berizan
April 24
Debra Chamberin-Taylor
Melanie DeMore
May 22
Rick Hanson
Vernon Bush
June 26
Sally Armstrong
Jennifer Berizan
July 24
Phillip Moffitt
Vernon Bush
August 21
Fred Luskin
Lisa Ferraro &
Erika Luckett
September 25
Spring Washam
Betsy Rose
October 23
Frank Ostaseski
Eve Decker
November 13
Sharda Rogell
Melanie DeMore
Wednesday Dates in 2012 for the Onsite Recording Sessions
DATE
GUEST SPEAKER
MUSICIAN
January
25
Rick Foster and
Greg Hicks
Eve Decker
February 29
Wes Nisker
Betsy Rose
March 28
Arisika Razak
Jennifer Berizan
April 25
Shauna Shaphiro
Melanie DeMore
May 23
Rick Hanson
Vernon Bush
June 27
Sally Armstrong
Jennifer Berizan
July 25
Phillip Moffitt
Vernon Bush
August 22
Fred Luskin
Lisa Ferraro &
Erika Luckett
September 26
Spring Washam
Betsy Rose
October 24
Frank Ostaseski
Eve Decker
November 14
Sharda Rogell
Melanie DeMore
WHAT
DOES IT COST? No
one is turned away from the Internet course due to lack
of funds.
The
suggested donation for the 10-month course is $250. We do not want
financial considerations to keep anyone from participating.
Keep in mind that you will get out of it what you
invest into it. If the full amount is not something
you feel you can do at this time, please consider
offering what, for you, is a workable investment.
You are welcome to offer anything that works for you.
If
possible, it helps if you pay for the entire course
at the beginning. This will increase the likelihood
of sustained individual and group commitment, which
is important in doing this together. It also greatly
simplifies the bookkeeping. If, however, it is more
workable for you to do it in two or three or even
monthly installments, please indicate that as you sign
up. The course can be paid online by credit card,
or by check.
Because
seating may be limited at the onsite meetings in Berkeley,
first preference will be given to those who pay the entire
course fee at the time of registration on a first come,
first served basis. We will have, however, a limited number
of scholarship slots available.
Because of high demand, only those who have made a good faith payment will be admitted to the recording sessions. You will receive a confirmation by email when your seat at the onsite class has been cleared. Tickets will be issued to those with a confirmed seat about a week before each class. We hope that those who are seated at the live classes all have a commitment to attend regularly.
Please
do not come to the onsite meetings in Berkeley if you do
not have a confirmed seat and a ticket to present at the door. We will begin a wait list when
we reach capacity and you will be informed if you are on
it. Those on the wait list will be notified when seats become
available. People on the wait list for the live meetings
are still fully enrolled in the course as Internet participants.
This means you have full access to the course materials
on the website, including audio and video recordings of the onsite
meetings and all of the written materials.
For the first time, we are planning to have a second camera for the live recording sessions that will also include shots of the audience. This will make the video recordings more interesting for all those taking the course online. These will be happening at the Tuesday class. We will be sending out a waiver requesting permission to film for those attending the class recording sessions, which you must bring to the first class. If you do not wish to be recorded and want to take the class onsite, you will have two options: a) sit in the section of the room designated for those who do not wish to be recorded or b) sign up for Wednesday class.
Otherwise,
the spam filter at your Internet service provider’s
site may block our email messages, which
both confirm your enrollment and notify you of the availability of the monthly
themes and practices that are integral to the
course.
2.
Fill out the
SIGN UP FORM with all the required information.
3.
After you fill out the form, you will automatically be taken to the PAYMENT OPTIONS page, where you tell us how you will pay for the course: PAYMENT OPTIONS
NOTE: Options A, B and C below refer to a "Payment Plan". Setting up a Payment Plan in Awakening Joy does NOT AUTOMATICALLY SCHEDULE your payments. We will remind you when a payment is due, but you must SIGN IN and PAY EACH TIME.
You can pay the full, suggested fee of $250 all at once. If you use PayPal to do this, you do NOT need to fill out a Payment Plan (Step 4), but if you pay by check, you must enter a Payment Plan to activate your membership.
You can pay the full fee of $250 in installments either through PayPal or by check. In either case, you must fill out a Payment Plan to activate your membership.
You may pay less than $250, all at once or in installments. If you choose this option, you must tell us specifically how you would like to proceed by entering a Payment Plan.
There are no discounts
for missed sessions, since all participants have
Internet access to the material covered in all of the classes.
No one will be excluded
from the Internet course due to finances. If the
suggested donation is a consideration, you are
welcome to offer whatever works for you, whether
a one-time offering or over time.
4.
You are required to enter a PAYMENT PLAN, unless you pay the full fee all at once through PayPal.
5.
If you choose the Onsite Add-On, you MUST MAKE A PAYMENT to get a confirmed seat in the onsite class. Otherwise you can pay according to the Payment Plan you establish in Step 4.
Once your payment
or your payment plan is received, you will be
given your Username and Password. Then you can go
to the Members section and log in to view the course materials and begin.
If you have questions, email us at admin@awakeningjoy.info and we will do everything we can to help.
The
course is intended to be a fun and nourishing experience
for you. Think of it as a gift you're giving yourself,
rather than one more thing you have to do. May you
find the course helpful in bringing more well-being,
happiness and joy to your life.
You must be able to read
PDF files to take this course. (You can download
Adobe Reader for accessing this type of file from the
Member's section of this website.)
The ability to play video and audio files is also recommended, but not absolutely necessary, since the core of the course is contained in the written monthly practice letters.
Audio Materials
Awakening Joy works with browser plug-ins and music applications that support MP3 formats. Sample music applications are iTunes and Windows Media Player.
Video Materials
You must use a modern Web browser, such as Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 8, to play the video files for the course. Opera and OmniWeb should work, but Awakening Joy does not officially support either of them. Windows viewers must have the latest Adobe Flash plug-in installed with their browser.
A reasonably modern computer is also a requirement for watching high quality video. PowerPC-based Macintosh computers may have trouble providing smooth playback.
Downloaded video files are played through QuickTime, which runs on both Windows and Mac computers.
