Agapi Stassinopoulos - Wake Up To The Joy Of You: 52 Meditations And Practices For A Calmer, Happier, Mindful Life

TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
6163 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA
www.penguin.co.uk

Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Bantam Press,
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright 2016 by Agapi Stassinopoulos
Cover design by Jenny Carrow

This edition published by arrangement with Harmony Books,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC

Agapi Stassinopoulos has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

Excerpt from A NEW PATH TO THE WATERFALL, copyright 1989 by the Estate of Raymond Carver. Used by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited.

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473543089
ISBN 9780593078617

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

WITH IMMENSE GRATITUDE
FOR MY BELOVED TEACHER JOHN-ROGER,
WHO SHOWED ME THAT LIVING IN A STATE OF LOVING
IS THE GATEWAY TO GRACE

FIND OUT WHERE JOY RESIDES,
AND GIVE IT A VOICE FAR BEYOND SINGING.
FOR TO MISS THE JOY IS TO MISS ALL.

Robert Louis Stevenson

You are so real is my favorite compliment to receive. It thrills my heart because I had to work so hard and dig through so many layers to get to my true self. It takes a lifetime to become you, and it takes a lot of trust and unlearning to be happy being you. Unraveling the mystery of who you are and how to make life work is a sacred journey. Since we only have this precious life, its so worth doing what it takes to get to know yourself. In this book I share with you what I learned on my journey in order to help you along yours, wherever you are now. Its a road map to yourself.

Ironically, it was studying actingthe art of being other peoplethat led me to myself. As a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, I thought I was headed toward a glorious acting career, but I couldnt land the parts I wanted. It filled me with self-doubt, fear, insecurity. After a lot of disappointment, it dawned on me that in this life, Im assigned to play the part of Agapi. Im supposed to play that part fully and wholeheartedly.

We are each assigned a unique part in this magnificent universal play. Not only that, we are each supposed to write the script, direct the scenes, and produce the play. You figure it out as you go. And heres the magical thing I discovered: you have invisible cowriters, codirectors, and coproducers who will help if you let them.

But heres the catch. You have to invite them in to help write your script. You have to listen to them and trust that they will do their part. Once I learned to allow help in, I moved from feelings of loneliness and separation to a place of knowing my oneness with spirit and, through that, how I am connected to others and to my core self. Once I gave myself permission to be the unique person that I am, I began to live with a feeling of love and abundance and safety. Life became more fun and prosperous.

In my book Unbinding the Heart, I wrote a lot about how the events of my life shaped me and how I learned to embrace myself. But it wasnt until I took the message out to people all over the world that it dawned on me how everyone, every single person, is looking for the same thing: a connection to themselves and to each other. We all face the same challenges in this journey, they just have different packaging. Everyone is looking for the path to themselves.

You know how in fairy tales there are those helpful animals who assist you on your way home? Thats what this book will be for you. It signals what you should pay attention to. It lights up the doors you may have missed and shows you where youve been keeping the keys. It leads you back to the joy of you.

This book is fifty-two light posts guiding you on the way back to yourselfone for every week of the year, although you can work at your own pace and choose which topics most speak to you. The chapters are organized to begin with the building blocks of self-care (meditation, health, making time for yourself) and with the common roadblocks to self-care (pouring your energy into other people, for example, or living in denial) and then move on to common conflict areas, such as relationships, money, self-esteem, anxiety, jealousy, and getting over your childhood. As you start to let go of your aches and pains, you can move to the chapters about making peace and supporting yourself. Youll learn to trust your creativity, let go of anything that no longer serves you, make your ego an ally, and keep your heart open. And finally, there are chapters about broadening your perspective and connecting to the bigger spirit that lives inside you.

Each chapter offers wisdom from a lifetime of spiritual seeking, inspiring stories, and either action plans or guided meditations to support you in letting go of what doesnt work and finding what does. Keep this book by your bedside. It is your loving companion. Be creative and have fun with it. Use it as a tool to unlock your joy and goodness. Imagine each chapter as a musical scale to practice on your way to becoming the real you. Eventually you will write your own symphony and sing your own songthe song that is waiting to be sung by you. I highly recommend you keep a journal to record your daily changes, thoughts, and shifts. It can be so self-supportive and grounding to write things down. I wrote this book with a prayer and with the intention in my heart to share all the truths I have learned along the way, and the big truth that every day, moment by moment, all you have to do is be yourself. And thats enough. Nothing more, nothing less. As we meet ourselves in all our facets, our spirit will match us and help us along the way. The miracle of your life will unfold when you stand steady on the foundation of you. Dont postpone loving yourself. Join me in this adventure to wake up to the joy of you!

Know the world in yourself. Never look for yourself in the world.

Ancient Egyptian proverb

From the moment you wake up to the second you fall asleep, Im willing to bet that you are completely consumed by the outside world. Theres work, relationships, finances, making dinner, getting the kids to do their homework. Your mind is filled with chatter about your kids report card, your friend who filed for divorce, your rent, those ten pounds you need to lose its never-ending.