January 2025 — Even Now, Love

Click here to get straight to the Community Reflections.

This is a month-long community practice. It's not a Challenge and there's nothing to Join. 🤩

On January 1st, 2025 you'll find a new Course in the app titled Even Now, Love. We'll be practicing the lessons in this course together throughout the month of January.

If you have this article open on the same phone you use for the app, tap the picture below to watch the introduction from Joseph and the other teachers.

This year the teachers are feeling passionate about practice and about building the capacity we all have to wish ourselves and others well. We'll be training to make moments of kindness more regular — and notice when they happen.

Based on feedback from all of you, this year's event is different than previous years. Here's what it looks like.

• Meditate in community!
  • We'll all meditate together with the new course, Even Now, Love, throughout the month of January.
    • Of course you can use other content too.
  • Share what you're learning, your insights, and reflections throughout the month. You can share through the links in the emails you'll get or click here, Even Now, Love: Practice Reflections.
  • Once we get going, we'll share reflections from us at Happier Meditation as we sit with you, and insights you share with the group. If you give permission, we'll share it with the community. Scroll down to see the reflections we've gotten so far with permission for everyone to read.
• Learn how to practice more deeply with a meditation.
  • Look for emails throughout the month that include prompts on how to repeat the meditations in the Even Now, Love course in ways that can help you explore more deeply, find new insights and absorb the ideas.
• Practice on your own schedule.
  • We hear you! No more tracking your progress, no more feeling badly if you miss a day. We've all got busy lives too. 😊
  • You can practice every day, once a week or anything in between. There's no penalty for missing a day and the prize at the end is, we hope, that you feel happier and stronger.

To share Happier Meditation and the Even Now, Love with friends and family, send them a free Guest Pass! Read more about how to do that here: Share the Happier Meditation App. Your recipient doesn't need to enter a credit card or cancel anything to give it a try.

Community Reflections

What’s coming up for you in loving-kindness meditation?

• Trying hard to repair the rift between my youngest daughter and myself! J. F.
• More of a calmness. V.M.
• Setting a goal to feel this for the first 2 seconds when interacting with anyone during the day R.A.
• Calmer. M.M.

• While I'm still learning to remember to state the loving-kindness phrases with regularity, this morning I noticed a residual calm and ease as I moved into my morning activities.

  I appreciate the direction to focus on carrying the feeling into daily life. S.T.

• Less anxiety. More joy. Less irritation. L.S.
• I’m smiling more. S.M.
• Today, as I was grocery shopping, I realized I was getting peeved about others’ actions - when I’d wanted to be more open to others’ behaviors and unknown motivations. With that bit of mindfulness I smiled. And through the rest of my errand I smiled at each person I interacted with. Some smiled back, most didn’t, but I felt better - and I felt more equanimity about the world around me. I’ll try to remember to do this more often. T.B.
• I stopped trying to breathe "right" M.F.
• Yes I would say I’m softening toward the phrases and appreciate Joseph’s way of presenting them, which I find to be a little novel to me. I need more goodwill in my life, and I am focusing on how I can generate it myself with the help of meditation. P.W.
• Feeling a little more balanced. L.E.
• Not to much. anonymous
• Trying to keep thoughts of goodwill ongoing throughout the day. Especially while driving! L.C.
• An addendum to my initial reply… I’m thinking of getting a dog!!! L.C.
• Yes, it IS a choice. That’s empowering. M.B.
• I have enjoyed the app for a long time. Started I’m guessing ten years ago. I do make an effort to connect with people ( even just a smile) because I’m aware lots of people are fine with it. I try to take the time more. C.D.
• I sometimes extend good wishes to others as I walk with my dog. I appreciated the reminder to do this in this cold month. It warms my heart center and makes my already happy walks even happier. L.S.
• Matthew’s words today about how deep self loathing can be touched me. I am grateful for his candor and am going to try to speak kindness to myself more than just in practice. B.W.
• Not yet, maybe I have to do it more often. G.S.
• I have used dogs as my "easy being" for kindness practice for years. You should feature more dogs! :) Phrases haven't been my go-to. I prefer the idea of abiding and spreading the feeling, so this meditation was a good one. Thank you. A.G.
• Yes definitely. Much more at ease and open with people who I tend to react to. anonymous
• I find myself offering goodwill to others as I go about my day. Keeps me present and aware of others. M.S.
• Relaxing and resting in January. H.R.
• My heart feels warmer and fuller, this fullness replaces the feelings of restlessness and anxiety. J.K.
• Loved the dog. So easy to feel loving kindness to a pet. M.L.
• I’m noticing that I’m not seeking validation from others as much as I used to; instead, I’m starting to draw from an internal well of self-compassion. ❤️ J.R.
• Be kind to others. A.
• While doing the meditation it feels like a space is opened in my chest, I feel a lightness and a sort of excitement as if something good is coming (not sure I’ve explained that last feeling well. I don’t find describing my feelings in words easy.) E.M.
• More lightness. J.S.
• Maybe but I’m just starting. K.S.
• Self compassion. L.G.
• A deeper connection to those I love and wish kindness for. A deeper sense of peace for myself. L.B.
• I’m my own worst critic. Saying ‘May I feel’ (rather than ‘May you feel’) literally brought tears to my eyes. A.F.
• I am more settled, less negative ruminations. J.S.
• More balanced awareness. I feel my sensory input and can acknowledge it and feel the feeling. J.S.
• What a pleasure to find something right and encouraging to say to someone. It is sometimes easier to say to someone you car e about, but not always. L.S.
• I’m more tolerable of other people. B.H.
• Listening without input and dropping a volunteer activity for a 6 month break! K.M.
• Easier to give others the benefit of the doubt when their behavior annoys me. P.G.
• Less irritability. Less anger. Sleeping more peacefully. L.S.
• Remembering to be kind to myself - hard to do but so necessary! A.L.
• Makes me more grateful & appreciative of ALL in my life. Z.D.
• I frequently attach my ‘loving kindness word’ to my breaths and I often insert ‘Be grateful’ after ‘May I’ just changing focus somewhat. Yes, strong shifts in coping better with challenges in life !! Thank you to wonderful teachers on App !!! C. M.
• More patient. Anonymous
• I use loving kindness to be less harsh in judging myself. I tell myself that I am filled with loving kindness also for others. I am extremely claustrophobic and had to have an MRI. I meditated, and practiced lying still for 45 minutes. All helped but I went in realizing the technician would be kind, helpful, and concerned for my my fears. Thank you for your help. J.C.
• Compassion. K.G.
• Being forgiving to myself. Yes going to get a little more active by walking more. M.C.
• Letting go. M.F.
• Trying to continue to give myself loving /kindness as well as images of others to think of. M.G.
• I can feel it immediately lower my blood pressure when I remember and catch myself. W.R.
• It is helping me deal with conflict between my staff. A.M.
• I am more comfortable with myself. D.
• Peace in the realization of how grateful I am for what I have even as life’s problems threaten to overwhelm me. M.K.
• Yes!! I heard where I should touch my heart and call myself the name I was called as a child and tell myself EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK HONEY!!! It calms me down immediately!! B.H.
• I recognize how bad the inner talk is and how often it evolves. S.G.
• A bit. Been down on myself for a while. I retired, went back with an ex and lost my identity. Have now been going through a whole new way of life. Left my ex. Took a suitcase and flew to another province. We are twins , we are learning how to live together. We are getting there. Still having a hard time with the reality of it all . So yes a bit of a shift. So that’s great. M.A.
• More compassion for need to rest. Anonymous
• Nothing new--much the same. T.M.
• I Feel a shift inside, feeling less tense & calmer in my mind & body. It’s so relaxing to participate in this practice. R.
• In a surprising way, by reminding myself of the qualities in my partner that I appreciate, I'm less judgmental and critical of him. P.S.
• Not yet. C.H.
• Beneficial. Anonymous
• Yes. J.I.
• More kind to myself and thoughtful for others. P.B.
• Lots of small changes in my perspective on others. A mellowing in my reactions. R.G.
• More patience. Anonymous
• Yes a new house and all that it brings. G.S.
• I have been able to “let it be “typically distressing situations in my life. C.L.
• Some family members are staying at our house and my sister is about to have a big cancer surgery. S.G.
• Yes I’m finding it easier to care about and for myself. I find that small moments of giving myself encouragement and positivity. Attention really helps my outlook on life. P.W.
• Ebbs and flows. R.W.
• Better self awareness of my feelings and letting them just flow through me. D.V.
• I have always responded to any contact from others. I have argued my case, defended my self, explained about care of significant others in my life, and recently I was offended by a one-liner email from a person who never acknowledge my care of her father, intensive and palliative. People said Don't respond. It was a fight within myself not to respond and explain why I have not kept in touch over the past year. It took weeks of rumination, and anxiety for me to come to the decision to ignore the contact. I still feel 'somewhat rude' not to have replied or acknowledged the message, but I do not feel 'guilty'. There is advice everywhere on social media especially to get rid of 'toxic' people < i regard it as an over-used buzz word for every adjective, and the dumbingdown of the English language, these trending words, another is life 'hack'. do people know what hack really means. or 'grab'. you don't grab my details you request them, thank you, learn English expression and learn manners I always want to say. But they won't. And so first time in my life I am learning to not respond in certain situations. Thank you Happier. That is my loving kindness meditation which I do often. Anonymous
• Sameo sameo. C.R.
• I’m a smidge more inclined to be able to pause during hurried work days and “zoom out” enough to slow things and gain perspective. A.M.
• I’m trying. Anonymous
• Im 57 years old and starting a new job, doing something I’ve never done before. I’ve been scared to death with little self confidence to try something new at my age. Spinning thoughts surround my brain and questions whether I can do this or not have plagued me. The meditations have tremendously helped me slow my racing negative thoughts down! I can’t say enough how this app has helped me with insecurities I’ve faced in my life and how much it’s helped reduce anxiety over the years! L.O.
• More patient. Anonymous
• Loving myself. N.G.
• No, very difficult for me. M.H.
• Very distracted and upset by the Trump administration. P.W.