This article first appeared in The Frontiersman Turning Stress into Bliss In this article I will talk about ways to cultivate joy in our everyday lives using a mindfulness approach to seeing and experiencing the world. This article will also look at what is standing in the way, usually some form of stress.   Whether stress comes from work, family, health or circumstance, the results are the same: less enjoyment and more tension.   The good news is that stress is not something that just happens to us, but it is something over which we have control.   Looking back on your life, what were the joyful experiences you fondly remember?   What ever those experiences were, I would be willing to bet that you were fully engaged in what you were doing, with your surroundings, or with the people you were with. There was probably a state of peaceful contentment with yourself.    What do you think that prevents you from continually having those experiences now?   I bet stress is a major factor that prevents most of us from that joy.   To quote Michael Lee, the founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy "Bliss can only happen when stress is absent -or at least handled".   Let's look at techniques taught in the Mindfulness 8 Week Program used to handle the un-necessary stress we all experience at times.   One of the key components to the program is gentle stretching (yoga), relaxation breathing, body scans and meditation.   One of the definitions of yoga is " calming the fluctuations of the mind ".   Calming the mind, and cultivating a state of present moment awareness is achieved by stretching to the point of resistance, but not pain, what is better known as an edge .   Feeling the sensations of the edge, helps to keeps your attention in the present moment, and the mind from wondering.   Balancing poses help to insure your mind doesn't wonder, (smile).   Once an edge is reached, take a few deep relaxing breathes into the edge and witness what happens to your breathing, any change in the stretch, any thought or feelings.   There isn't any right or wrong way to feel, it's just your experience, what is happening in the moment. Meditation and body scans play an important role in This calming the mind from the distractions of our internal, often stressful chatter allows us to learn to appreciate the beauty of what is all around us, and engage moment to moment in every day life.   We can begin to feel like we have some control over stress that may be causing health problems, getting to know ourselves at a deeper level.   It's often our attitudes about life and our circumstances that keep us entrenched in unhealthy behavior if gone unchecked. This ability to be fully engaged in life, can be blocked by rushing through life, multi- tasking, being goal oriented, and loosing sight of the journey, step by step, breath, by breath along the way.   Learning to stop and take a few deep breathes during our busy day to check in, helps to ground us back in reality, and what is actually going on around us, and to re-connect us with our environment.   We can only know joy, and appreciate the beauty around us if we are present to it.   To deal with stress in a positive way, we must first look at our lifestyles and what triggers stress.   Being willing to change our old patterns of dealing with stress is a first big step.   Often we are unaware of what causes the stress in our lives.