James has been quite an inspiration to me for many years.  The truth is that my first introduction was a video of his mother sharing “about this joy stuff” that had me in stitches before I could finish it.

I first met James 5 years ago at the University of British Columbia during a weekend Awakening Joy course.  He and his wife, Jane, put into practice and words many of the things I was already doing in the classroom.  I felt deeply reassured by his work,  as he too had been a classroom teacher. After the weekend I signed up for a 10 month online course in Awakening Joy.  I highly recommend his book and the course. I was drawn into a deep practice; even though I was unable to go to the live classes,  I could hardly wait each month for a session to begin.  Over the years I have implemented many of the ideas into my daily teachings.   The best part is that the  course is live and changes every year.  I now have the pleasure of collaborating  with James in creating Happiness and Joy Lessons for children, with many lessons based on his book , Awakening Joy!  I am so excited!

Here is a lesson I wrote on Setting Intention that you can add to your practices!

http://www.jamesbaraz.com