Gratitude Meditation

Namaste lovelies,

A big thanks for all of your caring thoughts, supportive words and shining present eyes. Life's transitions sure wouldn't be as rich and warm without you. We all affect one another, and we don't usually know how much we're appreciated by those around us simply for being who we are. Living from an authentic, heart centered place is such a gift to yourself as well as those around you. 

Take some time to cultivate an attitude of gratitude this weekend in between bouts of savoring your culinary appreciation. Sit with yourself and explore what else there is to give thanks for with the following meditation.

For those of you who want to deepen your discovery of how your body, beliefs and quality of life are connected, I'm now giving Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions  at Serene Yoga Studios as well as Hollow Reed Holistic. I'm also offering one-one-one and private Yoga classes for those who want a more personalized practice. 

Here's what Psychology Today says about gratitude:"It opens the heart and activates positive emotion centers in the brain.  Regular practice of gratitude can change the way our brain neurons fire into more positive automatic patterns. The positive emotions we evoke can soothe distress and broaden our thinking patterns so we develop a larger and more expansive view of our lives.  Gratitude is an emotion of connectedness, which reminds us we are part of a larger universe with all living things."

Gratitude Meditation

This is a fantastic self-critic-stomping technique. If the critic pokes its head in, notice that it's there and kindly let it out again.

Invite a deep breath in through your nose. Let it fall out of your mouth. Do this at least a couple more times.

Let yourself sit in the place of the witness-look at yourself as the whole, dynamic being you are. What do you appreciate about yourself?  Take your time with this. It's kind of like acknowledging the qualities you value in a dear friend. 

Notice what's happening in your body as you continue to cultivate that gratitude for yourself. After a while, let any details or stories about why you're grateful drop. Just be with the sense of gratitude. What is it like to honor yourself as you are in this moment? Nourish your capacity to be unconditionally grateful. 

Continue in a similar way, extending it out to the life you live and the relationships you have. Check out what there is to appreciate. Notice physical sensations. Then allow for that unconditional gratitude to grow. 

Bring your hands together in front of your heart, palms gently pressing together. Ground down through your seat or your feet. As you inhale widen your arms and roll your shoulders back. Lift your chest and your gaze. With your exhale, bring your hands back together in front of your heart. Do this movement, synchronized with your breath, a few times. When it feels done for you, let your hands rest together at your chest for another deep breath. 

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. "Melody Beattie 

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."  ~Meister Eckhart