It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving which lends itself to an easy (if not obvious) thought of the week…that of gratitude. In the past, I have undertaken a gratitude practice via Facebook where I was asked to join a group that set the intention of writing and sharing five things of that we are grateful, every day for a month. I thought this to be a great practice, one that I can share with a larger community, but more importantly, a practice that reminds me of how incredibly abundant my life is. The stunning thing about that experience was that as I wrote each day about what I was thankful for, people started making comments. They were also stating what they were thankful for. It was amazing to see how my own public expression of gratitude had its own ripple. Who knew?
This phenomenon has been reflected in a research study that showed having a conscious practice of gratitude, such as the Facebook challenge mentioned above, increased happiness by 25%! Such a simple practice with fantastic outcomes! What makes it effective is practicing with a specific awareness of what we are thankful for. I have asked many 1-1 yoga therapy clients to undertake a practice of gratitude in order to recalibrate their focus, particularly when life is throwing all sorts of challenges in their direction.
This conscious choice to acknowledge what we already have in our lives brings us into the present moment and allows us an opportunity to release negativity. In the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, this is one of the Niyamas known as contentment or Santosha. When people dwell on a pattern of thought that isn’t a reflection of their highest self, it can be likened to a downward spiral, dragging our energy, attitude, and spirit into darkness. Our body reflects this in slumped posture, illness or agitation and we become a short fuse in the world that may ignite rapidly given the slightest chance.
If we find ourselves trapped within the looping negative dialogue where nearly every thought and sentence begins with something like:
I’m frustrated with…
I don’t have enough…
I’ll never get…
I’m mad at…
I’m not worthy and…
This country is in a…”
Then maybe it’s time to undertake a serious gratitude overhaul!
In these turbulent times in which we live, we often get pulled into the narrow vision of what’s happening and forget the bigger picture of our earthly interdependence. Slowing down into an inner space of reflection and asking ourselves, “what am I grateful for in this moment?” is a way to broaden our often restricted view. When we sit each day and engage in an inner dialogue that conjures up all that we’re thankful for, it’s as though a switch is flipped. We shift our perspective away from what appears to be lacking to what is present in our lives. A practice of gratitude allows us to remember all that we are, all that we have and all that we can do. It’s more than enough when you get right down to it.
So, for this Thanksgiving and the next few weeks, I will stay committed to my daily gratitude practice. Feel free to join me…you’ll be thankful you did!
