Gratitude has been a vital practice for me. Our human minds tend to grasp onto negative experiences, we remember them more than the joyful moments. It has something to do with survival instinct. It protects us. However, we can go overboard with this, not needing to recall all the events in our lives that weigh us down. We can actually take charge of this by having a gratitude practice.
A gratitude practice retrains our mind to also welcome in the joy and blessings of life. This practice has been shown to reduce stress and increase feelings of well-being.
The theologian, philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart said “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you’ that would suffice.”
It can be a simple as gratitude for this one breath! Pause and experience breath moving in and out. Breath welcomes in life.
You can begin to use a gratitude journal. Use it daily. I like to say what I am grateful for before bed each evening. At times it is basic, like my comfy bed and safe home. Grateful for my dog, my husband, the list can go on and on. It’s then amazing how focusing on the blessings in life overrun the challenges. Even if you are in pain there is always something to be grateful for.
It may be useful to notice what people in your life you are grateful for? Inquire why you feel grateful for them. Set an intention to cultivate your relationship with these people.
This practice is like cultivating your garden – preparing the ground of gratitude, planting the seeds and nourishing it regularly.
May your garden of gratitude flourish
Listen to Inviting in Gratitude by Heart Space @aurahealthhq https://app.aurahealth.io/tracks/-LMx2RuapZakc_BXop0Z Gratit