Embody gratitude beyond your gratitude list
Over the last week I've been reflecting a lot on gratitude.
You've probably heard it all (at least I know I have): practice gratitude, be grateful, have a gratitude journal, list the things you're grateful for regularly.
But then I found myself stuck.
Yes, stuck with gratitude. And I'm sure I'm not alone.
Where I found myself stuck was thinking that gratitude was something I needed to DO.
I've done it all.
I've had a gratitude journal.
Before bed my partner and I had a routine of sharing three things we were grateful for.
I did a gratitude challenge on Instagram where I had a gratitude accountability partner.
After a while thought… it all just felt really superficial.
Like I was just going through the motions of gratitude because that's what I was “supposed to do”.
So instead of forcing myself to keep “doing gratitude”, I started to explore the practice a bit deeper.
I reflected on what gratitude actually meant for me. I asked myself, how can I make it more than just what I DO?
And if you've been in my community for awhile you'll know that in my work I love to emphasize BEING > DOING.
Our BEING supports our doing in a more authentic, nourishing way versus “doing” on autopilot.
To me, where I feel the most grateful isn't in the practice of making a gratitude list.
It's actually when I EMBODY gratitude.
When I bring my awareness to the feeling of gratitude in my body, in the present moment.
When I notice the sensations embracing gratitude offers.
When I let gratitude be a part of me, a part of my whole being (body, mind, emotions and spirit).
Sometimes we can get so stuck in “doing the spiritual work” that we forget to integrate the work into our day to day lives.
It doesn't matter if we practice yoga every day if we aren't bringing what we learn on the mat, off the mat.
It doesn't matter if we meditate every day if we aren't integrating what it offers us into our relationship with ourselves.
It doesn't matter how many gratitude lists we create if we aren't embodying gratitude into our being…. into how we think, act, speak, interact with others.
My mindful invitation for you this week is this: how can you embody gratitude? Beyond your gratitude list… how can you integrate it into how you BE?
In my online studio last week we practiced this through both movement and stillness - yin, meditation and journaling sessions to EMBODY and BE gratitude.
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