Growth & Gratitude
It’s been a rough year for many of us. We’ve continued to live through a global pandemic, economic changes, career changes, relationship changes, life changes, lack of normalcy, loss and more. Maybe you’ve been personally affected by one or some of these factors. We all know someone who has. In the last year, my brother unexpectedly passed away, along with my first yoga teacher, and a dear friend. I got coronavirus and then long covid and had to take a two month healing sabbatical with my husband as my caretaker. Not the year I had planned… For many of us, our mental wellbeing has certainly suffered to some degree.
Here we are in November, which has been declared National Gratitude Month, and it’s everywhere. I took a yoga class recently, and the instructor asked us to think of three things we were grateful for, creating a gratitude list. The emails in my inbox this week have headlines that read “Attitude of Gratitude” or “Grateful Heart”. There’s probably a Starbucks drink dedicated to it.
So what is it, why is it important, and aren’t we already doing it? According to Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, there are two components to it. One, it’s an affirmation of goodness; we affirm there are good things in the world and that we’ve received them. Two, we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. I know I recognize that there are good things in the world, and I believe in a higher power/source/spirit/God. At times though, it can be challenging to cultivate gratitude: when we’re worried about making ends meet, when things don’t seem to be going our way, when we experience loss, when we’re sick, when we feel unclear on our path or lost, when we lack support, etc.
I know I struggled in many moments over the past year to cultivate gratitude. I don’t know about you, but for me it can sometimes feels artificial, like I’m faking it until I make it, that it’s another thing to add to the list of what I should be doing, or I’m too busy for that. My experience has also been that, to the depth that I’ve been stretched by grief in the past year, I’ve also been stretched by gratitude. I’ve truly woken up each day with a simple, heartfelt thank you. I feel grateful to be alive each day here on this earth. It feels like a beautiful, precious gift. I feel tremendous gratitude for my tribe, my soul family, and the people who have lifted me up. I thank the trees for being a part of my life that are on my path as I drive to work. I say thank you for and enjoy every second of sipping morning coffee or enjoying a day off with my husband and dogs. I feel blessed that my resilient body carries me through a yoga class or that I can go to a restaurant and enjoy a meal that is cooked for me. I’ve learned, and do believe, that we cannot wait for better days, circumstances, experiences, jobs, partners, friends etc. to practice and cultivate gratitude. The practice is here and now, and it changes us.
Carolyn Myss, author and medical intuitive, states that “The Universe lives in a constant flow of grace, praise, and gratitude.” Research shows that people who practice gratitude, or consciously counting their blessings, do tend to be happier, less depressed, and have improved overall health and wellbeing. I know as much as I’ve tried to, I have not been able to control all the events happening around me, but I do feel empowered when I practice gratitude. Not because (fill in the blank event, situation, circumstance, person) will be different tomorrow, but because I can pay attention to what IS here and what IS being offered in each moment of my life, and I can shift my internal experience. And that’s something we have power over right now. Have you ever just sat quietly, basking in all the good that is happening for you right here and right now? Have you tried making that a daily practice and perhaps pausing to notice how it makes you feel in your body, how it affects your mood, how you respond to and treat others, and how they respond to and treat you? There really is something to cultivating a daily gratitude practice, and I hope you give it a try!
Sangha News
Sue brings Reflexology, Chakra Reflexology, Ionic Foot Detox Bath, Hypnotherapy, and Reiki services to Sangha on Mondays. Appointments can be made via call/text: (708) 285-5655
Until November 30th, you can receive 10 % off all services and products.
Book online using the code “GRATITUDE”
-or-
Visit Sangha & browse our selection of
essential oils, body work tools, Ayurvedic products, books, malas, & gifts!
We’ve announced a giveaway on our Instagram and Facebook!! Carve out some me time on your calendar, because we’re feeling grateful for YOU and giving away an evening of self-care: a 60 minute massage or reiki session, a copy of Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Ayurvedic mustard seed bath, Calm Spirit essential oil, and a sweet treat!
It will be very easy to enter; just follow our account (Sangha Center for Wellness), comment on the giveaway announcement, and we’ll announce the winner on the Monday after Thanksgiving.
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I’ve been stretched large by grief and gratitude this past year. My guess is many of you have, too. Thank you for being here with me and for allowing me to hold space for you to heal. May we embrace whatever comes our way instead of being a victim of our circumstances. May we overcome difficulties with dignity, courage, and faith. May we take time every day to recognize the gifts in our life, and understand that in doing so, we improve our lives and the lives of others.
In Gratitude,
Katie