Unlocking the Power of Practicing Gratitude Through Yoga and Other Simple Practices
- rockbriarfarm
- 22 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Can I talk about gratitude again? I had another blog partially ready and was going to work on that today, then Twilight Yoga and Gong Bath happened, and I changed course. It was the third year that we held this event at Rockbriar Farm, as in the past, Heather Paris and her husband Thad joined me to perform their magic on the bowls, gongs and other beautiful instruments. I opened the evening with a lunar namaskar practice while joking that I felt like the warmup band who plays before the Rolling Stones....As I looked out across the field I was filled with joy and gratitude. There were practitioners who have been with me since I started the practice, pickle ball friends of my husband, students from Bend Wilcox as well my 92-year-old mom and other people from the community who mentioned that they “just wanted to try it!”
The joy stemmed from feeling that this small practice, my passion, was forming a true and growing community and that Heather, Thad and I had something to share with it. The gratitude came for the support that I felt from this community, my husband (he made the food and set up the torches!), my students, and from my relationship with Bend Wilcox. I teach classes at this beautiful, welcoming studio and they did so much to support me: yes by spreading the word through their huge following and students, by handling the reservations, but most meaningfully by attending the event! Having Caroline, the owner and Amber, one of her key managers, join our practice meant so very much. Being a part of the Bend Family has meant so much to me. It was a very special evening. When I came inside, I found that Luke had already put together the amazing video above. Again, deep gratitude 💗
While I have always loved the idea of a gratitude journal, I have never adopted the practice. While I tried, it felt like one more “to do list” item, but I think it could be powerful for some. I do try to purposefully acknowledge when I am hit with random feelings of gratitude. I am most struck when I find gratitude in acts of selflessness. While I was recovering from my surgery, the consistent check-ins and visits from friends bringing me lunch, taking me for a ride and just hanging out were so generous and unexpected. When my yogi colleagues stepped up to cover my classes and worked together to figure it out, I was again filled with gratitude. I am grateful for the company of my 92-year-old mom, the cup of tea that my husband brings me every morning and for the enduring power of friendships, some of which I have had since elementary school. You know, the kinds of friends who are there when you need them, even if it means flying across country or calling you even when they are involved in something important, just becuase they know you need them, You don't have to tell them, they just know. By recognizing these aloud (or in writing), I find that I am now thinking of many more examples. Isn't that the point perhaps of the gratitude journal? Once you start to think about it, you realize how blessed you really are, and it fills you again with appreciation.
A growing number of scientific studies have examined the effects of gratitude on mental and physical health. They have revealed that a gratitude practice lifts your spirits, promotes empathy, boosts happiness and can also enhance your relationships, decrease depression and improve your heart health.
I was reading a Harvard study about practicing gratitude; while the gratitude journal is always an option, they study suggested taking some time just to check in daily and ask yourself some questions:
What happened today that was good?
What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for?
Which people in my life am I grateful for?
What is the last book I read or movie, show, or social media clip I saw that I really appreciated, and why?
What am I most looking forward to this week, month, and year, and why?
What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately?
The study pointed out that when you are not feeling particularly appreciative, taking the time to reflect on what you do have can be an effective way to change that and evoke gratitude. I did this myself after I read the article, and shed a few tears of gratitude and had a few thoughts of people to reach out to.
In our yoga practice we can cultivate gratitude by practicing heart opening poses, poses that open the heart chakra. We know that regular yoga practice supports a healthy heart through the physical exercise of the asanas (poses). Studies have shown that yoga benefits the heart also by relieving stress through the practice of pranayama (yogic breathing techniques) and meditation.
Hurts, betrayal and other emotional experiences may cause us to block our hearts to avoid additional pain, resulting in the heart chakra, one of the primary energy centers in the body, becoming closed or unbalanced. We then may find it difficult to experience love, compassion, grace. Physical ailments can also develop. As we work through our physical and mental yoga and meditation practice, we strive to open our hearts, balance the heart chakra and be receptive to love and human connections, friendships.
Our Practice – Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)
As we open our heart with many poses including camel and fish pose, we open ourselves to receive gratitude. These heart opening poses help balance the heart chakra, and release tension. This week we will focus on anjaneyasana (low lunge) with gentle back bend, arms in cactus and other variations.
Starting in downward dog, inhale. As you exhale, step your right foot forward, between your hands. Lower your left knee to the floor, sliding the foot back until you feel a nice stretch in the left hip and thigh.
Keep the hips low and level with each other. As you inhale, engage your lower belly and lift your chest away from the thigh, sweeping the arms up alongside your ears.
Come into a gentle backbend lifting your chest toward the sky, arms over head or in cactus.
As you exhale, lower your hands back down and step back to Downward Facing Dog.
Meditation on Gratitude
“Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgment of all that sustains us, a bow to our blessings, great and small, and an appreciation of the moments of good fortune that sustain our life every day,” Jack Kornfield
A Meditation on Gratitude and Joy by Jack Kornfield
With gratitude I remember the people, animals, plants, insects, creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day.
With gratitude I remember the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me.
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the blessing of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the measure of health I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given.
Just as we are grateful for our blessings, so we can be grateful for the blessings of others.
Nurturing with Food – Homemade Chai Concentrate
I love making homemade chai as I find that the kind found in most coffee houses in the US is far too sweet for me. I love brewed masala chai like I had in India and can find sparingly here. At our gong bath practice this past week, as the evening cooled we enjoyed warming chai along with our snacks, there was not a drop left! While it takes a bit of time to make, the concentrated tea keeps well in the fridge and is ready to be combined with your milk of choice and enjoyed hot (or iced). I am repeating the recipe on request!
See you on the mat!
Namaste,
Julia Anne
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