Gratitude is something that we often forget on a daily basis. Sure, we try to keep it, appreciative that we have things we want, like good jobs, and grateful that we don’t have things we don’t want, like bird flu. But no matter how hard we try to have it, in everyday life it is easy to lose it; Gratitude often goes unnoticed like the ease with which car keys get lost in the cushions of a sofa.
Gratitude is a virtue or law that manifests gratitude, appreciation and gratitude. It is considered to be the first law of attraction, the springboard from which a moment-by-moment path to self-awareness gathers momentum. It is what allows us, as human beings, to grow.
When it comes to yoga, some may assume that gratitude means tipping the instructor at the end of class. However, gratitude and yoga actually go hand in hand and each affects the other. This actually makes a lot of sense, considering that both gratitude and yoga are strong advocates of self-awareness and mindfulness: they’re the same team, coaching each of us on how to ease the flow of life, rather than clash. against life and lose sight of what we are grateful for.
Yoga promotes the emotional and physical well-being of a person. And, as studies have shown, so does gratitude. It’s like they’re both vitamins for the soul. Yoga and gratitude improve a person’s ability to manage stress (which directly affects physical health) and improve the way a person interacts with others. Both also rid the body of negative emotions, replacing them with positive ones. When this happens, good health generates itself.
Many people are likely to find gratitude in exercising at the end of a workout, grateful that their strenuous routine is over and feeling refreshed. But, yoga isn’t just about working out, and it’s not just about exercise.
Yoga and gratitude are on the same wavelength, as if launched from the shell of positive thinking. Gratitude, because it’s a way of looking at things, and yoga, because it teaches people to embrace the present moment, can naturally enhance each other. Gratitude is a way of deeply appreciating the full spectrum of life: the good and the bad, the joy and the suffering. Yoga provides a mindful practice to invite one to respond to the full spectrum of life from the highest place within oneself. Gratitude teaches people to have peace of mind. So does yoga. Since both gratitude and yoga feed off each other, practicing the two together will enhance the benefits of each. Yoga is a practice that opens the door to the source of gratitude that resides within you.
But gratitude isn’t limited to yoga, of course. Being grateful in all aspects of life is essential for a person’s well-being. Appreciating your family, your friends, your job and anything else that leads to happiness facilitates your physical and emotional health.
But, like other things that are important to health (exercise, eat right, get enough sleep), the concept of gratitude can be hard to pull off. As mentioned before, gratitude can easily get lost in the cushions of life’s couch. But, there are a few tricks of the trade meant to help gratitude flourish.
Setting aside a few moments a day, maybe five or ten minutes, to reflect on what you appreciate today can be helpful. Another thing that can be helpful is to get a small notebook and write down three or five small things that you are grateful for, such as sunshine, time to reflect, clean clothes, and a cup of hot tea. Writing is a great tool for self-reflection, writing down thoughts of what you are grateful for helps you cultivate gratitude. Much of our general health and well-being is determined by how we think, the programming of our brains will program our lives.
Many of us still remember, as children, wandering the halls of our elementary school and walking under a sign that read, “Attitude is everything.” Rolling our eyes at childhood angst, we probably don’t buy this concept. But, as adults, we have realized that it turns out to be true. Remember, “For everything, give thanks.”
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga, and mindfulness practices to teach an optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. Her goal is to educate and help people live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regimen for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.