A traditional gratitude practice - naming and feeling into what you appreciate - has been proven beneficial in many ways.* Less understood is that gratitude is a 2-way street! Not in the transactional sense - but in giving thanks we open our hearts to receive. Many take a moment to “count blessings” as a prayer of gratitude at the end of the day. It’s easy to integrate that more fully into our lives. Gratitude helps us lead a life of connection, with energy flowing between us and the world.
Giving opens the door to receiving! Try these out:
💙 Taking a moment to appreciate the meal you’re about to eat actually prepares your body to fully take in (digest!) the food. This can be as simple as looking at your food with attention, to visualizing all the elements that came together to produce this meal.
💚 Hold vitamins, supplements and even medicines in your open hand before you take them. With the other hand above, send energy down into them, giving thanks. Then imagine energy moving up from the nutrients into your hand, filling you with light and nourishing every cell. I believe this practice also attunes them to the body’s energy so they’re more easily assimilated.
❤️ When you hug, move to your right so the position is “heart to heart.” (Silently invite the other person to bend down to meet you if you are shorter.) As tension releases and fields conjoin, experience a minute of true relaxation and connection.
💛 When receiving gifts or any kind of service, briefly touch your heart in thanks (and if possible hold the item.) Do you causally disregard or deflect compliments? Yep - take those compliments to heart with a big thank you! By acknowledging that kindness or attention, we also honor the other person.
We can expand our concept of giving and receiving in all our relationships and interactions. By giving a moment of attention, we can be available for whatever comes next. That might even be a creative inspiration or intuition; by attending to our experience, a natural "flow state" begins. Gratitude is dynamic!
It only takes a second to incorporate gratitude more fully into your day. The hardest part is remembering, but with practice it becomes second nature. You’ll notice you’re less upset over little things and more aware of how much there is to be thankful for. Gratitude becomes a reciprocal experience as you open your heart, enriching every interaction.
I appreciate – am grateful for – all of you. Without clients I wouldn't be a healer; without students I wouldn't be a teacher; without you, my loyal reader, I wouldn't be a writer!
I will be sharing more with you tomorrow, in this season of giving...
Peace, love and healing -
Bear
*Per the American Heart Association, a consistent gratitude practice supports better mood, better sleep, lower blood pressure, and improved immune function!
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