Authentic gratitude versus obligation and a flow for harvesting appreciation
Gratitude. It's more than thank-you cards. It's an energy, a transformative charge that when harvested correctly can affect not only you, but others around you. It can turn "I wants" into "I haves" and open your eyes to the abundance that surrounds you.
I've been feeling exceptionally grateful lately. Partly due to this minimalist journey I'm on (I'll share more about that later, but if you follow my Instagram stories you've seen a glimpse). Then when I needed help getting new equipment to continue my YouTube yoga videos, you all pitched in and helped me get the camera that very weekend. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I can't say that enough.
It's easier to live in the "I wants". The grass is always greener. The new yoga pants are always prettier. The new arrivals at Target are always "essential". But the truth is, if you have the luxury to think about new yoga pants and Target finds, you probably have enough.
I've been practicing gratitude every single day. It's not something that occurs naturally. It's a practice.
And it's not something you can fake. Sometimes I feel "obligated" to be grateful and that doesn't work. The energy of gratitude cannot live with obligation. "Should" is a disempowering word, as I describe in this post.
So, how do I practice gratitude?
I practice while I'm folding my clothes (KonMari style — thanks, Amie). I send my appreciation through my fingertips on each article I fold.
I practice while I put away the dishes, thanking each dish for a job well done.
My husband says all of this is hippie af but it's turned what used to be dreaded chores into pleasant experiences that lift me up. I actually enjoy tidying now and I can't wait to share what brought me here with you ... but I gotta finish up the process first. Stay tuned!
Beyond chores, each night before bed, I've been taking inventory of the people and events who touched me today, that lift me up and inspire me to be better tomorrow.
Gratitude lives in the heart space. Your fourth chakra. Your center of love and the last chakra of your earth self. A closed heart is not open to gratitude. It doesn't allow space for appreciation.
In today's flow, we'll open up the heart space working into camel pose and also incorporate some grounding postures like malasana (low squat) and child's pose to balance it out.
I post these videos every Thursday and I'm so grateful to the community that's supported me and joined me on their mats. It's such an honor to share my practice with you, to learn from you and to support you as you work to incorporate mindful movement, presence and peace into your life, one flow at a time.
If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to my channel to join the community!
