Simple mantras to cultivate gratitude

You have mantras, whether you know it or not. Words you consistently tell yourself become ingrained in your mind. And if you’re not mindful about them, they are likely negative. 

I can’t do that.

I’m too fat.

I’m worthless.

This always happens to me.

Nobody cares about me.

Any of these sound familiar to you?

Mantras are powerful. Even the bad ones. If you continually tell yourself that “Nobody cares about me,” sure enough your prophecy will be fulfilled and it will seem as though nobody cares about you. 

The good news is you can change your mantras to more positive phrases. The season of Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to adopt a gratitude mantra (though really any time is a good time). By experiencing more gratitude, you can find peace, happiness and abundance — all rad things so you should totally get your gratitude on with this mantra practice that uses a tool you likely have in your pantry. Yes, your pantry.

Mantra Meditation

1. Count out 108 dried beans. (Learn about the significance of 108 here.)
2. If 108 seems overwhelming, choose another number. Maybe start with 20 and work your way up. The most important thing is that it’s a number you can commit to.
3. Place your beans in a bowl or dish.
4. Remove one bean at a time while reciting your new mantra, placing them individually in an empty bowl. The beans essentially become counters and are used similarly to the beads on a mala necklace.

The mantra you use can be anything that speaks to you, but here are some options:

• My life is abundant.
• I have all that I need.
• I am grateful for all the good in my life.
• I appreciate each moment as if I had chosen it.
• I am grateful.

Gratitude isn’t something that just comes. Especially if you’re constantly saying ungrateful words to yourself. It’s something you practice, like yoga or playing piano. Just like anything, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. I’m still practicing, but it keeps getting easier. And I don’t know if it’s all in my head or if the universe is rewarding me for my effort, but it seems the more gratitude I cultivate, the more abundance seems to just appear in my life to be thankful for. Mantra magic, man. It’s legit. 

Namaste.