Deepen Your Relationship to Gratitude

By Susan James, Yoga Teacher and certified Health and Wellness Coach 

We all have some sort of relationship with gratitude, how deep is yours? One of the gratitude practices that has helped boost my health at many levels is keeping a Gratitude Journal. I have done this for the last ten years, and it is a practical way to stay healthy. Having a specific journal where you can focus on beautiful moments of the day, what is going well in life, and other things you are grateful for can increase your quality of daily living significantly. 
 
Here are just a few scientifically proven benefits of gratitude journaling:

• Improved physical and psychological health
• Better sleep
• Enhanced empathy and reduced aggression
• Increased mental strength
• Improved self esteem
• Invites joy

 
At night before bed is when I prefer to do my gratitude journaling. Though I sometimes do it after a morning meditation or if I am in pain, sick, or in a dampened mood. Before I get out of bed I also say a few things that I am thankful for (this was inspired by Louise Hay). This helps me be more present and creates a positive start to the day.  
 
In the new Mind-Body Wellness class offered at Dayaalu, we focused last week on three different practices to deepen gratitude: cross overs, gratitude journaling, and gratitude tapping. In this weekly class I share a variety of natural stress reduction strategies, nutritional approaches, and mindfulness techniques for healthy living. 

Mind-Body Wellness is offered on Tuesdays 2:30-3:15pm. I look forward to seeing you there! Until then...
“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” - Rumi