If you're on the wellness and yoga scene, you'll probably have heard people talking about having a gratitude practice. This isn't something newly discovered, it's quite literally the art of being aware of things you are grateful for. I sometimes feel that when something becomes a bit of a buzz phrase, people can assume it has to be fancier than what it actually is.
Having a regular gratitude practice is a beautiful addition to add into your day. It helps to cultivate a positive mindset, to shift your thinking and to have time to take stock of where you are in your life. Personally it's a practice that I like to do at the start of my day as it sets me up with a good feeling inside and allows me to leave any negative thoughts and feelings behind, as I move forwards. Here are a few ways that you can practice it...
2. Meditation is such a pure way to work with gratitude, a way to really feel into the body and to not think too much about the practice itself. Sometimes when we write things down, we think too much about what we're doing, trying to come up with the 'right' answer, even though there is no such thing in this scenario. By using a guided meditation, we allow ourselves to float through the practice, feeling supported, but also opening ourselves up to new thoughts and feelings. If this is something you'd like to try, I recommend doing my 30-minute Gratitude Meditation & Yoga Practice on YouTube. Even if you only have enough time for the first 10 minutes, it's worth it!
3. Doing yoga or any other form of exercise that you enjoy is a great way to take a moment to be grateful for the skin you're in and the body you have. With the challenges of mainstream media and social media, we are so quick to compare our bodies from an aesthetic point of view, but we forget to remember how awesome it is that we are living, breathing humans, who can even get from A to B, let alone a fitness class. Of course we all have our own health/injury issues over the course of our lives and it's still ok to feel sadness and anger towards these things, but on the whole it's just pretty cool to experience this world on two feet, so definitely something to be grateful for.
Is this a practice you're thinking of bringing into your daily routine? Comment below and let me know.
Love, Cat x
All photos by Lydia Collins