Give Thanks - Practices for nurturing a grateful heart…
“Asking then to bring the little they had., he took the bread, and giving thanks, he broke it and shared it. ”
This is the story of a miracle, attributed to Jesus. With 5 loaves and 2 fish and an attitude of gratitude and audacious generosity he somehow managed to feed the 5,000.
In some biblical translations, it’s said that he took the bread and blessed it. This gives us to understand that 'giving thanks’ is a form of blessing that can turn scarcity into abundance and transform despair and resignation into hope and possibility. Having a grateful heart, it seems, is a blessing that can make miracles happen.
Thanksgiving is at the heart of many faith traditions. It’s a practice that is core to our wellbeing.
“Be grateful for your life, every detail of it,
and your face will come to shine like a sun and everyone who sees it will be made glad and peaceful.”
The secret of gratitude practice is that it cultivates the power to reform our thoughts from the very roots of the subconscious mind. Through meditation, the mind melts away the worries, anxieties, insecurities, and all those negative emotions that were clogging it. With a clear unadulterated mind, we can then contemplate on what we are grateful for in life and rejoice the newly discovered self-mastery.
“True happiness can be found not by looking at the positive things only, but rather by being aware of the negative things and choosing not to let them affect our well-being ”
Research on Meditation and Gratitude
Research shows that people who practice gratitude meditation regularly have a well-balanced blood pressure level, better metabolism, and enhanced mood conditions.
The reason is simple; by focusing positively on the wrong sides of life, we can change the way we think and feel about them. Studies indicate that gratitude yoga and meditation have significant effects on reducing symptoms of depression, mood disorders, and suicidal thoughts (Stockton, 2016).
A recent survey that was conducted on the benefits of gratitude exercises by O’Leary in 2015 suggested that individuals who maintain gratitude journals or practice self-reflection are much better at expressing themselves and are more aware of their inner feelings.
“Gratitude is the highest level of thought”
Gratitude comes in two ways – by conveying thankfulness to someone or by receiving the same from him/her. Gratitude is far from the scope of constant happiness and ecstasy. Instead, it is the practice of facing the difficulties with an open heart – it lets us accept our problems and guides us to choose a better way of living despite all troubles.
Gratitude exercises can be as simple as writing notes, complimenting ourselves, smiling more at others, appreciating the Nature, or making gratitude visits to people whose support changed our lives. We heal by expressing our gratefulness to others.
Buddha believed that every human birth is worthy of gratitude. By merely thanking our existence, we can feel a lot more empowered and connected to ourselves. Gratitude meditation is the simplest way that we can choose to follow the ‘Dharma’, (the ‘truth’ or the ‘way things are’) in our everyday lives.
“The thoughts manifest as the word; The words manifest as the deed; The deeds develop into habits, And habit hardens into character”
ALL IS GIFT - BE GRATEFUL ALWAYS