Gratitude

What do you have to be grateful for? It might seem like a funny question with all that is going on in the world these days, and it is an important question. So important that I believe we should be asking ourselves every day.

When we choose to focus our attention on what is going right, instead of what is going wrong, our bodies respond in a beneficial and healthy way. Our heart and respiration slow, our blood pressure lowers, our muscles relax, and the levels of stress hormones coursing through the body decrease. The simple act of practicing gratitude encourages the body to move into greater balance and promotes wellbeing.

Cultivating thankfulness also allows us to soften our hearts and our attitudes, as we open up to this moment and appreciate its fullness. Rather than just counting your blessings, you might want to take the time to savor each one - bringing each one fully into your awareness for a moment - and take note of the sensations you experience in the body as you do so.

Just a few minutes of this practice each day can have a profound effect on the quality of your life. Try it and see.

Getting Started

Many of us are feeling overwhelmed and depleted. Family issues, politics and war, the economy, our jobs, our health, all occupy our thoughts. We worry about the future and may be obsessed with things in our past. All of these concerns weigh us down and we may not know how to start caring for ourselves in such challenging times.

It can be as simple as taking one or two minutes, a couple of times per day, and just stopping. Stopping doing whatever you are doing. Closing your eyes if you can, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out. As you sit (or stand or lie down), noticing that you are breathing, that there is an in-breath and an out-breath. Noticing the sounds that are present in this moment. Bringing awareness to the sensations in your body. And then, just letting yourself be for a minute or two...

When you are done, pay attention to how you are feeling now. Do you notice a difference from just a couple of minutes ago? This is how it feels to be present. Being present is one of the best ways to start caring for yourself-more on this later. For now, just practice "being" a couple of times a day and see what happens...