Anjali Mudra

by Barrie

For a long time, I struggled to find an authentic way to practice gratitude. By “authentic”, I mean a form of gratitude rooted in reality, which doesn’t ignore or deny life’s hardships or attempt to minimize the pain we might be experiencing.

To be honest, considering everything happening in the world, I questioned whether this was even possible Nonetheless, was determined to find a genuine approach to cultivating gratitude because of its well-documented benefits for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

One reason gratitude can be challenging to experience is that human beings are naturally predisposed to focus on what’s wrong. Evolution has hardwired our nervous systems to be on the alert for potential threats and dangers as a protective mechanism. To counteract this negativity bias—our tendency to focus on negative events more strongly than positive ones—we have to make a conscious effort to focus on the positive. For example, I think of Thich Nhat Hanh’s wonderful invitation to practice gratitude for your non-toothache. It’s easy to overlook what’s going right.

In her post It is not finding gratitude that matters; it is remembering to look in the first place, Nina explains that in the context of yoga philosophy, gratitude can be seen as a form of what’s known in the Classical Yoga tradition as pratipaksha bhavana. This is the practice of responding to negative thoughts by cultivating their positive counterparts.

This understanding helped me to recognize that authentic gratitude is an active practice, a mindset that we can, and need, to cultivate to truly experience. And, that it’s possible to do this regardless of what’s going on in our lives. I realized that gratitude doesn’t mean feeling happy when bad things happen or dismissing negative emotions. Instead, it involves making a deliberate effort to consciously appreciate what we feel genuinely thankful for in any given moment.

As I’ve practiced applying this, I’ve found that there is always something to be grateful for. It could be something as simple as my breath, the trees in my front yard, the warm socks I’m wearing, the music I’m listening to, or the salad I had for lunch. There’s always something, and no matter how trivial it seems, it always feels heartening and uplifting. Author Brother David Steindl-Rast says:

Times that challenge us physically, emotionally and spiritually may make it almost impossible for us to feel grateful. Yet, we can decide to live gratefully, courageously open to life in all its fullness. By living the gratefulness we don’t feel, we begin to feel the gratefulness we live.

When you approach gratitude as a practice, you see that you needn’t wait for good things to happen to feel thankful. Gratefulness becomes an outlook you bring to your life.

Gratitude nurtures your connection to life and, as such, can be an edifying force that bolsters you to meet life’s challenges with greater resilience. Over time, you might find, as I have, that the practice of conscious appreciation for what you are thankful for is an empowering stance that fosters genuine contentment and well-being.

Cultivating Gratitude in Yoga

Here are three simple ways to foster gratitude in your yoga practice:

  1. Practice Anjali Mudra with awareness: Anjali mudra, or Prayer Position, where the palms are joined together in front of the heart, is a traditional gesture of reverence, respect, and gratitude. Because it’s something we might practice often, its significance can get overlooked. Yet, it’s a perfect moment to pause and remember to approach your practice and yourself with heartfelt appreciation. If you already do this as part of your practice, you can do so with the awareness of its meaning. If it’s not typically part of your practice, you can take a moment at the beginning to practice it.
  1. Cultivate the opposite: When you catch yourself focusing on what’s wrong with your poses or yourself in yoga, shift your perspective to appreciate what’s right. When you notice yourself getting caught up in self-criticism or judgement on the mat, consciously cultivate an attitude of self-compassion and contentment for what you are able to do. Practice self-acceptance for yourself just as you are.
  1. Relax gratefully: At the end of your practice, spend a few minutes in Savasana or another deeply restful posture. During this time, consciously appreciate your body and thank yourself for your efforts. You might also discover a few more things you are truly grateful for in the moment, such as the sensation of your body relaxing, the comfort of your head and neck supported by your blanket, or the rhythm of your breathing.

If you’re interested in exploring how yoga can support you to foster an authentic outlook of gratitude amidst the challenges and complexities of your life, be sure to check out Barrie’s upcoming workshop series, Grounded in Gratitude, which begins on Saturday, November 18.

 

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