With last week’s rainy weather, it seemed that I had encountered far more traffic challenges than usual in my daily commute, so I was certainly grateful for the practices of arriving and connecting with the breath to help restore a sense of ease and equanimity. I hope that your experiences with the practices were fruitful as well in all of the ways they were applied!
Speaking of being grateful, the suggested mindfulness practice for this week is gratitude.
gratitude
1. Upon waking and before you get out of bed, take 3-5 minutes to write down 3 things for which you are grateful
2. Before going to sleep, list 3 more things
Morning examples:
– the softness of my pillow
– my spouse or significant other
– my pet who loves me unconditionally
Evening examples:
– successful meeting today
– friendly smile of a stranger
the comfort of my bed
That’s it! Super simple, yet quite powerful. The practice should take no more than 6-10 minutes out of your entire day, unless you want to take more time, of course. And it helps to keep a journal on a bedside table so that you don’t forget. As you do this practice, notice what arises for you. Perhaps you might notice that you wake up with a default setting in terms of state of mind. Just notice what arises for you as you continue the practice this week. Perhaps you already keep a gratitude journal? Then check out the free app Happier (www.happier.com). It’s an online gratitude journaling tool or Facebook for gratitude and happiness. I just downloaded it myself to give it a try!
My intention in suggesting these mindfulness practices is for you to find something that resonates with you. We are building an arsenal of tools to support well-being, clarity, resilience and empowerment.
