What is your body grateful for in this moment? Do you see or sense a color or symbol associated with your gratitude? Perhaps there is a particular taste of your gratitude coming through the tip of your tongue or the back of your throat?
Embodying our gratitude takes slowing down and tuning in to fully be present giving permission to experience the moment through the body as a barometer mapping out our gratitude one sensation at a time. This is very different than having a thought or reflection of gratitude. This is BEing your gratitude. A thought can be very powerful and even trigger sensations in the body, but shifting our focus to receiving gratitude through our sensory perception invites us to fully embody in the moment that for which we are grateful.
Below you will find a quick and simple practice you can do anytime anywhere to invite an attitude of embodied gratitude into your moment. I developed this personal practice of embodied gratitude when a family member was recently struggling with a life-threatening illness. It helped me to authentically embody gratitude even when life situations and the commentary of my mind couldn’t find any “thing” to be gratitude for in the moment. It was very powerful for me and I hope it serves you.
Embodied Gratitude Practice:
It’s important to remember there is nothing to attain here or anything to achieve or gain. You are simply noticing what is already naturally happening as you experience gratitude in present moment time through the communication of sensation in your Body Current®, the wave-like abiding intelligence unique to you. You can do this practice anywhere at anytime.
1) Begin to slow down and expand each breath without counting or predicting the length of your breath. Simply feel a slowing down and expansion of your breathing. Perhaps you notice a softening into the moment as your explore the sensations of your breath. Take a few moments to rest your awareness here.
2) Notice your inhale filling your heart center perhaps feeling the expansion as the breath is embodied or hearing the breath slowly fill your heart. Notice any sensation of ease, peace or gratitude arising in the heart. You can even ask your heart, “What are you grateful for in this moment?” remembering the body communicates in the language of sensation. What do you see, taste, hear, smell or feel as you inhale the sense of gratitude into your heart?
3) Exhale gently notice any tension, stress or resistance around your heart center. Slowly expand your exhale letting the sensations of tightness and constriction release out of your heart, down your arms and out your fingertips as you complete your exhale. What do you see, taste, hear, smell or feel as you release and let go of stress and tension with the exhale? You can even flick your fingertips for extra release if you wish. Follow with the embodied inhale detailed in #2.
4) Repeat this practice as long as you wish. You may want to journal afterward to remember your experience of embodied gratitude. This is a nice practice to begin and end your day. Enjoy!
Share with a friend
