by Jen
on November 25, 2013
I hope your Thanksgiving week is off to a great start! I taught my regular Sunday morning yoga class yesterday and the message that we focused on was letting this week of Thanksgiving be about actively practicing gratitude and celebrating the abundant blessings in our lives.
To begin class I read my yogis the following quote,
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” -Melody Beattie
And then I had them think about the following ways they could cultivate and practice gratitude.
1. Thinking about the family they are grateful for and then extending that to friends, co-workers, neighbors and people they encounter regularly like mailmen, grocery store clerks, etc.
2. Feeling gratitude for the beauty of the world we live in. Vivid sunsets, looking out at the ocean, vast mountain ranges – and our connection to nature and our place in the universe.
3. Feeling Thanksgiving for the things that nourish us both physically and soulfully from yoga practices to food.
4. Actively practicing their gratitude through either quiet gestures or starting to speak about the things you are grateful for and tell people you are grateful for them.
So instead of letting this week of Thanksgiving be a stressful event with family dynamics, food prep, travel, etc…let it be a time of celebration. Truly, the most important part of Thanksgiving is the thanks part of realizing all the things we have to be so grateful for and the giving part of sharing that with others.
How are you practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving week?
Class was extra special because these ladies made the trip from Winston Salem to practice with me – Miriam, Leslie Ann and Emily.
We had brunch at Rooster’s after class where we started with chicken livers. This took me back to my childhood…I seriously used to eat them on the regular. I shamelessly admit that I love fried chicken livers. Have y’all tried them? Like them?
Arugula, apple and goat cheese salad.
Scrambled eggs and bacon.
Have a wonderful and gratitude-filled week!
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