Meditating on Gratitude

This post is for a friend of mine who wants to start meditating (I hope you don't mind me calling your out here, Tee!). Like many of us, the question looms out there: "How do I start?" Meditating can be intimidating; actually, it is intimidating for most people trying to start the practice. However, keep in mind, there are many types of meditation, and you can pick which one you are most comfortable with. Meditation does not have to be about trying to clear your mind of all thoughts – especially not when you are just starting. Meditation can simply be about calming your mind for a bit. One great way to do this is to concentrate on just one thing. To make it easier – I’m going to tell you the thing!! Gratitude. I’m sure you’ve heard the hype about gratitude. But it really does work. I have gotten myself out of almost any funk or stress by focusing on what I’m grateful for. With gratitude, you can focus on the current moment or pick a specific aspect of your life – it’s that easy!

You can double the benefit of gratitude by incorporating it into meditation; meditation allows the feelings of gratitude to really soak into your being. A favorite way of mine to be grateful is to think about all the things that happened (or didn’t happen) throughout my day and try to pick which I’m most grateful for. This is a great practice right before you go to bed….it is usually the last thing I do before I fall asleep (and it can help you get a great night’s sleep, too!) You can also do it in the morning and think about the prior day...starting your mornings with gratitude will have you singing through the day!

So, simply pick your time (I like first thing in the morning or last thing at night – or both!), get comfortable (I often am lying in bed or sitting cross-legged on my couch – whatever you like, do it!), breathe deeply and slowly ( 3-count in, pause, and out is a good breathing rhythm), and start thinking one-by-one about what you are grateful for. If you want to set a timer, so you don’t need to pay attention to the clock, go ahead. You just want to slowly think through your day and consider each thing that you can be grateful for. When you are done thinking on one and ready to move to the next, take a moment to concentrate on taking a few breaths again. Then keep going! After meditating on gratitude, you will physically feel yourself being uplifted. It is an amazing experience. And an awesome way to start meditating and focus on the joy in your life every day. Try it for a week or two and then we will start another meditating practice. Happy Meditating!