As the holidays are ushered in with the colder weather, we may hear other moms question how to stay sane through it all. Probably many of us have also heard about the correlation between happiness and being thankful. It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude, but gratitude that brings happiness and other such citations. It may sound cliche but it works for me.
We’re used to expressing gratitude regularly, but maybe we never considered that fitness could help bring more gratitude into our lives. Research shows that acknowledging what you’re thankful for can lead to a happier, healthier life. Like gratitude, yoga makes you healthier, too. And the physical and mental awareness that comes from a regular practice can help you feel gratitude toward yourself, others and your body, no matter what your fitness level may be. Try these five yoga poses that will keep you feeling strong, even if you’re having a bad day.
1. Upward Facing Dog: Let your intention be to appreciate every moment. Savor the breath in your lungs, feel the air on your skin and the stretching sensation in your hamstrings.
2. Warrior I: Make your movements an offering. I remember how thankful I am whenever my hands are pressed together at my heart in Anjali Mudra/prayer and when I come to standing at the beginning of a Sun Salute.
3. Pigeon Pose: Count your blessings instead of your breaths. It’s nearly impossible to do this for an entire practice session, but I love to spend one long held pose (Pigeon is a good one) thinking of one thing I’m grateful for with each breath.
4. Headstand: Focus on the positive. There will always be positive and negatives. If you focus on the negative you miss the good stuff. Train yourself through practice, to look for the good. Patanjali, who authored the yoga sutras (on which the practice is based), suggested replacing negative with positive thoughts. It’s easy to get frazzled by what you perceive as shortcomings on the mat–maybe you’re not as flexible as you used to be or an injury is inhibiting movement. Make a commitment to use your yoga practice to observe all the amazing things you CAN do instead and gratitude will spill over into other areas of your life as well.
5. Savasana: Always do Savasana. It flips off the flight or fight mechanism and switches on the healing, relaxation response. Nothing makes me thankful like a nice, long Corpse Pose after an intense yoga class. All the gratitude meditations in the world can’t match the experience that comes when tired muscles finally get to melt into the floor. That’s gratitude at its best.
How does gratitude makes you happy?
