Cultivating Gratitude in Daily Life

Many people who practice yoga want to know how to bring the serenity and openness they experience from their yoga practice to “the real world.” The first step to bringing these feeling to everyday life is to reflect on what is it about the yoga experience that enables you to feel this way.

Many people feel a genuine gratitude for the simplicity of the sacred space that has been created for them. In addition, they feel a sense of appreciation for the community of fellow practitioners; a group of supportive, compassionate beings dedicated to bringing more light and peace to the world. It is with this intention that many who practice yoga are able to release the clutter of their busy minds and simply be present to their immediate experience. The elements of simplicity and community can then be applied to the everyday “real life” experience.

Be Grateful for Simplicity

Start by asking yourself:
How cluttered is my physical space?
How much unnecessary distraction do I allow into my consciousness?

First just acknowledging what your distractions are. Then take a look at where there is calmness and simplicity and take time to be grateful for this calmness and simplicity. When you are ready, see where you can pull some of this simplicity and calmness into physical areas that may be cluttered and into the mental space that may be distracted.

Be Grateful for Your Community

Start by asking yourself:
Do I spend too much time around people who generate negative energy?
Who are the people who make me feel good about myself when I am around them?

After asking yourself that second question, see if you can determine what characteristics that person who makes you feel good about yourself has. Try to be grateful not only for those people who are just wonderful, but be grateful for the characteristics in these people that make your life more enjoyable.

Gratitude is the mindful opening that allows us to see our lives in simple terms. By letting go of unnecessary clutter we focus on the essentials and truths of our experiences and embrace them without judgment. We begin the cultivation of gratitude by practicing gratitude and sharing it with other people. We acknowledge our challenges but focus our energy on the positive and enduring beauty that exists in splendid simplicity all around us, every moment of every day.