Did you know that studies show that practicing gratitude can make you 25% happier? Gratitude can lessen the impact anger, disappointment, and frustration in your life. It's even been shown to heal pain and illness in your body. It can certainly heal relationships, especially with your beautiful, miraculous body. Amazing things can happen when you integrate it into your daily life. 

What is a "gratitude practice"?

Practicing gratitude can be as easy as a quick morning mental ritual, stating to yourself what you are grateful for. It can be a written practice as well. Many people like to keep a gratitude journal. Again, it doesn't have to be long and involved. It can be a short list of 3-5 things.

How to implement gratitude into everyday life?

I like to use my gratitude practice as an energy uplifting tool. I start my day with the short mental list of what I am grateful for. But then throughout the day as things come up (as they inevitably do for all of us) and I feel my energy dropping, maybe going into frustration, I refocus myself to what I am grateful for in the moment instead. It is a great way to stop yourself from going down the rabbit hole of negativity.

Another way to infuse gratitude into your life is through your meditation practice. Keep it simple & fun. It should not feel like a chore or take loads of time.

Here's a fun exercise to try:

1. As you sit down to meditate, breathe in deeply and imagine your heart filling up with glowing, green light (the color of the heart chakra). Allow this energy to pulse and radiate from within. As you relax & deepen into the glowing, green energy in the center of your chest, begin to give thanks for your life. Give thanks for anything that pops into your head. No filter, just give thanks and feel appreciation.

2. Think about five things to be grateful for on this day. See these events as pictures. It may be the way your dog greets you or that nice person that let you have the parking space in the crowded lot. It could even be seeing the birds fly to their nests as darkness comes. Just let the images flow in and notice the feelings they give. If an unwanted image pops in, let it pass like a cloud in the sky. If it is important, you can revisit it later.

3. Now, see the people behind the images you are grateful for and express thanks to each of them.

4. Remind yourself that whatever you focus on expands. When you focus on gratitude and positivity, you will get more of that in return. What you appreciate, appreciates. Be mindful that you will attract more abundance, love, and health by being grateful for your current state. Your body, your health, and your relationships can only be improved by honoring where they are in this moment. Even if where you are now is not where you want to be ultimately. Giving more energy to the unwanted will not help it pass. Focus on where you are going, where you want to be and appreciating the lessons in the now helping you to move forward. 

Gratitude is a great way to shift your awareness away from what is not working out for you and allow the good things you want to manifest come in. 

If you like this blog, please let me know in the comments. I love to hear from you about what you resonate with. Also, you might be interested in checking out my 28-day Revitalize Program. It combines whole, nourishing foods with mindset practices to help you reframe and refresh your mind and body. If you are interested in more personal attention and coaching, please let me know by scheduling a FREE 30 minute Clarity Call. I am excited to guide you on your journey to vitality and health.

As always, you can find me on social media @drlaramay.

Cheers to your health,

Lara