Reflecting upon 2013, I am a new person today than one year ago.
My dreams were coming true right before my eyes, dreams I've held for over a decade.
Yesterday in the park, January 3, 2014. Chiang Mai, Thailand. Grateful for my fun, playful, awesome friends & community.
Last year this time I was in Mysore, India. Having recently arrived from teaching yoga in Hanoi, Vietnam, I was exhausted, sick, in need of family, community, love, and support. Support in spades with family and friends by my side, I was nearly back to my natural state in no time. Home-cooked, healing meals from my sister, ample time spent living with her and my brother-in-law, along with solid grounding in a strong practice combined with a space to share my creative work with appreciative community nudged me further into alignment with self.
Healing a great deal in India, I inevitably took a few steps backwards. India digs up parts of my soul so I may grow, expand, become a better version of myself, yet the harsh environment tends to kick my ass. More resting, more nurturing community, more healing, and by June of 2013 life seemed more full of possibilities than ever before.
It only takes a moment each day to reflect on what I am grateful for in my life, including the tremendous changes made in a year's time. When I take the opportunity to ask at the end or beginning of a day, "What am I grateful for today?", this simple question brings me to what is unquestionably most important, the PRESENT moment. While it is powerful and empowering to look back on prior months and year to observe growth, it is just as empowering to sit, be in the moment, and feel. Feel what is inside, feel what bring me gratitude in this moment. Feel situations or moments that have made me happy, and even those which bring me challenges, and find the beauty in it all. This is true power. Life is blissful and fun and colorful much of the time, but a lot of the time it's also really hard and painful and gray. When I take the time to step out of my own small world, out of my head, out of my story, to see the bigger picture, I am able to appreciate everything around me. Perspective changes, emotions and mood automatically follow, and my entire world shifts for the better.
Chiang Mai, Thailand. December 30, 2013. Incredible sunset over the mountain with very special people.
For me finding gratitude in all moments is kind of like smiling. I smile a lot. There are times I don't feel like smiling, like when I am hurt or angry. In these moments if I smile anyways, somehow I take myself less seriously, and somehow the anger and hurt dissipate. There are studies about this: there is evidence that more than just the brain plays a role in emotions. In particular, facial expressions have also been found to play a big role *. People who smile regularly, or who frown less, even if they don't feel to or if it doesn't come naturally, begin to feel happier as a result. Perhaps gratitude is the same; the more I recognize what I am grateful for, the more I feel gratitude on a regular basis.
What happened to me was this: I was having a funky day and decided to write this post. I took a moment to look back on the past year and felt overwhelmed by emotion and gratitude for life, my loved ones, support I've been shown. Within moments my world shifted, happiness and love pouring out from every pore of my being.
You don't have to take my word for it. I encourage you to try this for yourself. It took some practice for me. Like most things in life: riding a bicycle to writing, the first few times I tried the gratitude practice it did not resonate with me, nor did it make sense. Likely similar to smiling when one doesn't feel like it. That just feels strange. But after some practice, the brain begins to recognize what "feeling grateful" means, and perhaps will even connect some emotions to the ideas.
If you already have the gratitude practice down, full power! I would love to hear what works for you, if you do anything special on a daily - monthly - annual basis and how it impacts your life.
Gratitude Practices I Use:
1. Write in a journal at the end of my day things I am grateful for that day. Do as often as possible, especially on really bad days.
2. End each yoga practice with a moment of gratitude. Find something from that day or moment to feel grateful for, particularly difficult, challenging, or painful situations.
3. Tell people how grateful I am for their presence in my life. Regularly. Facebook group posts, personal messages, phone calls, HUGS, kisses, anything to let them know I care and feel so happy/ lucky/ loved/ blessed they are my family (blood kin or otherwise).
Day on a mission otherwise possibly lonely & stressful, my girlfriend & I were grateful to be with one another, & I captured a moment while standing in a random dirty parking lot of a city hotel.
*http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier
My dreams were coming true right before my eyes, dreams I've held for over a decade.
Yesterday in the park, January 3, 2014. Chiang Mai, Thailand. Grateful for my fun, playful, awesome friends & community.
Last year this time I was in Mysore, India. Having recently arrived from teaching yoga in Hanoi, Vietnam, I was exhausted, sick, in need of family, community, love, and support. Support in spades with family and friends by my side, I was nearly back to my natural state in no time. Home-cooked, healing meals from my sister, ample time spent living with her and my brother-in-law, along with solid grounding in a strong practice combined with a space to share my creative work with appreciative community nudged me further into alignment with self.
Healing a great deal in India, I inevitably took a few steps backwards. India digs up parts of my soul so I may grow, expand, become a better version of myself, yet the harsh environment tends to kick my ass. More resting, more nurturing community, more healing, and by June of 2013 life seemed more full of possibilities than ever before.
It only takes a moment each day to reflect on what I am grateful for in my life, including the tremendous changes made in a year's time. When I take the opportunity to ask at the end or beginning of a day, "What am I grateful for today?", this simple question brings me to what is unquestionably most important, the PRESENT moment. While it is powerful and empowering to look back on prior months and year to observe growth, it is just as empowering to sit, be in the moment, and feel. Feel what is inside, feel what bring me gratitude in this moment. Feel situations or moments that have made me happy, and even those which bring me challenges, and find the beauty in it all. This is true power. Life is blissful and fun and colorful much of the time, but a lot of the time it's also really hard and painful and gray. When I take the time to step out of my own small world, out of my head, out of my story, to see the bigger picture, I am able to appreciate everything around me. Perspective changes, emotions and mood automatically follow, and my entire world shifts for the better.
Chiang Mai, Thailand. December 30, 2013. Incredible sunset over the mountain with very special people.
For me finding gratitude in all moments is kind of like smiling. I smile a lot. There are times I don't feel like smiling, like when I am hurt or angry. In these moments if I smile anyways, somehow I take myself less seriously, and somehow the anger and hurt dissipate. There are studies about this: there is evidence that more than just the brain plays a role in emotions. In particular, facial expressions have also been found to play a big role *. People who smile regularly, or who frown less, even if they don't feel to or if it doesn't come naturally, begin to feel happier as a result. Perhaps gratitude is the same; the more I recognize what I am grateful for, the more I feel gratitude on a regular basis.
What happened to me was this: I was having a funky day and decided to write this post. I took a moment to look back on the past year and felt overwhelmed by emotion and gratitude for life, my loved ones, support I've been shown. Within moments my world shifted, happiness and love pouring out from every pore of my being.
You don't have to take my word for it. I encourage you to try this for yourself. It took some practice for me. Like most things in life: riding a bicycle to writing, the first few times I tried the gratitude practice it did not resonate with me, nor did it make sense. Likely similar to smiling when one doesn't feel like it. That just feels strange. But after some practice, the brain begins to recognize what "feeling grateful" means, and perhaps will even connect some emotions to the ideas.
If you already have the gratitude practice down, full power! I would love to hear what works for you, if you do anything special on a daily - monthly - annual basis and how it impacts your life.
Gratitude Practices I Use:
1. Write in a journal at the end of my day things I am grateful for that day. Do as often as possible, especially on really bad days.
2. End each yoga practice with a moment of gratitude. Find something from that day or moment to feel grateful for, particularly difficult, challenging, or painful situations.
3. Tell people how grateful I am for their presence in my life. Regularly. Facebook group posts, personal messages, phone calls, HUGS, kisses, anything to let them know I care and feel so happy/ lucky/ loved/ blessed they are my family (blood kin or otherwise).
Day on a mission otherwise possibly lonely & stressful, my girlfriend & I were grateful to be with one another, & I captured a moment while standing in a random dirty parking lot of a city hotel.
*http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier
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