SomaNews August-September 2022

Embodying Gratitude

 

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
― William Arthur Ward

 

Self-gratitude blends self-care and self-love because they are ultimately the same. With self-gratitude we build new eyes/a new shape to see ourselves in a different way.

Self-gratitude, self-appreciation is about creating the practices of being grateful for yourself. Beginning to embody this practice creates a bigger container for more open, positive energy. Elevate the way you talk to yourself. We often take time to speak gratitude, offer a kind word, or give a hug or a warm smile to others. But what about self-gratitude? How often do we acknowledge ourselves for the efforts we have extended so that we could be where we are in this very moment?

How do you embody gratitude for yourself?

Try this practice:

Take a deep breath and let your shoulders drop and your belly soften.

Go back and bring yourself to a time when you did something for yourself that empowered you, even if it is something as simple resting in the middle of the day.

Ask yourself, What did I receive from this?

Feel your body. What is it saying to you?

Imagine your chest expanding in width – your heart beating slowly.

Your chest becomes an extended and ever-widening plane of self-love and gratitude.

Your feet become a part of the earth, and the warm, moist soil of her existence becomes a part of you.

Breathe deeply and say, I am grateful for my life, I am grateful for my health, I am grateful for my being.

Allow your body to react to these statements.

Does it relax and drop deeper into the chair? Or does it tighten and your breath gets shallow? Maybe you don’t feel anything.

Just be with your body and thank it for helping you see a part of yourself that you might not have seen before.

Take another deep breath and come back into the now.

How do you feel?

Learning how you embody self-gratitude is an incredible path for growth. So remember give yourself a gift every day.