The Daily Gratitude Blog: mindfulness

Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Value of Life

Love this earth. Love each other. Period.

The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon the way we occupy that place.

-- St. Thérèse de Lisieux

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Always something to be grateful for...

Image by ...-Wink-... via Flickr

If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel,
we can find something to be thankful for.

— Terry Lynn Taylor

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

In the End What Matters Most...

Shiva's Om by Teal Marie Chimblo

As you embark upon a new year, consider these wise words:

In the end what matters most is
How well did you live
How well did you love
How well did you learn... to let go.

May your year and your life be filled with peace, and empty of suffering.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Sitting down to eat is one of the easiest places for us to incorporate mindfulness and gratitude into our lives.

We have to eat many times a day, and so it is an ideal opportunity to take a deep breath, center our selves, and express our gratitude for the nurishment of our bodies.

An added benefit is that studies show that people who pause before eating, and eat in a calm, mindful manner, eat less, and digest what they eat much more fully. This is also a good way to heal the disjointed and unhealthy relationship many of us Westerners tend to have with food as a result of eating too fast and on the run, consuming poor quality food, and fixations with our weight and appearance.

Here is one offering for a meal time prayer from the Zen tradition known as, Gokan-no-ge, the "Five Reflections."

First, let us reflect on our own work and the effort of those who brought us this food.

Second, let us be aware of the quality of our deeds as we receive this meal.

Third, what is most essential is the practice of mindfulness, which helps us to transcend greed, anger and delusion.

Fourth, we appreciate this food which sustains the good health of our body and mind.

Fifth, in order to continue our practice for all beings we accept this offering.

You can read more about this tradition, here.

As you sit down for you next meal, take the time to take a deep breath, and give thanks for the pleasure and benefits that food provides.

Friday, December 12, 2008

All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you.

– Rainer Maria Rilke

Friday, November 21, 2008

Gratitude in Every Falling Leaf

All the pictures in this post were taken by me on my morning walk on the Greenway Trail in Gastonia, North Carolina. This Autumn was spectacular, and I was awed and filled with gratitude for every falling leaf.

It is easy sometimes to be grateful for the big stuff. It's right there up in our face, getting our attention. We are more accustomed, and conditioned, to remembering to be thankful for the big things. But, developing a rich and deep sense of gratitude is well informed by taking time to give the small stuff the same focus and attention.

Ask yourself the question, "How conscious and present am I in my daily activities." By starting this inquiry into yourself you will invite awareness and mindfulness into your life on a new level. You many find yourself stopping much more often during your day to really "take in" what is happening in that particular moment: what are you looking at? what can you hear? touch? smell? With these moments of clarity come an expansive sense of child-like wonder. You may feel as if you are experiencing many things for the first time. It's like walking down a brand new, beautiful path.

While you continue this beautiful awareness inquiry, add also a moment to pause, and say a prayer of gratitude for what you have discovered in this moment. This will be easy with the lovely things you come across, but I encourage you to try to address your prayers of thanks also to the troubling and challenging occurences; paying them due homage as the great teachers that they are.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Finding Peace in Chaos

There is no doubt that we have a lot going on in this world today. As I was reading The Zen In You blog this morning, I felt such a sense of commraderie and compassion with it's author, Caroline. She talks about gettting "sucked in" to the vortex of negative energy swirling out there, by watching the news. I have had the same experience lately. I usually don't watch a lot of news. I find the reporting so negative, and so sensational, that I get very little valuable information out of it. But, lately, with SO much going on, I have been tempted to tune in. It has certainly reminded me why the level of panic and despair is so high for many people right now.

Even if you are in the most dire situation because of the financial upheaval in this world right now, turn off the tellie. Just turn it off. Focus on what you can do. As Caroline says in her blog,

"Now is the time to reach out...either for help...or to help someone who is hurting. Just a few kind words of encouragement helps..."

I offer you this meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh.

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment!

You may also enjoy the Healing Mandala meditation, here.

Namaste, and may you be filled with peace, and free from all suffering.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

And when life gets dark enough
we can see our friends
like the stars,
shinning
inspiring
lighting the way.

When you wander,
all is not lost.

When you are in the dark,
I will be holding you in the light.

When you can not see how beautiful you are,
let me be your mirror.

Tonight I sit in humble gratitude
for my friends
who shine brighter than the stars,
brighter than the sun.

Thank you.

Namaste
Om shanti

Saturday, October 4, 2008

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.

A man praying at a Japanese Shintō shrine.

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.

Meister Eckhart

When you get up each morning, open your eyes, place your hands on your heart and say,
"Thank you," with all of your being.

Before you go to bed at night, close your eyes, place your hands on your heart and say,
"Thank you," with all of your being.

Just this
will fill you, and all this world
with bliss.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What Has Gratitude Done for You Lately?

Image by Texas (Traveler of the WW Tribe) Hillsurfer via Flickr

Sometimes it can be hard to feel gratitude. It can be extremely difficult to feel gracious about life and all it has given you when you are in the midst of a time where a whole lot seems to have been taken away.

Having a sense of gratitude does not mean having a "Pollyanna", "la-di-da" attitude when faced with loss or disappointment. It doesn't mean that we feel less, in fact, we may even feel more as we move along a path of self-development. But, more and more research is showing that people who choose to stay rooted in a sense of gratitude about what they do have, are more focused, optimistic...dare I say, happy? This is a positive direction for Western psychological thought; consider the following quote:

"Psychology has generally ignored the positive emotions," says Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, a psychologist and leading figure in the new field of gratitude research. "We tend to study the things that can go wrong in people's minds but not the things that can go right. Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress, and to achieve a positive sense of the self."

Emmons goes on to say that one reason why men and women in modern society may not have integrated gratitude into their lives, is a sense of self-reliance. The feeling that it is important to rely on oneself, and weather the storms of life alone. He maintains that many modern men and women maybe hesitant to acknowledge, with gratitude or in other ways, the help they have received from others.

Good food for thought, and inquiry.

So, get up tomorrow and hug someone that has helped you in your life. Give them a call, or send an email if they are far away. Let them know the depth of gratitude you have for what they have given. Give your heart a reason to soar. The knowledge that you are not in this alone.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Don't Like Meditation? Try Gratitude Training.

I came across this blog today and I like a lot if what the author, Tim Ferriss, has to say. Again, it all goes back to Mindfulness, and one of the kings of Mindfulness training is the Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He is an amazingly insightful teacher, and probably one of the most compassionate people on the planet. This article gives a little introduction to some of the insights he brings forward in his teaching.

I also love the "21 day no-complaint experiment mentioned." I have tried this before, for shorter periods of time, and it is hard! But, it is a terrific inquiry into how much of our lives we spend complaining, the effect that has on us, and what it feels like to stop, even if it's just for a few hours.

Enjoy, and as always, please email me or post comments, with your feedback, insights or stories of gratitude in your own life.

Don't Like Meditation? Try Gratitude Training.
Written by Tim Ferriss

Thich Nhat Hanh,the Buddhist monk and zen teacher once nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., has a knack for making the esoteric understandable.

In discussing what some call “present state awareness”– experiencing and savoring the present—he offers a simple parable:

Let’s say that you want to eat a peach for dessert one evening, but you decide to only allow yourself this luxury after washing the dishes.

If, while washing the dishes, all you think of is eating the peach, what will you be thinking of when you eat the peach?

The clogged inbox, that difficult conversation you’ve been putting off, tomorrow’s to-do list?

The peach is eaten but not enjoyed, and so on we continue through life, victims of a progressively lopsided culture that values achievement over appreciation. But let’s get specific.

If we define “achievement” as obtaining things we desire (whether raises, relationships, cars, pets, or otherwise) that have the potential to give us pleasure, let’s define “appreciation” as ourability to get pleasure out of those things. To focus on the former to the exclusion of the latter is like valuing cooking over eating.

How then, do we develop the skill of appreciation, which is tied so closely to present state awareness?

There are a few unorthodox tools that we’ve explored already for state awareness, like the 21-day no-complaint experiment, but the most common mainstream prescription is meditation.

The problem with meditation is that it too often gets mixed with mysticism and judgment (attempting to forcefully exclude certain thoughts and emotions). Who really wants to visualize a candle flame for 30 minutes? It can work, but it doesn’t work for most.

Here’s where we enter the 60-second solution: gratitude training. From Cornell to the University of Michigan, scientists are looking at the far-reaching effects of practicing gratitude just like exercise.

Here is one example from Dr. Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis and Dr. Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas:

“The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day… the second group recorded their unpleasant experiences, [and] the last group made a daily list of things for which they were grateful.

The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, was more likely to help others, exercised more regularly and made more progress toward personal goals. According to the findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved.

McCollough and Emmons also noted that gratitude encouraged a positive cycle of reciprocal kindness among people since one act of gratitude encourages another… McCullough suggests that anyone can increase their sense of well-being and create positive social effects just from counting their blessings.”

In practical terms, here is one example of how you can test the effects of gratitude training in less than 10 minutes over the next week:

From Thanksgiving to next Thursday, November 29th, ask yourself the following question each morning, immediately upon waking up and before getting out of bed:

What am I truly grateful for in my life?
Aim for five answers, and if you have trouble at first, ask yourself alternative probing questions such as:

What relationships do I have that others don’t?

What do I take for granted?

What freedoms, unique abilities, and options do I have that others don’t?

What advantages have I been given in life?

Which allies and supporters have helped me to get to where I am?

Thanksgiving shouldn’t just come once a year. Use it as a system restart and a chance to put your appreciation back on track with your achievement.

Don’t forget the peach…

Monday, September 15, 2008

Gratitude for Food and Sleep

These are two BIGGIES for me. Yeah, big fan of food, really big fan of sleep. I'll be honest with you, I can sleep my ass off. And that is exactly what I did last night. In fact, I went to bed so early and slept so hard that I neglected my daily entry last night. I woke up this morning and was like, "Oh, shit!!!" And I had lots to be grateful for too. I feel that way everyday. Even on not so terrific days, and I really believe it is the mindfulness about gratitude that keeps me in that mind set. Gratitude begets happiness, of this I am convinced.

So, if you are feeling tired, and you probably are, as people around the world in general, and Americans possibly more then anyone, are becoming more and more sleep deprived. If you feel like you can't FEEL your life anymore; that you are walking in a dim, hazy fog all the time, start getting more sleep and your "gratitude meter" will sky rocket. Get 8 hours at night, and if you can possibly incorporate a nap, even a few a week, just do it.

My motto is, "Do less, feel your life more." I would also say, "Sleep more, feel more."

And then there is food...in praise of food, I love this guy, Vitaly Geyman's, idea.
Putting gratitude labels on your food for a few minutes before you eat it. It brings a little mindfulness to the meal you are about to eat...and I think it may be art (at least the way this guy does it - he's a professional photographer- be sure to check out the rest of his site here.) Really beautiful stuff.

So, slap a sticker on an onion, and get some sleep people, ....zzzzz...I'll see you in the morning.