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Gratitude as inspiration
I recently watched the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, and was reminded of some earlier experiences in my life, where I was literally brought to my knees. It was in this low that the greatest lesson came to me, to be fully grateful. The song does say "the things we most need to learn are the things we rarely choose". How true. So life puts us into situations, for the only way to truly learn is through direct experience. Since then I start my day and practices with an offering of thanks, gratitude. Every day.
I believe gratitude is the seed of compassion and humility. To simply say thanks or repeat it in your head is not the same as feeling it. Gratitude must become part of your make-up, part of your vibration.
When you genuinely feel grateful it means you have looked closely at your life and all that you have. You appreciate everything. You acknowledge that just to have this day, to wake up healthy is a gift in itself. What right have we to go outside with a gloomy face, putting our self-inflicted issues on everyone else. Cleanse yourself immediately of this woe, of this stagnant energy, through genuine heartfelt thanks of all that is in your life. How can we not but feel light and happy?
Do we see the thorns or the flowers? Is the glass half empty or half full? How we look at everything in life as indicative of what is going on within us? Try to observe your responses and actions to all situations in your life. Are they negative or positive? You can cultivate being positive right at the start of your day by making time to sit and offer thanks…
If we acknowledged all we have and feel genuine appreciation, compassion will more naturally flow from us. To put yourself in another's shoes, to do unto others as you would want done to yourself is a key principle of life and inherent in all yoga. From a real place of gratitude your heart is opening to feel others, offer love and help others.
From gratitude flows humility. You don't cultivate humility by trying to be humble. Rather you forget yourself, you do what has to be done, putting your desires aside. Often a humbling situation forces itself upon us and for this we should offer thanks. Awareness, the key to all personal development, cannot grow without humility. This is based on a foundation of gratitude.
Start each day with this practice. After rising and cleansing, take time to sit still for a few minutes. Steady yourself and your breath. Then, as if there is nothing else so important in the world than this conversation at this moment now, start to offer thanks from your heart. Acknowledge all you have, feel genuine appreciation. A few minutes of this at the start of every day will profoundly change your life. Then let it continue throughout the day. When you eat, when you arrive at work, when you get home, when something happens. Don't just notice that inner dialogue, feel it.
Though I spend many hours every morning in yoga and meditative practices, without this key of gratitude I know for certain my life would not be what it is today.
Thank you.
Paul Dallaghan
Paul is the Director of Centered Yoga Institute and Yoga Thailand.
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