Om Hop Yoga

Curious about Gratitude

Have you ever just Googled a random word for the sheer curiosity of what comes up?  I Googled "gratitude" today mostly because it's been on my mind lately.  While I know what it means and how nourishing it is for our souls I was curious about what would come up.  Of course nothing too out of the ordinary appeared except for the Psychology Today quote below that made me think, but it made me wonder how many people in the world are thinking, reading, talking and writing about "gratitude" and how that changes the vibrational freqency around us.  (Have you ever encountered one of those digital art installations that shows floating baloons with data on the number of people with sad, happy or angry emotions in certain parts of the world at a particular time?  It made me wish I could see how many people are feeling grateful at this moment in time, and whether it increases during parts of the year like around Thanksgiving or Christmas.  But I digress.]  Have you ever been around someone whose energy is so positive it raises your spirits and makes you want to be around them?  And alternatively, have you ever encountered someone who is so negative or angry that you all of a sudden feel as they do? Imagine if you could motivate yourself to cultivate gratitude for someone or something everyday.  How much more positive would you feel?  And I'd be willing to bet that you would also rub off on others.  

Psychology Today has the following definition for "gratitude:"

Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has—as opposed to, say, a consumer-oriented emphasis on what one wants or needs—and is currently receiving a great deal of attention  as a facet of positive psychology. Gratitude is what gets poured into the glass to make it half full. Studies show that gratitude not only can be deliberately cultivated but can increase levels of well-being and happiness among those who do cultivate it.  In addition, grateful thinking—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased levels of energy, optimism, and empathy.

I think that's pretty awesome!  It actually reminds me of a quote by Zig Ziglar on motivation, "People always say that motivation doesn't last. Well neither does bathing.  That's why we recommend it daily."  It's so right on.  Replacing motivation with gratitude yields a similar insight.  Routines and habits form when there is a reward.  If we can cultivate positive habits such as expressing gratitude or feeling grateful on a daily basis (just as we have developed the habit of showering on a - I hope - daily basis), imagine the reward for your well-being and for others' well-being if we all like being around positive people!  What a challenge!  

I'm going to find time to be grateful everyday no matter how difficult it may be to think of something! Again, I'm just curious!  

Making the morning a little more special

How often do we wake up in the morning and simply roll out of bed, brush our teeth, eat or skip breakfast, get dressed and run out the door?  Where's the fun in that routine?  Of course there are days when we have an early meeting or are rushing to take our kids to daycare or school after a long sleepless night, but when possible a special morning ritual, whether just fifteen minutes or an hour and fifteen minutes can truly set the tone for our day mentally, physically and spiritually. 

When our days are consumed with deadlines, obligations and being tethered to all forms of communication technology we forget to allow ourselves to stop and smell the roses for a brief moment and give ourselves a little love.  I'm talking about real love in the form of a few moments of pleasure whatever that may mean for us.  The morning is the perfect time to embrace this because it's when our minds are most clear after a deep sleep.   Garnering just enough willpower to wake up a tiny bit earlier can give you something to look forward to at the start of the day.   The peaceful tranquility of a meditation, the warming citrusy water stimulating your digestive juices, or the invigorating run or yoga practice with which you gift yourself can make all the difference for the rest of your day.  And who knows, perhaps you'll kick more ass in that business meeting or let the stress of one roll of your shoulders a little more effortlessly!

Drinking warm water with lemon and a yoga practice (and lately physical therapy exercises due to a hamstring injury I'm still nursing) has become part of my morning routine and I honestly believe that my days are so much more fulfilling and productive now than they were when my mornings were more mundane and less thought-out. Why warm water with lemon?  The warm water helps stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and lemon helps flush out toxins.  (For more info on the benefits of drinking warm water with lemon, check out this MindBodyGreen article). Then, the physical yoga practice/ workout gets the blood flowing and wakes me up.  I used to dread waking up earlier than I had to, but exercising a little willpower and sticking to the routine has made it easier especially because I look forward to it.  I feel immense gratitude the entire day when I perform this ritual because I know it makes me healthy from a variety of different reasons. 

So I encourage you to think about how you can envelope yourself in a little self-love and stimulate your mind, body, and spirit for the next month or longer.  The ritual should bring a smile to your face and have positive effects that make you look forward to it every morning.  

For a little inspiration, here are some fun ideas:

- a glass of warm water with lemon,

- a 10 minute meditation after a 20 minute yoga practice

- rolling over next to your partner and giving him a warm loving embrace

- breakfast in your living room or outside on the porch or balcony to experience the sun rise

- reading a news story in the morning paper while drinking a cozy and stimulating cup of coffee or tea

 

Feel free to share yours!  

It only takes a moment to feel connected again...

This is a scenario I've watched myself experience in New York City: I leave work, and begin to walk briskly to a friend's apartment.  Before I know it, someone seemingly deliberately bumps my shoulder and doesn't apologize; I feel angry.  A taxicab driver cuts off my path as he turns onto the crosswalk; I give him a irritated look.  I walk faster to escape the cacophony of honks, stares, and immaterial chatter.  Moments later I see a child's angelic face, his simple smile radiating as he gazes at something with pure innocence and curiosity.  He is simply absorbing information around him without projecting judgement or analyzing what he sees through a filter of life's experiences.   Immediately, my heart lifts and my body relaxes.  Just a glimpse of his face had a positive energetic effect on me.  I smile in admiration of him and of my ability to notice how quickly my state of being changes.  Inevitably, I feel connected again.  

Perspective

I lost my pre-tax unlimited ride subway card this past week and because of a very antiquated/ unnecessarily complicated system, I am unable to get a free replacement.  This has happened before, but not so early in the month.  My first reaction: Oh no!!!  A couple hours later: frustrated that I was so negligent and careless.  A couple days later: why don't I take this opportunity and look on the bright side.  So I did, and so far it has made such a difference in my conscious and unconscious state of being. 

Since I knew I couldn't just walk everywhere I went ahead and bought a $20 subway card which yields 8 or 9 rides. This has lasted me all week and I may still have a couple rides left on the card.  My "bright side" perspective is that I no longer have an excuse not to walk to and from work, unless it's raining, I have to be somewhere quickly, or I'm traveling farther than say 30 blocks.  The thought of essentially losing $100 and having to have to pay more to use public transportation was extremely disheartening, but choosing to walk to save a little money is not such a nuissance after all.  I realized I actually take pleasure in it because it takes me out of my usual routine.  I can be stimulated by taking a new route to and from work everyday and maybe call someone on the way or stumble on a new restaurant or store.  

It made me think how attached I am to certain routines and when they seem to make life easier, like this one, how adamant I am about sticking with them.  But when reality shifts and I am forced to take an alternate path, those habits, both mental and physical, are broken and a new door is opened that allows me to see better.  The world feels more spacious and possibilities more abundant this way.  

Here's to letting go of attachment and allowing the universe to open our minds and hearts in funky, unexpected ways this new year!

 

Happy New Year!

These are my wishes for you this new year.  Thanks for making 2012 so special.  Here's to 2013!   

When a new year compels us to look ahead setting new goals and garnering the motivation to fulfill new year's resolutions, it's also an opportunity to look back and see how much has happened and how much we've evolved.  I love looking back and pondering on the adventures, heartbreaks, mistakes, meet-cutes, lessons, memories, new friendships and pursuits that filled my year.  Even if life felt a bit mundane there are always fresh and enlightening experiences to point to. It's just that perhaps at the moment we didn't notice.  

I particularly love thinking about these little and simple transpirations.  Sometimes I catch myself realizing that something I truly wanted to happen or accomplish actually came to be without my realizing it until much later, as if it were meant to happen at an appropriate time allowing me to take-in the lessons of the journey in the meantime.  Of course this is impossible without a proactive attitude and will, but when when I am able to manifest whatever my heart needs I know I am on the right path.  

Take a moment to ponder...Who crossed your path and opened your eyes to a new perspective or a book that enlightened your outlook on life?  Where did you travel that opened up your heart or created an incredible new memory? Did you fall in love?  Or perhaps out of love?  Or did you fall more deeply in love?  Did a new song or album strike a chord and made you cry or dance or did it touch your heart like no piece has in a long while? Did you taste an effervescent wine or liquor that took you somewhere unexpected? Did you have a baby?  Did you lose a loved one?  Did you make a fearless leap toward a career you've dreamt about or reach a new height in your current one?  It's these little things that become special when we notice them.   

While resolutions may be broken or forgotten, when we look back at a year, so much happens and in one way or another we are not the same people we were the year before.  A beautiful thing.