Be present, mindful and honor your feelings and life. Be grateful.
Be present, mindful and honor your feelings and life. Be grateful.
When you sit in gratitude and truly feel it at your heart center, it will radiate from you and make your day flow more easily. It does take some practice but if you choose to make it your focus this month, you will see the many ways that it will benefit all of those around you as well. Focus on creating thoughts that empower and inspire you and allow that energy to rule your day.
Here are some easy gratitude exercises that you can do on a daily basis and focus on helping others to feel good, too.
- Gratitude in Solitude Whether it is through praying, meditating or taking time to center yourself with deep breathing, just a few minutes in the morning before you get up and right before you go to bed to focus on your heart center will change your energetic and neural pathways in the brain. Doing this allows more like energy and vibration to come your way.
Think about or list out all the things you are grateful for and allow it to keep flowing for a few minutes. Truly feel it in your heart! It’s easy to continue to think about and list all of the greatness that surrounds you on a daily basis. If you have a hard time listing or thinking of what you are grateful for then try keeping a “Gratitude Journal” by writing out all that you are grateful for and reading that list before bed.
After several minutes of focusing on gratitude and feeling it, smile and feel it in your heart center and through your whole body.
- State Gratitude Affirmations Daily Affirmations can be said daily for a few minutes or repeating ones that resonate with you. It has been shown that by stating affirmations, feeling them and being consistent with stating them daily for 21 days, it starts to change the neural pathways in the brain. You start to change the way you think; you will notice how your viewpoints on life and its experiences change. You will also attract more like vibration people and situations. It is very powerful. Here are some examples of gratitude affirmations:
“I am grateful to get to go to work to make a difference today.”
“I am grateful to be able to share my gifts and talents with all I come in contact with.”
“I love my healthy body, mind and spirit.”
“I radiate joy, happiness, love and light to all through my heart center.”
“I am grateful for my partner, family members, good friends and my pets.”
“I am grateful to experience the beautiful nature that the earth provides.”
- Spend Some Time in Nature Take five to 15 minutes sitting outside, walk in the forest, sit under a tree or near a mountain or on a rock. Take the time to observe every detail that surrounds the space. Really look at, listen to and feel all the beauty that surrounds you, feeling gratitude for the air we breathe, Earth’s nurturing and grounding abilities and how it provides for us and all the life on the planet. Grounding is a great stress reducer and immune booster. It can often bring you more mental clarity as well.
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Gratitude Shower Close your eyes, take a few clearing deep breaths to center yourself and place your hand on your heart. Visualize a light color shower flowing over you. It can be any color of light you wish. Allow that water to cleanse any negativity, tension, stress, other people’s emotions and darkness to roll off you and go down the drain. When the water is visually clear and you feel lighter, take that clearer energy with you for the day.
5. Do Random Acts of Kindness By being kind to others, those little acts of kindness can go a long way and make someone’s day a little brighter. Do something unexpected to help a loved one, volunteer at your favorite charity, let someone go in front of you in line, call or meet up with an old friend, bring someone flowers or donate money to a worthy cause.
In gratitude and thankfulness, I am so grateful and blessed to be able to share my gifts and talents as a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist with others. I am so grateful to assist people in their transformation to optimal health improving the mind, body and spirit. It brings me so much joy and happiness to be able to do what I love to do, while creating a ripple effect that spills over into improving people’s lives, health and outlook on life. FBN
By Christina Kovalik NMD, Lac
Dr. Christina Kovalik NMD, LAc, The Vitality Doctor, is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist specializing in hormone optimization, optimal health and vitality. She is a new Flagstaff resident, practicing since 2004, and opened her second location in Doney Park in 2020. For more information, visit thevitalitydoctor.com or call 928-863-6086.