I hope your Thanksgiving week is off to a great start! I taught my regular Sunday morning yoga class yesterday and the message that we focused on was letting this week of Thanksgiving be about actively practicing gratitude and celebrating the abundant blessings in our lives.
To begin class I read my yogis the following quote,
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” -Melody Beattie
And then I had them think about the following ways they could cultivate and practice gratitude.
1. Thinking about the family they are grateful for and then extending that to friends, co-workers, neighbors and people they encounter regularly like mailmen, grocery store clerks, etc.
2. Feeling gratitude for the beauty of the world we live in. Vivid sunsets, looking out at the ocean, vast mountain ranges – and our connection to nature and our place in the universe.
3. Feeling Thanksgiving for the things that nourish us both physically and soulfully from yoga practices to food.
4. Actively practicing their gratitude through either quiet gestures or starting to speak about the things you are grateful for and tell people you are grateful for them.
So instead of letting this week of Thanksgiving be a stressful event with family dynamics, food prep, travel, etc…let it be a time of celebration. Truly, the most important part of Thanksgiving is the thanks part of realizing all the things we have to be so grateful for and the giving part of sharing that with others.
How are you practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving week?
Class was extra special because these ladies made the trip from Winston Salem to practice with me – Miriam, Leslie Ann and Emily.
We had brunch at Rooster’s after class where we started with chicken livers. This took me back to my childhood…I seriously used to eat them on the regular. I shamelessly admit that I love fried chicken livers. Have y’all tried them? Like them?
Arugula, apple and goat cheese salad.
Scrambled eggs and bacon.
Have a wonderful and gratitude-filled week!
I really need to get back into yoga. It has been a long time since I have done it and I miss it in my life! I always struggle with it but that’s OK – it is what I get out of it that is most important!
I’ve never had liver before. I follow the paleo diet, so I’ve read a lot about eating organ meat, but I’ve never actually tried it!
This is such a beautiful reminder to practice gratitude daily. I have a had a hard time with that lately due to things that I’m dealing with in my life, but this post just reminded me to continue to focus on the things in my life that I am so fortunate to have – and feeling thankful for them. I will focus on that as I go into this Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks for all the beautiful words of wisdom you continue to share so graciously.
Such a beautiful quote. Thanks so much for sharing <3
Love this – I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal over the last few months and it really does help me notice the little (yet awesome) things in life! Being from the UK I won’t be celebrating thanksgiving unfortunately, but I love the idea of a national day where everyone can be especially thankful – oh and a reason for lots of turkey 😉
Excited for Thanksgiving week and that I can spend it with new friends here in Houston! I am hoping to get some therapeutic yoga sessions in, some outdoor runs to clear my head, and be grateful for all that I have here in Texas, but also back home. We are truly blessed!
I’ve never had chicken liver. I’m not opposed to it I’ve just never been in a situation to try it. I know my parents both eat it but they never cooked it when i was growing up. Thank you for the positive message and reminder!