Seeking the sunlight of the spirit this season? Open the window to gratitude. Gratitude is an action of the heart and when the window is opened you will find glimpses of glory in your day. Think of thankfulness as a language of love that will motivate you to live in an ever-increasing upward spiral. Be aware that a thankful mindset does not deny reality with many trials or tribulations. Instead you may find contentment, even happiness regardless of the situation because there has been a shift in perspective. With a consistent practice of gratitude negative thought patterns grow weaker and weaker allowing the sunlight of the spirit is freely flow and shine.
PerfectFit launched our gratitude campaign this season during the week of Thanksgiving. Our class intention was to find moments of gratitude during our practice and to write down whatever thought came to mind on a piece of paper. At the end of class we shared our collective thoughts and then placed the “gratitude tag” in the studio windows for all to see the compilations of one another’s thankful thoughts. It was a beautiful visual image to see the brightly colored tags hanging in the windows as the sunset light peeked through the windows, illuminating each person’s gratitude list.
A glimpse of what was shared:
“I am grateful for breath, it allows for everything.”
“I am grateful for my physical, emotional, and mental strength.”
“I am grateful for a second chance.”
“I am grateful for stillness.”
“I am grateful for moments of confident strength, grounded serenity, clarity, and calm”.
“I am grateful for bursts of sweat and joyful movement.”
“I am grateful for trying new things.”
“I am grateful for love in my life.”
“I am grateful for my hands, that allow me to do this work.”
“I am grateful for Yoga and Pilates and to my instructor who never judges and always encourages.”
Personally, the gratitude tags harvested a wealth of joy for me as I listened to each person share and read their posted comments. As I experienced this another thought came to my mind….being immersed and surrounded by the power of gratitude and sharing the energy of each person’s thankfulness brought even more bright light to my spirit and heart. Another person’s gratitude gave me more reasons to be thankful and in the moment I was truly grateful for each person’s presence, spirit and honesty to share from within.
“One of the single most important ways we can elevate life to an art form is by understanding where we are placing our attention. Learn to focus on aspects of life that bring energy to us rather than consume our valuable inner resources. The most powerful tool is gratitude, which improves our lives the moment we use it.” Unknown