Cultivate Gratitude for 2017

​When we feel content with who we are, in THIS moment, true and lasting happiness can become a reality.  From moment to moment, breath to breath, everything is in a state of constant change.  Emotions come and go, people come and go from our lives, each of the cells that we are made of is changing.  Yet, beneath this state of flux we can cultivate a place of santosa, a place of true contentment.

In the Sutras, Patanjali suggests that when santosa is present in our life, we are filled with true happiness.  Not the happiness of having everything we could possibly want, but a deep and stable happiness that fills us from the core.  This does not mean that we wont experience hurt and pain, feelings will always come and go, but rather is provides a solid foundation for us to experience emotions without becoming consumed by them.

The first step in cultivating such a blissful state, is to notice when we feel discontent.  Once we become aware of these feelings, we can begin to change them into thoughts of gratitude for what we do have.  Rather than focusing on what we lack, focus on what is abundant, then the seed of true contentment begins to grow.


Exercises


Next time you feel dissatisfied, make time to journal about these feelings, followed by writing about a feeling of abundance.  

When you find yourself stuck in a queue, be content with this moment.  Feel the strength of your feet on the Earth, notice the flow of life around you, see it not as a waste of time, but an
opportunity to cultivate gratitude.

​ Make of a list of all the little things that you are grateful for each day.