A Guided Practice
A Walk
of Gratitude
What are you grateful for? Gratitude is our emotion that relates to our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation.
In every day life, the human mind tends to focus on everything that is going wrong. Therefore, we forget about the positive things in our life. It’s easy to get bogged down on negativity and slowly slip into a pit of despair. Of course, it is important to address our fears and triggers, with an attempt to understand where they are coming from. But it’s hard to consider when our minds are circling with anger, sadness, and uncertainty. In this state, we tend to forget what we are grateful for.
Gratitude helps us remember what we have in our lives that we often take for granted. Being grateful also impacts the overall experience of happiness, and these effects tend to be long-lasting. Simply ask yourself, “what am I grateful for today?” Even if you only list one thing, you’ve successfully shifted your mindset, congrats! If you have a little more time, below is a 9 minute exercise from Jessica Encell to try on your next walk. This works great alone, with a friend, or with children.
The Gratitude Walk
⏲Set a timer for 3 mins—for each step.
1. While you are walking, start to take 4 short inhales, and 4 short exhales through your nose. Find your rhythm. This breathing pattern breaks through thoughts and consciously brings you into the present moment. Do this for 3 minutes.
2. Next, ask yourself, “what am I grateful for right now?” Speak out loud what you’re grateful for. Just let it flow for 3 minutes…
3. For the last 3 minutes, speak about what you are grateful for in the future, but say it as if it has already happened. For example, if one day you want to own a house in the mountains, you’d say, “I’m grateful for my mountain home.”
Of course you can do this exercise without walking, but adding movement allows us to tap into a high vibration focused state. Enjoy your walk!
