Begin your period of meditation with at least a minute of gratitude. This “attitude of gratitude” has the effect of softening the heart and relaxing the body—just the qualities we want to practice in meditation.
Brother David Steindl-Rast differentiates between thankfulness and gratefulness. Thankfulness depends on self and other, receiver and giver. I’m thanking someone (or something). Gratitude has the possibility of being “one with.
Of course, it’s not always easy to feel “one with.” Using the stepladder of thankfulness may enable us to sidle up to gratitude. After all the word “gratitude” comes from the Latin word gratia (gracias in Spanish). One student told me, “I just keep thinking of all the things I’m grateful for until I feel ‘ahhhh.’”
Begin now.
- Close your eyes and think of the blessings of your life.
- Think of people in your life you are grateful for.
- Think of material goods in your life you are grateful for.
- Think of situations you feel grateful for.
Consider keeping a gratitude journal. Every night before you go to sleep or every morning before you meditate, write down 3 things you feel grateful for—people, material goods, or situations.
And relax.
