There is a lot in this world to be thankful for. Many people live without their basic needs, and they still have a smile on their faces and they welcome every day with joy and gratitude. And others, who have more, often take everything they have for granted and they don’t see how rich they are.
You should try to set aside all of your needs and wishes and look at what you have. By everything I don’t only consider material things. Love, friends, family and loved ones are much more important than material things.
Everything we own can’t be compared to what is inside of us. This is often forgotten, and people get consumed by their greed and desire. That way of life usually leads to emptiness and sadness from which it is hard to escape. To keep yourself happy and satisfied, try practicing meditation.
This method has been known for hundreds of years and practiced by our ancestors. They knew the value of this practice and now, more than ever, meditation is starting to find its way back to us.
In this article we will show you how you can use meditation to express gratitude and improve your life for good.
What is meditation?
Before we can get to gratitude meditation, we need to explain what is meditation, and when it originated in the first place.
Meditation as a practice originated from Eastern countries. It was practiced the most in Asia, in countries like India and China. It has been used as a form of religious practice and beliefs. Buddhist monks still perform meditation as a form of spiritual connection to their religion.
Meditation was known even in prehistoric period and since then it has remained as an important part of everyday life for many people. There are different versions of this practice, which depend on the country and religion from which it originated.
Meditation today is used not only as a part of religious and traditional practice but also as a way of life. Stressful situations with which we deal on daily basis, have made us more aggressive and lonely. We no longer feel like we understand other people, and also ourselves.
This is why meditation is becoming increasingly popular and more people see it as an opportunity to connect with themselves on a deeper and meaningful level. Meditation can also be connected with exercising, like yoga, and in many ways it can improve not only our physical but also psychological health.
Mediation usually requires us to take some time for ourselves. We sit somewhere quiet, during every part of the day and we simply let or mind wander or we visualize things that make us feel happy. It is practiced with use of a special breathing technique where we follow our body’s movements and we connect to our mind on a higher level.
This is important, especially for our psychological health, because when our lives become too hectic we can become isolated and even depressed. So, this is when meditation helps us to relax even for few minutes, and become one with ourselves.
Meditation can performed in many different ways, and if you are a beginner it is best to ask a professional for advice or inform yourself about the methods. In the end, even if you are not perfect at meditation, it is still good to practice it. Point of meditating is not to achieve perfection, but to give yourself some extra time to relax and tune out.
Gratitude meditation
Now that we are familiar with what meditation is and for what purpose it is used, we can discuss about gratitude meditation. This form of meditation, like the name says, represents a way to express your gratitude for everything you have and for all the love you receive from others.
It is important to stay humble, and to not fall into the hands of geed because this path leads us only to unhappiness.
To start this form of meditation you can write down everything you are proud of and thankful for, whether it is your children, your work, your parents or your partner. Write down how they make you feel, how is your life better with them in it and how you have grown and improved through all the love they have given you.
This form of meditation allows us to stop for a second and think about what we have and what we want or desire. If people don’t have problems with their health and other serious problems, their greatest concern is money and material things.
When we get consumed by the power of greed it is hard to get away from that. We then only think about what we need, and we don’t feel happy no matter what we get. This is why values like love, kindness, joy are important. They keep us up even in the worst life situations and no expensive car can replace that feeling of love and joy.
To keep balance in your life and to ease all of that stress you feel, when you think about materialistic things, just stop and say thank you for everything you already have.
Meditation doesn’t take too much of our time. Few minutes a day is enough to connect with yourself and to feel like have finally taken some time to think about your deepest desires and thinking.
During meditation don’t forget to thank yourself as well. It is important to appreciate yourself and everything you have done and succeeded. None of the things in your life would be possible without you, and many lives wouldn’t be as good without you. Just like other people fulfill your life, you fulfill theirs as well.
In times where we are often underappreciated, humiliated, not listened to it is hard to stay strong and not brake under all of that stress.
Along the way, appreciate the past and everything you have learned from it. Life lessons you have mastered and people you have met along the way. Everything you have accomplished and everything that will come your way in the future will be a result of your past and everything you have learned along the way. This is why our past is just as important as our future, and we should appreciate it.
Thank the universe, the nature, the magnificent world around you, and everything you see around you. We take these things for granted and we often forget how important it is to get back to our roots. We all live thanks to wonderful gifts of the Mother Nature, and this is why we need to be thankful for everything around us. Our ancestors knew the importance of this and we should too.
These are all basic guidelines you can use during meditation. You can add in everything you feel that is necessary and everything you feel thankful for. The point of gratitude meditation is not to take notes and read them out loud. You can whisper them slowly during meditation or simply imagine things you are grateful for in your mind.
You will see and feel differently after gratitude meditation. You will no longer be so self-centered and worried about your existence because you will finally realize that you have everything you need already.
Practice of gratitude meditation
This meditation practice is only meant for us to perform it daily and forget about it after it is over. Goal of this meditation is to express this gratitude in your life, to include it in your life and show everyone around you how much you appreciate and love them.
We need to express love and kindness to the world around us, in order to receive the same. Gratitude meditation helps us to remember what is important in life and how we can improve ourselves by simply changing our way we see things around us.
All the material things and possessions won’t matter when we grow old, and find ourselves alone and without anyone around us. This is why expressing our gratitude, love and kindness is the only thing that will keep us on the right track in life.
Buddhist monks teach people about kindness of heart and how our actions can help or hurt other people. They live minimalistic and their meditation is a way to connect to a higher consciousness in order to feel free from life’s limitations.
Use soft music and scents to achieve calmness of the mind and to feel like you are truly alone with yourself. Sit with your back straight and your arms aside. Close your eyes and breath deeply through your abdomen. Imagine everything you love and appreciate and express your gratitude for it.
Keep this on your mind even when you are not meditating and show your appreciation in real life. Hug or kiss your loved ones, write them a thank you note, a love you note and be there for them whenever they need you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gratitude is not only important through meditation, it is important to be grateful in life no matter what you have or don’t have. Gratitude meditation can improve your overall look at your life and your life expectations.
When you realize what you have around you, how much love others give to you, you will be truly happy and fulfilled. Even if you are a beginner and you don’t know too much about meditation, just think about things you are grateful for and pay your respect for everything you have.
Meditation is primary a way to relax and connect with yourself on a deeper and more meaningful level, so if you are experiencing stress and anxiety this is the best way to tune out and give yourself some time to contemplate.
