/ˈgrātfəl/

The Heart & the Mind : Two powerful tools for love, creation, inspiration, motivation - indeed all beauty, joy, pain & sorrow can be traced to spring forth at some point from these roots.

At their intersection - the place where love and thoughtfulness meet is

gratitude.



/ˈgrātfəl/

The word grateful comes from the Latin root:

“Gratus”

This led to the archaic form: “grate” in the mid 16th century which meant “pleasing or agreeable”

With this meaning, you could say: “I am enjoying the grateful fireplace on this chilly Thanksgiving day”

However, today we know “grateful” to mean: “a feeling or showing of an appreciation of kindness; thankful.” When life gets busy or overwhelming it is easy to forget all of the little things we have to be thankful for. However, this is the time of year that we touch in to gratitude and we make a mindful effort to cultivate gratefulness. In my personal journey, I have found tremendous grounding in gratitude with my yoga practice as I touch into my own daily intentions of thankfulness both on and off the mat.


Anjali Mudra

In yoga, we often open or close class and represent gratitude for ourselves, our fellow yogis, and the practice with Anjali (a divine offering, salutation, or celebration) Mudra (seal).


Did you know that Google has a tool that tracks the use of words in books and media over time ? Here is the trend for “grateful”:

Click on the image to link to the Ngram viewer tool

Click on the image to link to the Ngram viewer tool

Looks like we are trending up people! It is so interesting to consider how the use of words reflects the Zeitgeist of the time (click on the tool above and type in a few random words and see how the trends have changed with time).

However, in the current social / political / environmental / economic climate - Let gratitude start with words but don’t let it stop there —> SHOW gratitude with your actions, be a beacon that shines light on the good, on the beauty, on all the wonders that we have to be thankful for. When illuminated we give them a foundation to grow.

Namaste.

Join me this Tuesday 11/20/2018 to cultivate gratitude for the next gentle yoga for cancer survivors & caregivers:

Where: 7472 Docs Grove Cir, Orlando FL
When: Every Tuesday 11:00-12:00