Gratitude is a Short Walk to.....

During this season we are reminded to be grateful. What we often miss is that the benefit of being in a state of gratitude is that it doesn't have to end there. Yoga wisdom shows us how gratitude can leads us on a path to beautiful places of happiness, abundance, and peace.

It is a short walk from gratitude to happiness. The step in between is santosha, a yoga practice that means contentment. When we are grateful for what we have, rather than upset about what we don't have, we become content. When we accept what is, rather than what is not, we become content.

When we are content, we are happy. It's a short walk from gratitude to happiness.

And, it is a short walk from gratitude to abundance. The step between is aparigraha, a yoga practice which means non-grasping of possessions, outcomes, and even the past. When we are in a state of gratitude, we focus less on pushing to get more. We grip less tightly to hang on to what we have, and are more likely to share it or give it away. As we loosen our gripping and clinging and grabbing, we see the abundance around us.

When we let go of grasping, we become aware of the bountiful abundance around us.

It's a short walk from gratitude to abundance.

And, it's a short walk from gratitude to peace. The step in between is dhyana, a yoga practice where we have a steady one pointed focus of concentration. With this focus, we experience a sense of unity with the object of our attention.  When we single-mindedly focus on being in a state of thankfulness, we feel the absence of agitation and unease in our hearts. Instead, we feel calm settling over us like a warm cozy blanket, and we feel peace.

When we focus on thankfulness, we are at peace. Its a short walk from gratitude to peace.

Namaste.