Gratitude, Nature's Edition
Updated: Dec 7, 2020
Theme for October 2020
We constantly hear about how developing a practice of gratitude will change our lives. You hear it in interviews, you see it in apps and journals, you can find a quote about it by just about any successful person in history. What is the big deal about gratitude?
The universe is a constant flow of energy. The energy we put into it is the same energy we get back. If we are pouring negative thoughts out into the world, then we mustn’t wonder why the positive things we desire are still alluding us. This is the reason we always practice gratitude before expressing our sankalpa in yoga nidra.
A large part of manifesting what we want in our lives is learning to let the universe flow naturally through us. We don’t attract what we want through force. We attract our desires through a sense of openness, by going with the flow. If we seek from a place of desperation, we may find that our desires are consistently out of reach.
This month, we will spend time being grateful for the earth. We just spent the last month diligently working on re-establishing our connection with the earth by rooting into her as a reminder that we are part of the ritual for change and growth. We truly are Earthlings and when we forget this fact by getting too tied up in the fast pace of our technology driven society, we lose sight of the natural gifts and abilities we each have within us.
During this practice, we will look to the earth to practice gratitude for everything that mother nature provides, offers and teaches. We remind ourselves of the natural flow of changing seasons and how nature never seems to be acting from a place of desperation. There is a natural course and flow to everything. We just have to look to nature to see that everything always arrives in due time.
During this month, we will spend time cultivating a deep appreciation for what the earth/nature can show and teach us. As we first plant our seeds (sankalpa), it is important that we cultivate a pure feeling of gratitude as the soil for our desires to grow for it is only from a place of gratitude that our desires can take root. What better way to prepare ourselves for the fruit of Spring by taking time to appreciate the harvest of fall. May this memory sustain us through the valley of work that is ahead in the months to come.
Your abundance awaits you on your mat. See you there yogis!