Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is my favorite day, as I’m sure it’s many of  yours too.

Thanksgiving for me involves a weekend at the parents, quality time with my sisters, plates and plates of delicious food, and some shopping on the side. It’s the perfect mixture of relaxation, indulgence, and gratitude.

Gratitude being the key word here…

The practice of gratitude is a proven method to help cultivate an overall sense of happiness, health, and authenticity. It’s a practice, that when repeated daily, will foster a positive lifestyle and outlook. It’s a practice that costs nothing, is simple as ever, and provides so much in return.

Basically – it’s badass.

With the new year and the holidays officially upon us, let’s use this time to reflect and set intentions for today and every day ahead. Below are 12 Ways to BE Grateful Every Damn Day from my personal journey to yours.

*Keep in mind, these methods can be practiced daily, weekly, monthly, or whenever you need some gratitude oomph. I try to practice gratitude everyday, even if it’s for a moment. You do what works best for you, keeping your best interest in mind always.

1. DO YOGA

Of course this is number one, who would’ve guessed.

My discovery of gratitude started with yoga. It’s here that I learned how simple and badass this practice is. I learned to appreciate myself through physical movement and exploration of the body. I learned to savor my body’s health, intelligence, grace, and beauty. I learned that yoga is the union of mind, body, and soul and to be thankful everyday that I can participate in such a monumental practice.

Yoga taught me gratitude and for that, I’m forever thankful.

*If you’re new to the yoga practice, explore the articles below:

• 5 Ways to Start a Yoga Practice
• 10 Yoga Poses for Beginners
• 7 Ways to Modify in a Yoga Class

2. Meditate Daily

This one’s a doozy for me, as I’m sure it is for many of you too.

Meditation can take on a myriad of forms and mean something different to each person. Regardless of the style, the goal of meditation is to quiet the buzzing mind, dive inward, and find some peace & quiet – even if it’s for a brief moment.

By quieting the mind, we allow the ego/thinking side of our being to relax and the soulful essence side to become brighter. And if you’re lost on what soulful essence means, then even more the reason to start meditating.

Like I said, meditation can be different for each person, but here’s the most traditional forms:

• Seated position, eyes closed, and breathe.
• Mantra meditation without or without mala beads.
• Walking meditation.
• Guided meditation either seated or lying down.

3. Move Your Body

Move that beautiful body of yours, in whatever way you enjoy.

Gone are the days of regimented workout routines, instead find a movement you love to do and try to do it everyday.

I realized very quickly that I don’t enjoy gym environments, like zero enjoyment at all. Actually – it’s one of the last things I want to do. Instead, I like yoga, long walks, hiking (when not in Florida), biking, scuba diving, swimming….are you finding a pattern here.

I LOVE the outdoors/any activity where I can control the movement and interpret it as I see fit.

Find what motivates, inspires, and uplifts you – then do it as much as possible.

4. Read Inspiration

Put the phone down, crack open a real book, and then bury your cute face in it. Get lost in the world of words by inviting the mind to absorb new concepts and the body to relax.

If new to reading or if you fell off the bandwagon, find a time in your schedule that allows 20 – 45 minutes of it. Sometimes this will require a bit of force, but like everything above, once the habit is cultivated, the reward will be worth it.

To start the reading train, check out my faves below:

• The Gratitude Diaries
• Big Magic
• The Alchemist
• A New Earth
• Meditations from The Mat

Pin now, read later!

 5. Write It Down

This is my favorite grateful habit. It’s simple, quick, and yet so effective.

Keep a gratitude journal in the most convenient area of your life….for me, that’s my work desk. Every morning as my computer boots up and my coffee cools, I jot down 3-5 things I’m grateful for.

Every day is different.

Some mornings are short and sweet while others are detailed and lengthy.

This habit sets the intention and tone for the coming day, I absolutely love it. Please, if anything else, start this one ASAP!

6. Self-Love

We, as in me and you, deserve serious amounts of self-love and self-care. And that is what we shall do!

My yoga teacher training taught various methods of self-love/self-care routines, and each one leads me back to gratitude. I find that the more I take care of my body, the more gratitude I have for it’s intelligence and grace.

Think about it friends…our bodies are incredible machines that move and groove all day long. So please, show it some love!

Below are my self-love must-dos:

• Get yourself a massage, maybe try Thai Massage.
• Give yourself a body brush rub down, every damn day.
• Fuel your body with healthy and wholesome nutrients.
• Cultivate beauty rituals to help sustain your busy lifestyle.

7. Be Fearless

Be fearless every day, don’t shy away from your greatness!

This a huge one friends because it’s something we all do, sometimes unknowingly and unintentionally.

I want you to start being the badass person you are, let your arms span open, and live through your heart. Be unapologetic in your perseverance to grow, achieve, and experience this world.

When a limiting belief or fear arises, write down the opposite. Write or type or scream it loud – YES I CAN. Because in reality, yes you can.

8. Be Passionate

Just like the above grateful habit, I also want you to live with passion. I want you to attack life with a fire under your soul, with a burning desire to grow and evolve, and to be awake as it all passes by.

Through yoga, I found passion. This passion then blossomed into teaching yoga, and then into starting this blog, and where it will take me next – I can only fathom.

Once you commit to living with passion, the fire never burns out. It might dim here and there, but it will stay lit, so long as you set it free!

9. Love Always

This one’s a biggie and one that we can all work on.

LOVE EVERY DAMN DAY.

It’s easy and convenient to live life through a veil of impatience, anxiety, annoyance, and so on and so on.

What’s hard is living live with an unconditional love for everyone and everything. Take the sky for example, we quickly forget it’s protective nature and beautiful qualities. Next time you’re outside, look up, admire the world we live in, and be grateful you’re here to experience it.

Use this same principle to instill LOVE into your relationships. Instead of focusing on your partner or friends faults, focus your thoughts to their strengths, kindness, and their constant support.

I can’t say it enough, love always, in every moment, and life will continue to support you.

Pin now, read later!

10. Smile Daily

Smiling for some comes naturally, as if they were born with a turned up mouth and illuminated cheeks.

And then there’s me, the girl with resting bitch face.

I have to consciously focus on smiling, but I love it. The simple act of lifting the corners of my mouth, letting my cheek inflate, and eyes widen is magical.

And once one person smiles, it’s impossible for the next to not.

11. Give Hugs

I shouldn’t have to explain this one, but I find that we hug less and less as the years pass by.

The next time you find yourself in a hug – soak it the hell up!

Below are the many benefits of hugs:

• Reduces the heart rate.
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce levels of cortisol (stress hormone) if over 20 seconds.
• Increase levels of oxytocin (bonding hormone).
• Boosts the immune system.
• Builds self-esteem.
• Alleviates tension and releases endorphins.

12. Give Back

Once you begin the journey to gratitude and understand it’s life-changing benefits, then it’s time to pass it forward.

Teach a family member, your partner, a close friend, or a co-worker how to start. Send them this article, pass an inspiring book forward, attend a yoga class together, anything that you enjoy, share it with another soul.

With every additional practice of gratitude, we strengthen the community of like-minded people who support, uplift, inspire, and love one another. And in today’s world, we absolutely need more of it!

So please, keep the journey growing by sharing this!

That wraps up my Thanksgiving, how to be Grateful Every Damn Day lecture.

If you do a lot of these, then let’s hug it out (at least for 20 seconds). And if the idea of being grateful is new to you, then welcome to the club!

Thank you ALL, from the bottom of my heart, for joining me on this journey. I wouldn’t be where I am without this slice of Internet, so again – thank you! I am grateful every damn day for your participation in life, yoga, health, and the journey of gratitude.

Let’s talk – What ways do you practice gratitude? What are your favorite ways to stay  grounded? How do you remind yourself to love?

As always – questions, suggestions, comments, and general gratitude love – leave it down below.

Happy Thanksgiving and until next time – xoxo.