Building The Habit Of Gratefulness Using Your Breath

Gratitude allows us to pause and appreciate what we have in our life. When we take the time to actively appreciate receiving from others, we are less likely to take it for granted or reject it. We can find a balance of both giving generously and receiving gratefully.

In this practice, we will start by developing the habit of gratefully receiving and generously giving with our breath.

Transcript

Welcome. My name is Abbe. Today, We're going to practice using our breath to find a balance between generously giving and gratefully receiving. Have you ever heard the phrase that it's better to give than to receive? Some of us might have heard it in childhood when we couldn't critically think about what that meant. We might have practiced the art of giving, But missed out on practicing how to gratefully receive from others. When I was growing up, I would often hear that it's better to give rather than receive. And this led me to be generous with my time, Helping others, Giving compliments and gifts. And this giving made me feel good, And I felt connected to the other person. Now receiving gifts and receiving help and especially compliments would cause me discomfort. And I would at times reject what that person was offering. And it was awkward for both parties. We can find a balance of both giving generously and receiving gratefully. When we give wholeheartedly, We feel pleasure giving to someone else. But also when we allow ourselves to receive, Two things happen. We give someone else the pleasure of giving. And we also get to experience the feeling of gratitude. Gratitude allows us to pause and appreciate what we have in our life. When we take the time to actively appreciate receiving from others, We are less likely to take it for granted or reject it. Research has linked gratitude to reduce stress, Better sleep, Increased self-esteem, Increased optimism, And increased resilience in the face of challenges, Among many other benefits. Aside from being told that it's better to give than to receive, We might also have difficulty receiving help or support because it might make us feel weak. Or we might experience the fear of being perceived as weak. We might feel like we don't deserve compliments or someone else's time. Or we might think that there's a hidden agenda in the giving and that if we receive, Then we will somehow owe the person. Think about a time that you gave a gift, A compliment, Some help or advice to someone and they rejected it. How did you feel? How do you think the other person felt? Gratitude is like a muscle that can get stronger with practice and patience. The more we build the gratitude muscle, The more grateful a person we become. When we can find the balance of giving and receiving, We can allow ourselves to nourish others and also nourish ourselves. Now if this is deeply programmed, It can take some work to undo, But we can start small by building the habit of gratefully receiving and generously giving with our breath. We all breathe on this planet and the air we breathe connects us all. We can practice receiving our breath with gratitude and appreciation and then giving the breath out to someone we love. So let's begin this breath practice. Find a comfortable way of sitting with your eyes closed or looking down in front of you so your attention is on you. If you want to connect to this breath, You can place your hands on your belly or on your heart or one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart. Feel your breath traveling through your body. Breathing in and breathing out. Now as you breathe in, You can breathe in feeling grateful for this breath, This breath that nourishes our body, This breath that energizes us and calms us down. This breath that nourishes our cells can help reduce stress and even change how we feel. We can practice gratefully receiving this breath that is always with us and this breath that does so much to us we can generously share with others. As you breathe in, Gratefully receive this breath and as you breathe out, Think of someone you care about, Someone you love and generously send this breath to them. Breathing in, Gratefully receiving this breath and breathing out and generously sending it to someone you love. You can change the person you send it to or it can be the same person with each breath that's up to you. Continue at your own pace. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. If at any point you lose focus, Just acknowledge I lost focus and bring your attention back to this breath, Back to breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. You'll know this practice has finished when you hear the sound of the bell. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in gratitude and breathing out generosity. Breathing in, Feeling grateful for this breath. And breathing out generously sending it to someone you love. Gently open your eyes. Just notice how you feel right now. How does your body feel? How does your mind feel? How did this practice feel for you? Think about when you could practice this to support you. Little changes in daily habits can lead to big shifts. When we start with something small like practicing with our breath, We can get in the habit of gratefully receiving and generously giving. This practice can lead us to feel more comfortable in other areas of our life when the opportunity arises to give or to receive. So think about when you could practice this to support you during your day. Thank you so much for practicing with me.