Gratitude

In today's kick-off session with Jonathan Lehmann, you're learning all about the power of gratitude. The human brain is subject to a cognitive phenomenon called the negativity bias, meaning negative thoughts tend to travel faster and be stickier than positive thoughts. But the good news is we now know the human brain is constantly changing based on how we're using it. This is why the practice of gratitude can have such an impact on how we feel. By consistently focusing our attention on specific positive things that regularly happen in our lives, we strengthen the positive feedback loop in our brain, resulting in a more positive mindset as to brain learns to suggest thoughts that will lead to our happiness.

Transcript

Welcome to day one of Establish a Positive Mindset,

A challenge here on Insight Timer crafted to help you break free from negative thought patterns,

Overcome self-limiting beliefs,

And embrace a mindset of abundance and possibility.

Let's jump into today's session.

Welcome to Insight Timer's challenge on establishing a positive mindset.

Do you often get caught up in the negative stories created by your own mind?

Most of us do.

And these thoughts can have a draining effect on us when they're running on autopilot throughout our day.

But the good news is that the brain can be reprogrammed so it more consistently creates positive mindsets such as gratitude for the past and optimism for the future.

Research has shown that incorporating meditation and positivity into our daily routines can have a significant impact on our health by lowering blood pressure,

Reducing stress and anxiety,

Leading to better sleep,

A stronger immune system,

And increased longevity.

Our mindfulness practice can also have a big impact on our mental and emotional well-being with improvements in our self-esteem,

Relationships to others,

And creativity.

Over the course of this 14-day challenge,

You'll be introduced to practical tools and techniques to help you break free from negative thought patterns,

Overcome self-limiting beliefs,

And embrace a mindset of abundance and possibility.

By the end of the challenge,

You will have a better understanding of how to integrate these techniques into your daily routine to help you maintain this positive mindset when life throws you lemons.

Are you ready to shift your perspective?

With dedication and commitment,

You'll be amazed at how a positive mindset can transform your life for the better.

My name is Jonathan Lehman and I'm glad to be guiding you on this first day of the Establishing a Positive Mindset challenge.

In today's session,

I'll be talking to you about one of the most powerful tools to establish a positive mindset,

The practice of gratitude.

Let's start with some not-so-great news.

The human brain is subject to a cognitive phenomenon called the negativity bias.

What this means is that negative thoughts tend to travel faster and to be stickier than positive thoughts.

Imagine I tell you 9 positive things I think about you,

And 1 negative thing.

In 3 days,

In all likelihood,

What you'll remember most vividly is the one negative thing that I said.

The human brain is structured this way because hundreds of thousands of years ago,

When we were hunter-gatherers,

Our primary objective was not to be happy,

It was to survive.

And for an organism to survive,

It is better to give more importance to potential threats than to good news.

Unfortunately,

In the roughly 15,

000 years since we've created agriculture and cities,

And our primary objective has switched from survival to happiness,

Our brain hasn't had enough time to adapt to our new circumstances.

And so we still have to operate in the world with a brain that tends to focus mostly on negative information.

And this,

Of course,

Is a hindrance to our well-being.

Now for the good news.

One of the most important scientific discoveries of the past 30 years is a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity,

Which tells us that the human brain is constantly changing based on how we're using it.

The brain is made up of billions of neurons,

And each thought has a corresponding network of neurons specific to it.

Every time I have a thought,

The corresponding network of neurons becomes stronger,

Thereby increasing the likelihood that it will activate itself automatically in the future.

In other words,

Every time I direct my attention towards certain thoughts,

Not only am I affecting my situation in the present moment,

But I am also asking my brain to suggest these same thoughts to me in the future.

Our brains therefore work as feedback loops.

The more positive thoughts I focus on,

The more our brains will suggest similar positive thoughts,

And the more negative thoughts I focus on,

The more our brains will suggest negative stories to us.

This is where gratitude comes in.

By consistently focusing our attention on specific positive things that regularly happen in our lives,

But that we may take for granted because of the negativity bias,

We strengthen the positive feedback loop in our brain and teach it to give us a positive mindset and to suggest thoughts that will lead to our happiness.

This has been demonstrated in numerous scientific studies,

Not to mention that it's one of the ideas at the heart of all major religions and spiritual traditions.

So let's now do one such exercise together.

Start by sitting with your spine straight,

But without it being uncomfortable.

Make sure that the front of your body is open so as to receive the full range of your breath.

And once you're comfortably seated,

Allow yourself to become completely still.

The only thing moving in you is the air moving in and out of your nostrils.

Close your mouth to breathe through your nose,

And close your eyes as you slowly let your attention turn inwards.

Now notice what's happening in your experience of this moment,

The different sounds around you,

The sensations of your chair or cushion beneath you.

And if you feel a particular mood today,

Notice how that mood manifests within your body.

Turn your attention to the sensations of your breath,

And notice how your body is breathing on autopilot,

Without you having to do anything but to observe this rising and falling movement.

If at any point during this meditation you're distracted by thoughts,

Sounds or sensations,

It's perfectly normal and it's okay.

When you notice these thoughts,

Simply bring your attention back to your breath,

That is to the sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils,

Or to the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen.

Follow your breath from the beginning of the inhale to the very end of your exhale.

And now,

Simply by observing your breath,

Allow it to slow down so that the flow of air moving in and out of your body becomes thinner and thinner,

As if your breath was following the rhythm of very small waves on a quiet beach.

When you follow your breath with your full attention,

It's as if you were diving in the depths of your inner ocean.

You can watch the waves of your thoughts and emotions from an area of calm and serenity.

If you get caught into one of these waves,

It's all right.

Simply bring your attention back to your breath.

Now bring to mind something beautiful that you saw in the past week,

Such as a place in nature or a work of art.

Visualize this scene as if it were happening right now.

Here and now,

Feel the sensations in your body when you're in the presence of beauty.

With every inhale,

Breathe in a feeling of gratitude for witnessing such a beautiful sight.

Now bring to mind something delicious you ate or drank this past week.

Here and now,

Feel the sensations in your body when you eat or drink something you love.

With every inhale,

Breathe in a feeling of gratitude for this delicious experience you had.

Now remember a recent interaction you had with someone that made you feel good,

Perhaps a good laugh with a friend,

A meaningful conversation,

Or even a hug.

Visualize the situation as if it were happening right now.

Here and now,

Recall the sensations you felt in your body during this event.

With every inhale,

Breathe in a feeling of gratitude for this moment of connection with someone.

Now bring to mind a recent moment when you found the courage to do something that felt difficult in some way.

Picture this situation as if it were happening right now.

Here and now,

Feel the sensations you felt in your body at that moment.

With every inhale,

Breathe in a feeling of gratitude for the challenge you went through that made you a little stronger.

Now bring to mind someone that you're grateful to have in your life.

Notice what specific aspect of your relationship with this person you particularly appreciate.

Maybe it's your ability to support each other through difficult times,

To have fun together,

Or to have meaningful conversations.

Pick one such aspect of the relationship and imagine yourself living it now.

With every inhale,

Bring to your body a feeling of gratitude for having this person in your life.

We'll now focus on five affirmations to strengthen your ability to feel gratitude naturally throughout your day.

Pay attention to the words contained in the affirmations while remaining focused on your breathing.

First affirmation.

I'm grateful for the people I love.

Second affirmation.

I'm grateful for the beauty around me.

Third affirmation.

I'm grateful for the pleasant experiences in my life.

Fourth affirmation.

I'm grateful for the challenges that make me grow.

Fifth affirmation.

The more I focus on the good things in life,

The more generous life becomes.

Before ending this meditation,

Notice your current mood and observe how you feel when you're connected to the present moment.

And when you're ready,

You can slowly come out of this meditation by first noticing the sounds around you,

The weight of your body on your seat,

And of course all the colors around you.

I hope you found this meditation pleasant.

To reap the benefits of gratitude in your life,

As with the adoption of any habit,

Consistency is key.

One easy and practical way you can meaningfully introduce the practice of gratitude into your daily life is by adding this habit to an existing habit of yours that you're sure not to miss,

Such as taking breakfast or brushing your teeth.

My favorite way to do this is to take what I call gratitude showers.

Every day,

While I'm waiting for the cold water to turn warm in the shower,

I list three to five moments in the last 24 hours for which I'm grateful.

I invite you to try this or to find your own way to spend a few moments each day to reflect on the positive in your life.

In just a few weeks,

You'll start noticing a significant change in your brain's natural ability to be optimistic and to feel happiness.

Lastly,

If you would like,

I would love for you to share in the discussion forum three things that you're grateful for today,

And perhaps to have a look at what other Insight Timer meditators around the world are appreciating today.

Have a beautiful day.

You can find more of my meditations on Insight Timer,

And we'll see you back tomorrow for day two of this positive mindset challenge.

Reviews

Calming voice and clear expressions that can be followed, executed, and recalled in future practices.

I am grateful for all of your meditations! Thank you

My life attracts better thoughts, better people and lovely consequences as a result of my efforts.

I’m grateful for having the courage to end a toxic relationship yesterday
I’m grateful for having accomplished so much today.
And to have started a new challenge meditation with a wonderful teacher.
Thank you 🙏🏽

Great, introduction to a subject that a want to better relate to personally - because I can be kind but not grateful. Grateful needs a more connected view. You speak very well. Rob.

Excellent. Great pacing, very clear direction. Looking forward to the rest! I am so grateful for you :)

I love the way you teach! Clear, to the point! Tks!

I love this meditation, it really shifted my perspective

It made me feel alive. With the strength to move forward

I loved this meditation!! It was odd to feel the sensations of the moments that made me happy in different ways. The best way to describe this feeling is happy and grateful. Thank you ❤️

I’ve done many gratitude practices I particularly liked this and enjoyed listening to the science

Bless you and thank you for sharing this beautiful meditation 🙌🏻🙌🏻💫✨.
I am grateful for the abundance of blessings the eyes cannot see and the mind cannot comprehend 🙏🏻🤍💛✨💫🙏🏻!!

This meditation has reminded me of the richness I experience in my life every day. Thank you!

The fantastic gratitude meditation from one of my favorite Insight Timer teachers

Thank you, Jonathan. Your meditations always bring me to a place of contentment and help me to see so much more in this world.

This is great. Thank you for sharing it! As suggested, I’m grateful for 1) my relationship with God and Jesus 2) my family and friends 3) my living spaces 🙏🏽

A great meditation for remembering to focus on the positives because getting caught up in negative thought loops/patterns only leads to more pain and suffering. Thank you for this brief but very effective lesson 🙏

A wonderful guided meditation. Skillful instruction. Not too many words & the guidance toward gratitude fills the body with positive sensations. I am glowing with gratitude. BIG contrast to how I felt when started. Thank you Johnathan!

Peaceful! Reminder that there is so much to be grateful for. I am grateful for this meditation!

I’m grateful for the time we just spent together, my ankle which is healing nicely, and the heated blanket that gave me warmth during the meditation today 🙏🏼