The power of 20 seconds.
Welcome to The Daily Insight.
My name is Ruben,
I'm one of the teachers here at Insight Timer.
We're going to explore a little neuroscience on the practice of gratitude and why 20 seconds is so relevant for the intention we bring to some of the things we are grateful for.
And before we get into that,
If you're comfortable with this,
Allow yourself to form a gentle half smile.
Just like the Mona Lisa,
Just a soft one.
Keep this gentle half smile for a few moments.
Notice how the physiology of doing this often changes the neurobiology,
Subtly changing the way we feel.
See if you can keep this gentle half smile whilst absorbing the following words before our practice in a few moments.
Gratitude involves noticing the goodness in other people and the outside world.
We know the brain changes with experience,
So the more that gratitude is practiced,
The more the brain grows and learns to tune into the good things in the world.
It's now very well established and replicated many times over that the practice of gratitude is associated with better mood,
Better sleep,
Less fatigue,
As well as some physical health benefits.
Esther Hicks,
Who coined the term the law of attraction,
Suggests that we need to gently hold on to such thoughts for a minimum of 17 seconds to bring abundance into our lives.
Neuroscientist Rick Hanson states that focusing upon something to be grateful for,
For 20 seconds,
Is long enough to thicken the neural template for gratitude within our brains.
This provides the space for the experience of gratitude to expand,
Meaning that it gets easier the more we do it.
Some of the studies around gratitude suggest reflecting upon three things that you are grateful for,
Or journaling these three things,
Holding these in your mind.
How's that gentle half smile going right now?
So let's have a practice right now.
First off,
Take a moment to reflect upon some of the things in your life,
The material things that you are grateful for.
Some of these things could be around you right now in this very room.
Take a moment to reflect upon these senses that you experience with,
The five senses of sight,
Sound,
Touch,
Taste and smell.
What meaningful encounter have you appreciated recently that has touched your heart?
And as you bring this to mind,
Reflect upon three of these five senses.
Let's hold this for 20 seconds.
Now moving on,
Because there is so much more than the five senses,
There's the capacity we have to be aware of our minds,
To watch our thoughts.
Neuroscientist Dan Segal has coined this mind sight.
Others call this the observing self,
The noticing self.
This is where we watch all our experiences,
Not just of the five senses,
But thoughts,
Feelings,
Intuitions.
And with regards to intuition,
This is another sense that we often overlook.
Take a moment to reflect upon a time when your intuition helped you.
Now take a moment to think about other living beings in your life.
Just for this practice,
Whittle them down to three living beings that you were truly grateful for.
Let's move into this space of awareness,
Where we can come out of our minds and into this very moment.
And as you allow yourself to rest here,
Take a moment to turn on your noticing switch.
Click.
Allow your senses to be brought to life by the power of your awareness,
Just by noticing.
Notice any residual thoughts and feelings from taking part in the first part of this practice today.
Letting go of everything.
Bringing awareness to your body.
Notice how you are holding your body.
As you do this,
Become aware of the parts of your body that are still.
There are parts of your body that will be moving,
Such as the movement of your breathing.
Here you are noticing parts of your body that are still,
And maybe noticing parts of your body that are moving.
Distraction will happen.
It's so normal.
You'll know when it does because you lose connection with these parts of your body that are still.
Recognizing that this oh so simple practice of being connected to your body is nurturing your well-being in this very moment.
Now see if you can notice the gentleness of what your breathing is doing at the same time.
How are you going with this?
Both the experience of noticing the stillness of your body,
Just like a statue,
And your breathing at the same time.
The movements in the foreground of your awareness at the center with these aspects of your experience that are still all around the movement of your breathing.
As we draw to the end of this practice,
Gently reflect upon what aspect of this has touched your heart.
What really stands out to you today in terms of what you're grateful for?
Now imagine these two words appearing in front of you.
Thank you.
The power of 20 seconds.
Thank you for taking part in this practice and for being part of the change.
As I said at the start,
Some of the studies around gratitude suggest reflecting upon just three things you are grateful for.
Holding these in your mind and you can do this through journaling if you like.
Please post in the comments section and you can start this post with three things that I am grateful for are.
And if you're comfortable with sharing,
Simply complete the sentence.
Three things that I am grateful for are.
Let's post and make a wall of things to be grateful for,
To inspire us and remind us of what is already good in our lives.
