12 Types of Meditation Series: Gratitude Meditation
Gratitude Meditation is a simple yet powerful practice that helps us feel happier and less stressed. But the benefits don’t end there. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can also make our bodies physically healthier. By focusing on what we are thankful for, we can forget our worries and bring ourselves into a calmer and healthier state. Easy to practice, gratitude meditation can create a ripple effect that improves many areas of our lives.
Gratitude meditation has roots in various philosophical and spiritual traditions in history. It has been practiced for centuries in the East through Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, the teaching of “Mudita” encourages the celebration of good things that happen to other people. Buddhism asks us to be thankful that we are all connected. According to the Buddha, if something good happens to me, it happens to you too.
Indigenous and tribal cultures, including Native Americans, also practiced gratitude. They conducted rituals of gratitude for the natural world, giving thanks to the earth, the sun, the plants, and the animals. For example, before harvesting their crops and before hunting animals, Native Americans would offer a prayer of gratitude, thanking the earth for providing them with food.
In Christianity, the Bible talks about giving thanks numerous times, including 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Being thankful for God’s blessings is a core part of prayer for Catholics and Protestants alike.
Although the practice of gratitude is ancient, modern science is now proving just how powerful it can be. Beginning in the 1900s, psychologists began exploring gratitude as a path to mental well-being. Let’s discuss three high-profile studies on being thankful.
In 2003, Dr. Robert Emmons and Dr. Michael McCullough conducted a scientific experiment on the effects of gratitude. The study found that those who kept gratitude journals were more satisfied with their lives. They were also more optimistic and reported higher levels of well-being. They also exercised more often than those who did not keep a gratitude journal and said that they felt better and had fewer physical symptoms of discomfort.
In 2008, Dr. Jeffrey Froh conducted a gratitude experiment on middle school students. The results showed that students who were grateful for their blessings were happier with being in their school and had fewer physical complaints than those who did not practice gratitude.
In 2015, Dr. Paul J. Mills studied the effects of gratitude on patients who had experienced heart failure. The study showed that patients who had kept a gratitude journal experienced improved heart health, including reduced inflammation. This study suggests that gratitude could make our bodies healthier.
Other scientifically recognized benefits have also been discovered over the years:
Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Gratitude practices can reduce stress and anxiety by significantly lowering cortisol levels.
Better Sleep Quality: Gratitude meditation can improve sleep quality by helping us relax and by reducing negative thoughts that keep us up at night.
Enhanced Resilience: Practicing gratitude can make individuals more resilient, which means that they bounce back quickly after difficult situations.
Reduced Aggression: Published research has shown that gratitude practices can help people control violence and aggression.
Strengthened Relationships: Studies show that people who practice gratitude feel closer to others and have an easier time developing friendships.
Those unable to learn the practice from a trained meditation teacher can apply this step-by-step process for practicing Gratitude Meditation.
Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed.
Set an Intention that your purpose is to generate feelings of gratitude through this meditation.
Use a focused breathing exercise to quiet your mind. This can be a simple method such as counting your breath up to ten and then starting again at one
Introduce gratitude. Start to think of one specific thing you are grateful for, such as a specific person or place.
Expand your gratitude by thinking about what you are thankful for in other areas of your life.
Express your thanks mentally by silently saying “thank you” as you focus on each different thing.
Reflect and close your meditation before you slowly open your eyes.
But what kinds of things can the average person be grateful for?
You don’t need to be a Billionaire or a celebrity to practice gratitude. There are many blessings in our lives that usually go unnoticed.
Here are 20 things that the average American might find gratitude in:
Health – Even if your health is not perfect, there can still be many aspects of your health that you can count as blessings. The ability to breathe is one of those things. Even if you are unhealthy in other respects, you can still feel gratitude if you are one of the people in the world who can breathe well. Not everybody can.
Clean Water – Many people in the world do not have clean water. If you do, you should feel grateful.
Family and Friends – Even if you only have a few people in your life, those people deserve gratitude for their love and support.
Freedom – The right to choose one's path is a luxury and a blessing.
Education – Libraries, classes, and a wide range of online learning resources are worthy of gratitude.
Opportunities – We can be thankful for how we can improve ourselves and our lives.
Modern Technology – Smartphones and the internet would seem like magic to people 100 years ago. Today’s technology certainly deserves our gratitude.
Shelter – If you have a clean, secure home, you have it better than millions of other people in the world. It’s easiest to feel gratitude for our warm homes when it is very cold outside.
Electricity – When there is a blackout, we miss electricity right away. Use gratitude meditation to feel thankful for electricity even when you still have it.
Food – Many of us are blessed to have more than enough food in our homes. Those who are hungry would be appalled if we weren’t grateful for our full stomachs.
Regardless of what you choose as your focus, gratitude meditation is a beautiful practice that anyone can bring into their daily life. This practice helps us appreciate our blessings, which makes us happier, healthier, and more connected to the world. Gratitude may be an ancient practice, but its benefits are timeless and even more relevant today. I THANK YOU for reading and wish you all the best.
Burak Uzun is an award-winning writer and a meditation teacher.
Burak Uzun also co-wrote a feature film called Team Marco, which was featured in over fifty film festivals around the globe and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Please feel free to reach out to Burak here.
Learn more about SOCA LLC and Burak’s classes here.