CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING WITH A GRATITUDE MEDITATION It’s Easier Than You Think! Thanksgiving is a time when Americans typically reflect on the things they’re
easier with time. You don’t have to think of something big, if nothing comes to mind — it can be as simple as a delicious smoothie or a warm scarf. It is important, though, to be as specific as possible. For example, don’t just think that you’re thankful for your spouse — be thankful, instead, that your spouse cooked you dinner. This specificity will both help you find more things to be grateful for and ensure the things you’re listing truly resonate with you. Reflecting on gratitude can feel corny and cliche at first, but when gratitude is truly felt as an emotion, it’s quite fulfilling. We generally consider gratitude to be an abstract idea, but actually experiencing appreciation regularly will help to transform your outlook on life and keep you grounded in the present. The more time you spend
thankful for, and experts have found that gratitude is actually good for our mental health. Meditation is, too — and the two are closely related. Gratitude meditation is a large part of many meditation practices, and it is growing in popularity. If you’ve never meditated before, don’t freak out — meditation doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Anyone can learn to meditate with just a little time and practice, and there are guided meditations created for all experience levels. In fact, many meditations for beginners can be as short as 2–5 minutes! There are tons of apps available so you can find the one that works best for you. All gratitude meditations involve reflecting on the things you’re grateful for. When you first start, thinking of things you are thankful for may be difficult, but it will get
The real trick is to get past the barrier of thinking you don’t know how to meditate or you don’t have enough time. Sure, you could meditate for an hour, but you can also meditate during your coffee break or morning bus ride. In the end, it’s about making sure you set aside time for yourself, even if only for a few minutes. Once you commit, you’ll be grateful you did.
practicing gratitude the easier it will become, and the better it will feel.
EXERCISE OF THE MONTH 3D Hamstring Stretch
Why: This exercise is a great way to undo the tightness you’ll get from long periods of sitting at work or on car rides. It’s also a GREAT way to warm up your hamstrings (the long muscles in back of the legs) for a run, hike, row, soccer game, or any leg workout. Keeping your hamstrings flexible and happy can prevent back and knee pain and improve performance. You can do this almost anywhere! How: This is a right hamstring example: Put your right foot up on a bench, chair, box, or car bumper with your right knee slightly bent. Tip forward at the hips with a straight back until you feel a slight pull behind your leg. Hold that for 15 seconds, then maintain that position and slowly rotate your trunk left and right. You should feel the pull moving around slightly. Rotate 5–7 times each way. If you don’t want to rotate, then just hold the position for 45 seconds.
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