Walking the path of the Tao is a conscious choice to be in harmony with nature. It is a choice to walk as love. In every moment, we have a choice to experience peace, joy, love, and gratitude. When we choose to love, everything in our life aligns with that choice. Our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls feel more connected, alive, spacious, and magical.
In Qigong, we have a fundamental principle that says where your mind goes, Qi follows. In other words, where your thoughts and attention go, energy follows. Where and how you focus your mind directs the energy to it.
When we intend to choose love and gratitude, our energy naturally flows there. In other words, when we focus on things that nourish and heal us, gratitude and appreciation are the natural results.
Here are 3 simple qigong practices that cultivate gratitude and joy.
Inner Smile
Extending a smile is so simple, yet we feel them so deeply. Think of all the times you’ve smiled at someone you love or even extended your trust to a stranger with a simple smile. When we receive a genuine smile, our hearts light up, and the whole world seems brighter.
The inner Smile or Heart Smile is a simple qigong practice that anyone can do. The practice can be short, or you can linger in this meditative state for as long as you like.
To practice, simply turn your awareness inward and drop down inside your body. With your breath, allow your attention to travel through your body. Direct your breath to each organ one at a time. When you arrive at an organ, your heart, for example, genuinely smile at your heart and send it love and appreciation. Then allow your heart to smile back at you.
Continue this exchange with each organ of your body, giving and receiving smiles until your entire body is filled with love and appreciation.
Follow Your Breath
Slowing down to focus on your breath is an acknowledgment of just how precious every breath is. Connecting to each inhale and exhale. Feeling your body fill up with life force energy supports you to soften your body, calm your mind and connect with the present moment.
Following your breath and smiling with your body is a potent gratitude practice that will noticeably change your perspective at that moment.
Find The Gift And The Lesson In Life Challenges
Being grateful is easy when everything is going your way, and it gets a little more complicated when your life is filled with setbacks, adversity, struggles, and challenges. We all know these are inevitable experiences, so how do we utilize them to deepen our gratitude practice? During a challenge, can you find the blessing? What new opportunity did this challenge open up? Keeping your eye on your bigger vision will help you not get so caught in the minor setbacks along the way.
Qigong teaches us to find the blessing and the lessons in all experiences, even the challenging ones. Since Qigong is a cyclical expression of nature, we realize that these challenges will keep returning again and again until we learn the lesson from them and incorporate the wisdom into our lives. This is why it is called a practice. We get to return to it with an open and compassionate heart again and again.
I'm here championing you on your gratitude practice. If you are interested in learning more qigong practices, click here to learn more and consider joining us!
Deep bows of gratitude to you and your practice!
Maria
🙏🏽
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