Mindful Gratitude Exercise #9: Grateful Walking, Breathing, and Eating

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
― Thornton Wilder 

Grateful Walking

Try this the next time you walk anywhere for any reason.  With every step, identify something to be grateful for related to the walking process;  for example, you could thank your feet and legs for holding you up and supporting you so effectively, your brain for learning the activity so completely that you can do it without thinking, or your muscles for doing exactly what they're supposed to do, and exactly what you expect them to do, with no unpleasant surprises.

  

Grateful Breathing

Every time you feel a breath come in, give thanks to your Higher Power for supplying it, realizing that it was not promised, and that there are many others who wish they had a breath to notice, or wish they had the easy ability to breathe.  (A drowning person gasping for air, for example, would absolutely LOVE to trade places with you.)  Be thankful also for your breath as it goes out, thankful for all the beneficial things it did while it was in your body.  Be thankful during the pauses in between breaths, for that feeling of certainty you have that another breath is coming.  Repeat!

Grateful Eating

With every bite, thank your Higher Power for something: for the food and sustenance on your fork, for the taste of the food in your mouth, maybe for allowing you to taste something you really enjoy one more time, or for all the times you've gotten to taste it in the past.  Be thankful for the fork, and how it keeps you from having to get your hands dirty.  Be thankful for the plate and how it holds your food.  Be thankful for the temperature of the food, the fact that the food is not making you sick, or maybe that the food was prepared for you by someone else.

These three activities are wonderful ones for practicing gratitude and mindfulness, since we do them all the time.  Focusing on them can be a transformative experience!

Let me know your experiences with grateful walking, breathing, and eating.  I can't wait to hear from you!