The Yoga of Gratitude

Gratitude has become a popular word in recent years, often reduced to lists and hashtags. Yet in yoga, gratitude is not an exercise in positivity - it is a practice of recognition. Recognition that we are woven into a web of life, that we receive endlessly, that nothing we have is truly ours alone.

Gratitude Beyond Platitudes

True gratitude is not about ignoring hardship. It is about widening perspective: even in difficulty, there are threads of care - a hand that helped, a breath that carried us, a body that continues to hold us upright. Gratitude acknowledges both light and shadow, recognising that everything is part of the whole.

Gratitude in the Yogic Tradition

Yoga speaks of bhakti - devotion, surrender, love for the divine in all things. Gratitude arises naturally from this view. When we bow at the end of practice, when we chant, when we place our hands at the heart in anjali mudrā, we embody gratitude. It is less about words, more about orientation: a posture of reverence toward life itself.

Philosophically, gratitude aligns with santosha - contentment. To practice contentment is to meet life as it is, with openness and trust, even when it does not match our preferences.

Practicing Gratitude Daily

• Begin with breath: Inhale thank you, exhale I am here.

• Keep a gratitude journal - not long lists, but a single moment each day that touched you.

• Express it aloud - to a teacher, a friend, a partner, the earth beneath your feet.

• End your practice with a bow, acknowledging the privilege of having time, space, and breath.

Gratitude as Collective Practice

In community, gratitude multiplies. When we share our reflections at the end of a class or gather for ritual, gratitude becomes contagious, softening walls between us. As the year closes, collective gratitude is a way of weaving together all that we have received, learned, and endured.

Gratitude is not a mood. It is a way of being in relationship with life.