I have just listened to the mighty Andrew Huberman. As usual, he has made me think and inspired me. If you don’t know his work and you have any interest in the mind, body, relationships, health, fitness etc follow him now on instagram @hubermanlab
His website https://hubermanlab.com/
For years I have had a gratitude awareness, I was going to say practice but it hasn’t been overly formal. For me, it has been about slowing down a little and noticing what is around me. Smiling at the sunshine, noticing the magnificence of the trees, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. Listening to the birds. The hugeness of the night sky. Conscious appreciation. Much of this is about nature but also it is about relationships, trust, honesty and love. Letting myself feel fully, exploring where I feel emotions in my body. There has also been a turning towards what is good and positive.
“Gratitude research has repeatedly shown that thankful people have higher energy levels, are more relaxed and are happier and healthier.” Neurohacker
It makes sense to me, if you appreciate stuff that is nice, it feels nice. If you do that a lot, you change how you feel and think about things for the better. That has certainly been my experience.
In many ways, my life hasn’t been that easy. On paper, you might expect me to be a tad negative but that is not the case. And I am much more content than I used to be. I had put this down to a regular movement practice – that’ll be the yoga. A regular meditation/mindfulness/gratitude shamooo and having family and friends that rock…
So, what Huberman had to say in his podcast was of great interest. There is actually little scientific evidence to suggest any of the traditional gratitude practices make much difference. My suspicion is that they are hard to access and take years before there is a quantifiable difference. Most gratitude practices look a bit like what I have been doing – active appreciation. There is, however, a gratitude practice that blasts this traditional format out of the water. The neuroscience tells us that if we want a bit of a rewire, it can be super accessible and very quick. In fact, once established, it only needs a minute of your time three times a week.
The bottom line is that receiving gratitude is far more effective than giving it. We all know how good it feels to be genuinely thanked. I know it lights up my heart and makes it sing. If someone really appreciates what you have done for them, it is a fantastic feeling.
Interestingly, this gratitude does not need to be directed at you to be effective. It is the tapping into the receiving of gratitude. We are social beings that are story orientated. Story telling is very significant. The science tells us that hearing a story where someone did something really special and then received gratitude is sufficient to set the neurological pathways into a positive shamooo…
So, it looks like the most efficient and effective form of gratitude practice is a story, a story that moves you. Where you can connect with the emotions and really feel the expressed gratitude. This could be a time where someone expressed gratitude to you but equally effective is a story where gratitude was expressed to someone else. It just needs to tap into the feelings. Regular practice is the key. Short and sweet. Huberman suggests working on the story, getting to know it, writing down some bullet points and then five minutes to start with. Go over the story, bring up those feelings, lean into them. Once you are familiar with the tale, one minute will suffice. One minute, three times a week. The science tells us, that is enough to dramatically change your perspective. It has to be worth a punt!
One more point I have to make on all of this… How important is it to express your appreciation to others? If this can change the way people see the world for the better. The more we are grateful to others, the better they feel. What an incredible thing we can all do for each other. We can in a very real way, spread happiness. Now that rocks!
If you want to spread a bit of gratitude happiness, or indeed grab some of your own, why not try yoganidra? http://www.wildyogis.co.uk/yoga-nidra-page or free meditations/movement/mindfulness on my Youtube channel.
