Yoga & Gratitude in the New Year

Gratitude and yoga go hand in hand. The constant tug from our to-do lists and society’s standards can pull you back at times and cause you to forget the blessings you have. Yoga helps us return to ourselves and reconnect with our soul’s true knowing. Through postures, mantras, physical activity, and community, the practice of yoga helps increase one’s well-being and inner/outer awareness. In turn, by elevating this awareness, we symbiotically elevate gratitude and appreciation towards ourselves and all the things around us. It’s a beautiful dance between yourself and your higher self that keeps you striving and thriving. With gratitude, we remember the deep connection we have to all life in the Universe. A bond so deep it transcends the stress and anxiety of our daily lives.

One of the strongest indicators of happiness is gratitude. A 2003 study found that grateful participants were happier, more positive, more likely to help others, more emotionally open, and even slept better! To enhance your gratitude practice, you can take some of the small steps that we learn from our integrative yoga classes at Harmony off the mat: 

Take five minutes of time right now to think about, and express gratitude for, all the wonderful things in your life. Breathe in through the heart center, as we connect with the feeling of gratitude and love. Spread love out through this center. Allow yourself to feel deep appreciation for guiding yourself to this post. Right here. Right now. 

Gratitude, like any trait, grows stronger with more attention and consistency. It’s crucial to make gratitude a daily practice to strengthen your gratitude muscle. In our classes at Harmony, we help our students grow stronger in not only your physical muscles, but your mental ones as well. This gratitude is felt at a collective level in each of our classes. Together, we are able to connect, feel the energy of each other and flow together in a safe space filled with gratitude. 

We at Harmony Yoga strive to enrich our students in health, happiness, and harmony. By taking our gratitude practices off the mat, we have the ability to remain present in our daily lives, and remember that we are all connected to each other on a greater level.

We are grateful for YOU! Thanks for making Harmony the best studio in the South Bay (our unbiased opinion ;).