At this time of year we tend to focus more on gratitude through the celebration of Thanksgiving. We gather with friends and family and indulge in feasts to anchor the experience of abundance and thankfulness.

Here are a few suggestions to help you dig deeper into the feeling of genuine gratitude:

Feel joy! Joy and gratitude are connected. If you wish to expand your capacity to feel grateful, expand your ability to sense joy. Notice what makes you happy: beauty, companionship, meaningful activity, time out in nature, memories of happy moments? Take note of joyful moments and enlarge them in your mind. Gratitude follows joy, even in memories of the past. Bless the experience and feel the joy again. Your body-mind will thank you, because healing happens when we feel happy. And maybe you will even be able to rewire your brain, so it recognizes and embraces joy more readily.

Meditate on gratitude. Cultivate the awareness of daily blessings, small or large, and you may find that more good things come your way. Expect positive outcomes, and be unattached when things work out differently. Review your day from a perspective of gratitude and restate internally what you are thankful for. Even challenging experiences carry a core of goodness; acknowledging the good in all things makes room for learning and growth.

May you have a peaceful Holiday Season, feeling joy and gratitude emerge from your core to bless you and those around you!