Did you know giving thanks is good for you and those around you. There are great social, psychological and physical health benefits that come from giving thanks.

As part of yoga certification program I completed this year,  we practiced 60 days of sadhana – a “means to realization.” I chose to keep a gratitude journal.  I had wanted to try this technique for years.  Each night before turning off the lights, I write down three things that I was grateful for that day. 

Turns out that this practice has been scientifically proven to increase well-being and happiness.  This simple act of writing down things for which I am grateful helps me pay attention to the good things in my life that I might otherwise take for granted.  This simple act helps to increase how much positive emotion we feel and decreases negative emotion.  

This practice helped me establish a habit of paying attention to gratitude-inspiring moments in my life.  I find them all around me – the sound of my son’s laughter, the sun beams shining through the clouds and the beating of my heart.

I can tell you first hand it works. If you want to consciously learn to get in the habit of being grateful, try this technique.  I don’t ever plan to stop.