The Attitude of Gratitude This exercise comes from the Buddhist practice of Mudita,
Which means appreciative joy.
It can be understood as simply showing up for happiness with a caring presence.
As you train the mind to rejoice in happiness,
You gain many benefits.
You feel more fulfilled by joy,
Recognize happiness more easily in your life,
And train the mind to treat happiness as an important experience.
Find a comfortable posture and invite in relaxation from the beginning of your practice.
As you breathe,
Appreciate the life offered from each inhalation.
With the exhalation,
Let go of any tension in the mind or body.
Bring to mind a time in which you recently experienced happiness.
It may be something small,
Like seeing a friend,
Watching the sunset,
Or the simple joy of lying down at night.
When you have something,
Allow yourself to feel the experience of contentment.
With the intention of cultivating gratitude,
Offer yourself a few phrases of appreciative joy.
Keep the memory in your mind and offer these phrases.
May my happiness continue.
May my happiness grow.
May I be present for the joy.
May I appreciate the joy in my life.
Offer the phrases silently in your head,
Finding a rhythm with the practice.
May my happiness continue.
May my happiness grow.
May I be present for the joy.
May I appreciate the joy in my life.
Focus your attention on the words.
The intention of appreciating the happiness and feeling the contentment from your memory.
Now,
Release the memory and the phrases from your mind.
Bring to mind somebody else in your life who has experienced some happiness recently.
Picture this person in your mind smiling as you observe their joy.
As you did with yourself,
Offer phrases of gratitude.
Rejoice as much as possible in their happiness.
Offer these phrases.
May your happiness continue.
May your happiness grow.
May I be present for your joy.
I am happy for you.
In our daily lives,
We do not often truly appreciate the moments of contentment,
Whether they're small or significant.
Instead,
The brain latches onto the difficult and painful moments or becomes obsessed with solving problems.
With this appreciative joy practice,
You can retrain the mind to give weight to your pleasant experiences,
However small.
By continuing to practice gratitude,
You'll notice happiness more often in your life.
