Gratitude

I am thrilled to welcome you to the Serenity Wellness & Coaching community and weekly intention with breathwork! I have been busy planning for some great releases for 2023 and will be sending a weekly “Breath Notes” (my version of love notes) out for all of you each week! As we enter this world on an inhale and leave it on an exhale it is important for us to recognize that each breath between those two events is a gift! Therefore, gratitude is a great way to begin this series.

Each morning and evening I begin with a mindful writing in my Gratitude Journal. In the mornings I like to acknowledge just one thing in my life that I am truly grateful for. Today, I am grateful for web technology since it provides a platform for me to reach all of you with this weekly forum, especially since I have been without easy access to it for the past two months (a story for another time!) At the end of each day, I go back into my Gratitude Journal and identify one thing I am grateful for throughout the course of my day. This has a very calming effect, especially at the end of the day as it is nearly impossible to be frustrated or upset when you are in the mindset of being grateful. After each gratitude entry, I practice a Gratitude Breath because it reminds me of how far I have come in my personal journey, how invigorated my spirit has become and how passionate I am to hold space for others to be mindful and to follow their own breath practice.

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** The Gratitude Breath Practice
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** While lying down, find a comfortable position and set your gratitude intention. The practice requires you to you inhale and exhale through the nose (nasal breathing) and into the belly (not the heart space). You can test if you are “belly breathing” by placing one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart and when you breath in, if the hand on your belly rises first, you will know you are “belly breathing”. Try it out a few times before this practice to ensure this is how you are breathing as it promotes the rest and digest response to your central nervous system.

1. Inhale for 2 seconds and exhale for 2 seconds for 1-minute. This will have a calming effect.
2. Next, take a long, gentle inhale through the nose and on your exhale say one thing out loud that you are grateful for. Begin with your gratitude intention and practice this for 2-minutes saying additional things you are grateful for or until you have exhausted your mental list.
3. Rest with your eyes closed for 1-minute to close your practice.
4. Journal your experience.

CHALLENGE: I invite you to practice this technique each day and evening for 1-week and store this practice in your “Breathwork Tool Kit.”

Thank you for participating in this week’s challenge and remember to just breathe and let peace be your guide!