There are many ways of expressing gratitude
Written by Hilary Brown
Why not consider building up the conversation of gratitude all the way into the new year? It’s a perfect theme for the end of the year. It can help people review the last period of life: what went well, what was hard, and how did they grow from all of it.
Consider choosing one of these and integrating it into class. It’s so strange - we long for connection yet the yoga class can also be a place of isolation unless we stand for building connection as part of our classes. Take the uncomfortable step and consider asking your students to connect to others in the room. It can be as simple as:
Writing a thank you note to a friend or loved one...or to your yoga teacher or yoga students.
Ask your students to pair up and tell them 10 things in your life you are grateful for today.
Offering a handshake, give hugs, or next level: invite people to eye gaze for 3 minutes.
Smiling at others, smile during a hard yoga pose.
Invite your students to do some homework after class: Do at least 2 random acts of kindness in the next 24 hours.
Volunteering in the yoga shala or for a community project...even if its for an hour to sweep their floors.
Offering to do a chore, errand, or unpleasant task.
Offering genuine compliments. Invite your students to do so 5 times in next 2 hours (don't forget- you can complement people you don't even know!)
Being an active and sincere listener. Invite your students to commit to listening to the person in their next conversation without offering their own ideas or opinion, learn to listen.
We scanned some resources (and mr. google) to find some gratitude practices thought were nice...and possibly digestible for our down to earth Dutch friends: