How to Practice Gratitude Daily

There are many benefits to having a daily gratitude practice, including living a happier more joyful life.

Establishing a Daily Gratitude Practice offers us an opportunity to train our brain to be happier, to live our lives with a greater sense of joy and ease. Gratitude also helps us deal with adversity, cultivate strong relationships and improve our health.

What we are talking about here is not “superficial” gratitude, for example saying “thank you” to everyone and everything, but going a little deeper into the essence of gratitude, asking ourselves, “What am I really grateful for?” Particularly at those times when life is handing us lots of lemons, it’s important to look at what we can be grateful for and what do we need to do to pull ourselves back into an attitude of gratitude?

Below are 3 gratitude meditations that are perfect for starting a daily gratitude practice.

Morning Gratitude Practice

We begin with a morning gratitude practice. As we awake each morning, before we even jump out of bed, take a few moments to look at what we have to be grateful for. This can set us on a new trajectory, instead of rolling out of bed mindlessly dreading the day ahead, to look at what opportunities this new day brings, what can I create in this day that will be joyful?

Meditation is an excellent morning gratitude practice.

Morning Gratitude Meditation

A great way to start our day is with a morning gratitude meditation, here is a guided 10-minute Morning Gratitude Meditation that offers an opportunity to begin the day by expressing appreciation for all that we are and all that we are a part of. Gratitude for that wellspring of life that is focused deep within our heart, the true essence of our being. We recognise that each time we express gratitude today we are activating that wellspring of life and love and joy. We are activating this energy and allowing it to radiate throughout the whole of our being through the entirety of our day.

Expressing Gratitude for Our Body

As we move into our daily life, it is very easy to get so caught up in hustle and bustle that we forget about our commitment to maintain an “attitude of gratitude” throughout the day. One way to refresh our gratitude through the day is to take some time to appreciate our body by doing a gratitude body scan.

Try to maintain an “attitude of gratitude” throughout the day.

Body Scan Meditation with Gratitude

In this guided Body Scan Meditation we bestow the amazing gift of gratitude upon our whole body to appreciate, nurture, restore and regenerate every cell of our being. This is more than a relaxation meditation, it offers an opportunity for healing on all levels.

Completing our Day with Gratitude and Appreciation

Before retiring in the evening, we take the time to appreciate our day; to scan over our experiences and interactions throughout the day; and recognise the gifts of learning that we received.

End your day with a gratitude sleep meditation.

Evening Gratitude Meditation

This gratitude sleep meditation is offered as an evening practice of gratitude; an opportunity to complete the day with forgiveness, love and gratitude. Releasing the day that we have just moved through and creating an opportunity to step into our new day free and unencumbered.

There is so much written about the benefits of cultivating a daily gratitude practice and it is important that each of us finds what works best for us. To look deep into our own hearts to reconnect with the true essence of gratitude. Yes, we all face many challenges and we can choose to be resentful for these challenges or we can choose to be grateful for all that we are and all that we have. Resentment will drive out our gratitude, and gratitude will drive out resentment. Now we can make a conscious choice and commit to a daily gratitude practice.

More Gratitude Meditations

Here are a few more gratitude meditations, be sure to check out all our Gratitude Meditations.

Cultivating Gratitude Meditation - a guided meditation that provides a way for you to cultivate a grateful heart. 

Gratitude Meditation for Sleep - a deeply relaxing sleep meditation that helps you to review your day with the lens of gratitude for all that occurred, positive or negative. We spend some time feeling gratitude in the deepest level of our being for all we have and all we are. Then we let go into healing sleep, while connecting to the Universe and becoming one with it.

Ho’oponopono Gratitude Meditation - a gratitude meditation that create an opportunity for healing by opening our hearts and minds to gratitude.