Giving Thanks Truly

Last year my Thanksgiving cerebration was a vacation to a beautiful hot spring resort. I took a yoga class there and shared what I learned with my students after I came back. The previous year I hosted a dinner with friends for the Thanksgiving. This year I am spending the Thanksgiving with my next door neighbor and her wonderful family. I love what the holidays bring, the smell of freshly baked foods and winter spices, the time spending with friends and family or the trip with my partner to a beautiful place. But I have yet to spend much time contemplating about what is the true spirit of Thanksgiving until now.

HONOR THAT WHICH NOURISHES THE BODY

Holidays often center around foods. Your relationship with foods is the most fundamental and profound relationship. It determines how healthy you are. Food culture has changed and evolved over time. Our ancient ancestors had a much closer relationship with their food sources. They either grew, raised or slaughtered them. Today we largely eat manufactured foods or foods that we have no idea where their sources are. This makes it difficult to have any sort of relationship with living foods-- the plants or animals we eat.

Cooking is our primary bonding with foods. But with the popularity of eating out and pre-cooked foods we hardly need to cook ourselves. Human focus has evolved from knowing foods to consuming foods. When foods are reduced to mere consumer products what respect do you give to what you eat? Yesterday I read a newspaper article mentioning a tradition called Turkey bowl. It is a competition of bowling using frozen turkeys instead of regular bowling balls. The idea of using carcasses for fun pains me beyond words. What is more important to your health than what you eat is how you acknowledge and honor what you eat. When you honor your foods you prepare your body the complete intake of the nutrients. Your body will digest the foods with ease and you will know the proper amount required to nourish you. The simplest and most profound practice is to say grace out loud or internally in the honor of the foods you eat. When you practice yoga your body becomes your prayer. When you practice yoga of eating foods become your prayer. This Thanksgiving take the time to ponder what you can do to create a healthy relationship with your sustenance.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Thanksgiving is the time of gathering with family and friends. I have heard countless times how stressful this is. When your relationship with your family members is sour it can be painful to spend many hours with them. If you are generally anxious being with a large group of people then holidays can be the most challenging time. I am not a stranger to either of these experiences. Over the years though, my attitude has changed because my relationship with myself has changed.

Bringing myself to my yoga mat and meditation cushion regularly has brought balance to my relationship inwardly and outwardly. Physical and emotional challenges are overcome through yoga practice. When your body and mind are no longer hostile your temperament toward others will turn friendly and loving as well. You cannot try to be compassionate or grateful. You either are compassionate and grateful or you are not. Faking these emotions is repression. It is healthier for your psyche to express what you feel. Expressing what you feel does not necessary change how you feel. If you want to change how you feel you must change your attitude. Changing attitude is an inner work of replacing the content of your mind. It requires you to be present and observe your thoughts. This is why meditation is a major spiritual practice. Meditation allows you to pause and observe. It gives you the ability to change your thought patterns and act appropriately rather than reactively do what you have been doing out of habit.

Over time the practice of yoga and meditation spill out into your every living situation. When your body and mind are at ease your attitude is full of gratitude. There is nothing to fear and everything to love. Not everyone will welcome your love as they have their own attitude to change. You can still send love their way and enjoy the true Thanksgiving spirit. For this Thanksgiving take the time to contemplate what you can do to honor and nourish your relationship with yourself and with others.

Happy Thanksgiving!