How To Start A Gratitude Practice 

Bringing your attention to what you are grateful for takes you out of the bubble we sometimes get comfortable living in. We realize we are part of something greater than ourselves. 

• Write down two to three words first thing in the morning that come to mind what you think about what you are grateful for.

 • Give a compliment to someone daily. Making another person feel special is a wonderful gift. 

 • When something bad happens, try to find a sense of gratitude.  Ask yourself what can you be grateful for when a bad situation arises. Having a sense of gratitude makes you realize you are more than all of “this”.

This practice helps you become aware that what you have, your health, house, spouse, children, job, car - is something to be grateful for. I encourage you to start a Gratitude Practice and see how implementing this habit can change how you look at your life and those around you.

Please visit www.livewithmeaning.net for more inspiring information.

Michelle discusses the benefits of yoga. How she started doing yoga and the different types of yoga she tried.

Yoga has been shown to:

Reduce stress

Bring you into the present moment

Breathing

Not seeking perfection

Improves cognitive function

Connect to inner voice

Slow down and feel a sense of calmness

She talks about trying a yoga class, stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something different.

Michelle talks about the benefits of meditation and how to implement a meditation practice into your daily life.

The many benefits of meditation include:

Lowers blood pressure

Decreases pain

Fights depression

Increases compassion

Curbs self-criticism

Increases positive emotions and decreases negative emotions

Reduces stress and anxiety

Brings calmness by paying attention to the breath

How to implement a daily meditation practice:

First thing upon waking up

At a traffic light

Standing in line at the store

In the shower

Before you get into bed

Different ways to do meditation:

Paying attention to the breath

Counting the inhales and exhales of the breath

Feeling the belly expand and compress while noticing the breath

Do a body scan

For more information about meditation I encourage you to visit www.irest.us.

Welcome to the Live With Meaning Podcast.

Michelle discusses why she started this podcast, her background of being a police officer for twenty years and then moving on to become a yoga and meditation instructor after retirement.

She talks about what Live With Meaning means for her.

Some of the things she wants to talk about is:

How to add a little more happiness to our lives

Practicing gratitude

Managing stress

Mindfulness

Meditation

Yoga

How to become a better listener

Morning and evening routines

What our failures teach us

The act of forgiveness

Working through our fears

Happiness and fulfillment in life