PURPOSE: To become familiar with giving appreciation attention and how to practice spontaneous gratitude for others.
PREPARATION: Make a declaration to expand appreciation space. Then, commit to appreciating others when the inspiration arises.
Minute one: Get willing to appreciate with action. Wonder… hmmm, I wonder how I want to appreciate.
Minute two: Bring your attention to your heart and identify where appreciation lives in your body. What are the movements and sensations that accompany appreciation? Hint: usually tingles, sparky nudges, lightness, and smiles.
Minute three: Turn off your “judger” and begin spontaneous appreciation coming from those body nudges. Express out-loud: “I appreciate _________________” (fill in the blank). There is no formula or right/wrong.
Minute four: Ramp up your appreciation by letting loose and not holding back. Have fun expressing gratitude and notice how it feels in your body to appreciate.
Minute five: Self-appreciate doing this practice and notice that appreciating yourself or another has similar effects – generating appreciation space.
Complete your practice by committing to expanding your expression of appreciation in thoughts, words and deeds. Think gratitude. Write gratitude. Speak gratitude. Act with gratitude. Do kind deeds.