The power of gratitude

Are you grateful?

The human world is a crazy place. In some parts of the world, somebody who gets some food, a clean drink of water, or a worn out piece of clothing can be extremely grateful. Meanwhile, somebody else who has more than is nessecary to live can be found complaining the whole day – especially in the Western world.

There is a conditioned belief out there that obtaining material possessions is the key to happiness and fulfillment. This may be true for some people to an extent, but that contentment is mostly temporary. The truth is that true contentment is an inside job.

In a world where we are constantly made to feel like we are lacking and always wanting more, it can be difficult to achieve or experience actual contentment. Many of us are always looking toward external factors, situations, and people, to experience joy and contentment, without ever doing or thinking about the inner work that is required.

This is something ancient wisdom traditions teach for thousands of years, and science is just starting to grasp as well, as shown by research coming out of UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center. According to them:

“Having an attitude of gratitude changes the molecular structure of the brain, keeps gray matter functioning, and makes us healthier and happier. When you feel happiness, the central nervous system is affected. You are more peaceful, less reactive and less resistant. Now that’s a really cool way of taking care of your well-being.” UCLA Newsroom, Joan Moran

And the HeartMath Institute has shown in many studies the correlation of the heart, and mind, as well as overall health and wellbeing. As it is also emphasised in many ancient wisdom traditions.

So far, the researchers have discovered that the heart communicates with the brain and body in four ways: neurological communication (nervous system), biophysical communication (pulse wave), biochemical communication (hormones), and energetic communication (electromagnetic fields):

“One important way the heart can speak to and influence the brain is when the heart is coherent – experiencing stable, sine-wavelike pattern in its rhythms. When the heart is coherent, the body, including the brain, begins to experience all sorts of benefits, among them are greater mental clarity and ability, including better decision making.” HeartMath Institute

It’s time to do the inner work, as we are shifting into a new way of living, and being in the world. The superficial times are over, let’s go deep, and even deeper. In the dark void lies the magic.

Check out the original article on The Pulse for more information

Photo by Marionel Luciano on Unsplash