As the season changes, it reminds us of the beautiful cycle of life: growth, harvest, release, and renewal. In the spirit of this natural rhythm, we at Mindful Heart Wellness invite you to join us in a period of reflection and rejuvenation over the coming weeks. In this season, we will focus on practices that help us to fully integrate the wisdom and blessing that our experiences have provided. We will also work to mindfully release those elements in life that no longer align and nourish.
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We all learn differently, so feel free to read more about this week's practice below or simply enjoy the quick (one minute!) video guide above.
I hope you'll give yourself this one mindful minute, my friend. You deserve to be awake and at ease in your life. You deserve at least a few brief moments of your own time and tender attention.
One Mindful Minute: Gratitude Scan
To begin the Gratitude Scan Practice, first center yourself in the present moment by sitting comfortably with your feet flat on the ground and your spine straight. Close your eyes or soften your gaze, taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth. Bring your awareness to your breath, noticing the sensation of the air as it enters your lungs and the release as you exhale. Let the natural rhythm of your breathing ground you in the present moment. Then, shift your focus to your body, paying attention to points of contact such as your feet on the ground and your body in the chair. Notice any sensations like warmth, coolness, or tension, and as you exhale, consciously release any tightness or discomfort.
In this centered and mindful state, call forward three things you are grateful for in this moment. These can be simple or significant. You might feel gratitude for the warmth of the sun on your skin, a supportive friend, or the opportunity to pause and breathe. These may be things recalled from memory or they may be objects next to you right now. As you identify each of the three things, take a deep breath in and fully immerse yourself in the experience of each one individually. Recall as many details as you can, letting the sensory elements (the feel, taste, touch, etc.) of them to wash over you and fill your heart. Let yourself stay here, marinating in the moment. Then, tapping into the emotions that arise, acknowledge a deep sense of appreciation. On an exhale, fully embrace the feeling of pure gratitude. Silently say to yourself, “I am grateful for…” as you name each person, thing, or experience that has brought you this profound joy or peace.
To close the practice, take one final deep breath, allowing the feelings of gratitude to fill your awareness. Notice how blessed you feel to be alive, in this moment, and to be able to experience these things. As you open your eyes, carry this sense of appreciation with you into the rest of your day, feeling more grounded, present, and connected. This simple practice cultivates mindfulness and nurtures a profound positive emotional state.
Benefits of this One-Minute Mindfulness Gratitude Scan Exercise:
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Shifts Focus to Positivity: The Gratitude Scan redirects attention from daily stress or negative thoughts toward the positive aspects of your life. This simple shift helps to cultivate a more optimistic mindset, which can improve your overall emotional well-being.
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Enhances Mindfulness: By focusing on the present moment through breath and body awareness, the practice cultivates mindfulness. You become more aware of the small joys and blessings in the here and now, which increases your ability to stay grounded and reduces anxiety about future or past concerns.
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Improves Emotional Regulation: By pausing to feel gratitude, you naturally engage your parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and reduces stress. This helps you become more emotionally resilient, allowing you to respond to challenges with greater calm and clarity.
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Boosts Mood and Mental Health: Research shows that regularly practicing gratitude can enhance mood, reduce symptoms of depression, and improve overall mental health. The Gratitude Scan creates a pathway to develop these mental habits, promoting long-term psychological benefits.
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Promotes a Positive Feedback Loop: The more often you engage in gratitude, the more likely you are to notice positive experiences in your daily life. This reinforces a cycle of positive thinking, making it easier for you to access feelings of gratitude in the future.
In his book Hardwiring Happiness, Dr. Rick Hanson emphasizes the importance of “Letting in the Good”—the process of deliberately focusing on positive experiences, allowing them to sink in and reshape the brain’s neural pathways toward greater happiness and resilience. He outlines a three-step method: Have It, Enrich It, Absorb It.
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“Have It” – Acknowledge Positive Experiences: In the Gratitude Scan, you actively notice things you are grateful for, which corresponds to “having the experience” in Dr. Hanson’s approach. Whether big or small, identifying these moments primes your brain to recognize positivity.
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“Enrich It” – Deepen the Positive Feeling: When you pause to fully appreciate each gratitude point during the scan, you enrich the experience. You focus on how each thing makes you feel and allow the positive emotions to grow and flourish within you. This step strengthens the neural connections tied to positive emotions, similar to Hanson’s suggestion to "stay with" and intensify positive experiences.
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“Absorb It” – Let It Sink In: By spending a minute focusing on each aspect of gratitude, you allow the experience to truly “sink in” to your being. They become part of your emotional memory, reshaping the brain over time. This helps hardwire positive experiences, as Dr. Hanson teaches. Repeatedly focusing on gratitude, like in the Gratitude Scan, trains the brain to more readily recall positive experiences and feelings, fostering long-term happiness and reducing the brain's natural tendency to focus on negativity (the "negativity bias").
Neuroplasticity and Well-being:
The key idea behind both the Gratitude Scan and Hanson’s “Letting in the Good” is neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and reorganize itself. When you repeatedly focus on positive experiences, you strengthen the neural pathways associated with happiness, gratitude, and well-being. This creates a more resilient and joyful brain.
The Gratitude Scan, like Dr. Hanson’s "Letting in the Good" practice, helps you build inner resources by focusing on positive experiences, deepening their emotional impact, and integrating them into your being. Over time, this rewires your brain for greater resilience, positivity, and long-term happiness.
Until next time, friends, keep making every minute more mindful.
Warmly,
Nichole
Upcoming Offerings
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