The Grace Experiment

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we'll be exploring the value of trying the grace experiment. So the practice of saying grace before a meal is a really old tradition that's faded a little in recent generations. But it was really common in days gone by to pause and express gratitude before each meal. Now you might be hearing me talk about the practice of saying grace right now and already you're thinking to yourself, Melli, I am so not interested in something like that.

You know, maybe you associate this practice to religion and you're thinking, I just don't want anything to do with that. But just bear with me here. So at its core, this grace practice is simply a regular way to express gratitude. And here's why it might be of interest to you to try the grace experiment. In recent years, researchers have found that our ability to express and experience gratitude is a key determinant in our overall happiness and wellbeing.

According to Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California, the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. In addition, he notes that people who express gratitude regularly have been shown to be less resentful, enjoy better sleep, exercise more often, and even have lower blood pressure. Several studies suggest that those who take time to be grateful on a regular basis enjoy reduced stress levels, stronger in the personal relationships. And according to Northeastern University psychologist, David DeSteno, gratitude makes people more selfless. But these great benefits come with a catch.

We only reap the benefits, says psychology professor, Sonja Lyubomirsky, if we express it on a regular basis. So the grace experiment is this, if you'd like to see firsthand how a regular gratitude practice might improve your quality of life, I encourage you for the next 30 days to try saying grace, at least once a day. So taking a couple of minutes per day, just to pause and contemplate what you're grateful for in life. And pairing it with another activity like a meal time is ideal so that you get into a regular routine. But it doesn't have to be with a meal.

You could do it before or after meditation, with your first cup of tea, before you go to sleep at night. So I invite you to just try this. And each time you say grace really let the energy of gratitude fill your body and mind and being attentive to how this regular practice of saying grace affects you in your life. And you might also find, as Robert Holden once said that, "The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become." So we will start your grace experiment as part of today's meditation. So I invite you to settle in for that now.

And as a always, thank you for your practice.