the movement
honor ancestors, serve descendants, nourish all
Image: I am sitting on a rock, one hand resting on my heart. Letting my senses receive the fall scenery in the Phrygia region of Turkey.
May you receive gratitude
I am grateful for you. I treasure the moments in time and space that we have moved and breathed together. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I pray that you may receive thanks too. Many are familiar with customs that encourage giving thanks. I now offer you insights how and why to receive gratitude and the associated benefits.
The roots of yoga teach us that we must tend to ourselves so we may bring our whole self into service for the world. Simple yet effective practices of self-care can harness the power of your mind to be present with and nourish your body. The use of mantra is an accessible yoga practice for all. A mantra (syllable sound, word, or short phrase repeated aloud or within) is an instrument used to center your mind.
Practice the mantra with patience and persistence. Given time, your nervous system will recognize the honest and reliable mental message. In turn, it will be able to receive the heartfelt thanks.
When this happens, the nervous system will respond with dramatic physiological changes in your body. You will trigger a cascade of chemical and electrical signals from your brain allowing every cell in your body to optimize its functions. When we tap into our parasympathetic nervous system this way, we set up an inner environment for long-term restoration and wellbeing.
Why gratitude?
At the heart of gratitude is the recognition we are in a relationship with the entirety of existence. The awareness of interconnectivity allows for an expansive mindset. You are not alone; you are a thread in the magnificent tapestry of the cosmos. You are part of a very big whole. Your wholeness is both nurtured and needed by the universe. Yoga further teaches us that it is our right and responsibility to cultivate and bring our whole self in service to the world around us.
In contrast, a mindset of judgment and expectation sets up an inner environment that is constrictive. Sending limiting messages from our mind to our cellular structure works against flow, circulation, and prana, all of which are fundamental to health and healing. My clinical yoga therapy courses (and my own life experience) have taught me that a chronically contractive mind state is a seed bed for eventual fear, anger, and isolation, the opposite of interconnectivity, wholeness, and wellbeing.
Adult human bodies have about 30 trillion cells. What is your mind saying to all the cells of your body? Can your mind offer every cell genuine grace and space? Let go of judgements and constriction. Welcome your expanding mind to minister thanksgiving to your whole-self. Intentionally create an inner environment for wellness. “Thank you, body. Thank you, breath.”
May you receive gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving and love from Ankara,
December 2025
Looking for a movement experience to practice your mantra?
Check out our OnDemand library of practices.
“Thank you, body. Thank you, breath.”
I invite you to repeat these six words to yourself several times over. I’ve been working with this mantra recently as I move on my mat, walk, swim, cook, and clean. For me, it started as a ritual of recognition. I was intentionally generating appreciativeness. A few weeks in, I began to feel the benefits that come with receiving gratitude.
The yogic concept of pancha kosha (five sheaths) understands the whole human being as the interplay of five layers; body, prana (life force), mind, wisdom, and spirit. Yoga techniques, like the use of mantra, invite us to engage our body, breath, and mind to connect with our inner wisdom and spirit. Yoga practices require veracity and sincerity.
Why sincerity?
Your nervous system cannot be fooled. The human mind is complex and immensely powerful, but your body (nervous system) knows if your words of gratitude are genuine or not. The most potent medicine we can offer ourselves (and those around us) is authenticity in our relationships. Be true with your word. Especially with yourself.