We’ve talked about the importance of gratitude on Day Two of the challenge. Practising gratitude has so many positive side-effects – the universe tends to give you more of what you focus on, so when you focus on the things you’re grateful for, you get rewarded with even more things to be grateful for!

There are occasions when this can be difficult. When you’re going through tough times, it can be very hard to think of things which you feel thankful for. When you feel like this, it’s good to start small. Be grateful for the little things. Transform mealtimes into a gratitude meditation and you’ll soon develop a habit of gratitude while benefiting from the positive impact meditation can have. 

The technique is really simple: be fully present and aware in the moment as you eat and identify all the things to be thankful for right now. 

So you could begin by simply being grateful that you have food to eat in the first place. If someone else made it for you, be grateful for their effort. If you made it, be grateful that you have the ability to prepare a meal. 

Be grateful for the taste of the food – and really focus on the taste and texture in your mouth as you do. How does the sensation of eating feel? 

Be grateful for the nutrition you are giving your body. Be grateful for the sun, earth, plants and animals which all worked together to give you this food. Be grateful for the people who collected the food. Be grateful for the people who transported the food from where it was produced to where you bought it. Be grateful for the people who sold it to you. Be grateful you were able to get the food to your home. 

The more you focus on your food, the more you identify opportunities to feel grateful for it. You could then expand it to include gratitude for your body – how amazing is it that you can put food in your mouth, that you can chew, that you can digest it? 

Just one little meal gives you endless ways to feel gratitude and if you make the decision to feel gratitude every single time you eat, it’s very easy to quickly develop a positive, regular meditation and gratitude practise.