Take It Further: Gratitude Journaling This Month
A companion to the November 2026 newsletter, from Yoga Shala
Gratitude is a choice of attitude, and like any practice, it grows with repetition. This month, let a few quiet minutes each day become your practice ground. All you need is a notebook, a pen, and a willingness to look a little deeper.
Each day: three unexpected thank-yous
Write down three things you are grateful for. One rule: nothing obvious. Your family, your health and your home are already held in your heart. Look instead for what almost slipped by.
The way the light fell across the kitchen floor. The person who irritated you, and what they revealed. The mistake that turned you in a better direction. The small moment you were nearly too busy to notice.
Some days it will be easy. On the days you have to dig, the practice is doing its deepest work.
Before you write: arrive
Sit for a minute. Let the breath slow. Feel your feet, your seat, your hands.
As you write each thank-you, pause. Do not just think thank you. Let it land in the body:the chest, the belly, the hands. Let it be meant with every molecule. This is the difference between saying the words and feeling them.
When you notice you are performing
Some days you will catch yourself writing something just to sound grateful, or to soundlike the kind of person who is. Smile. Notice it. This is self-observation without self-judgment, as Swami Kripalu called the highest form of spiritual practice. Then begin again,with something true.
Each week: one deeper question
Once a week, give yourself ten extra minutes and sit with one of these.
Week 1: The little things. What small, ordinary thing did I almost miss this week? What happens in me when I slow down enough to see it?
Week 2: Happening for me. Where is a challenge in my life right now? If it were happening for me, what might it be offering? What is it asking me to become?
Week 3: Letting go of being right. Where did I hold on to being right this week? What did it cost me? What might open if I softened, even slightly? Recall the Gita's picture of the one who bears no hatred toward any being, and see how close or far that feels today.
Week 4: Trust in the unknown. What am I worried about that I cannot control? Can I be grateful, in advance, for what I cannot yet see? Ishvara pranidhana: what would it mean to surrender this to something larger than my plans?
A few gentle reminders
There is no right way to do this. A single line is enough. If you miss a day, simply begin again.
Read back through your pages at the end of the month. Notice what you notice. Notice how your seeing has changed.
And remember Yogi Bhajan's words: if you don't see God in all, you don't see God at all. The practice is simply learning to see.
Share your thank-you
We would love to hear one of your unexpected thank-yous. Share it with us at the Shala, in person or by message (email us or message us on Instagram), and we will let it ripple through the community.
With love and open hands,
Evelyne
Yoga Shala
