Mid-Week Gratitude: What Are Your Relationships Teaching You?

Chris said to me yesterday that this week's journaling theme was easier than the first week; that reflecting on gratitude for relationships flows more naturally for him than reflecting on gratitude for oneself. I thought it would be too, but I've found that when I'm journaling, I can't help but feel that the words are being witnessed; somehow it feels less private and more permanent. Maybe that’s part of the lesson this week: the dynamics of relationships, real or imagined, have a way of showing us who we are. The way we react, connect, or pull back can help us understand what we need, what we value, and how we're changing. This week, try noticing your responses when relating to those around you. Gratitude for our relationships can also come from how they help us understand ourselves.

Warmly,
Karen and Chris
 

Did you miss this week's journaling prompts? Read below.


An Intentional Act of Gratitude for Another

It's time to plan an intentional act of gratitude for someone in your life, present or past. Here are some suggestions:

  • Calling a friend or family member you haven't spoken with in a while.

  • Surprising someone with a gratitude card or a small gift of appreciation.

  • Visiting a memorable place where you can reflect on someone you've lost.

Upcoming Events

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2ND

Listening Walk in təmtəmíxwtən/Belcarra

With Chris and Karen

Join us for a mindful walk through the forest and shoreline at Belcarra, known as təmtəmíxwtən by the Tsleil-Waututh peoples, which invites gratitude for the world around us. We’ll move quietly through nature, pause for a brief meditation, then break the silence to share a snack and conversation on the return walk. Together we’ll practice listening to the land, the sounds, and the simple abundance surrounding us.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7TH

Grounded in Gratitude Wrap-Up Class

With Chris and Karen

Join us for a gentle closing practice that blends mindful movement, reflection, and a guided Metta (loving-kindness) meditation. Together we’ll honour the journey of the past three weeks, share insights, and close with tea and conversation to carry our gratitude forward.

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Daily Journaling Prompts

Here are a few prompts to inspire gratitude journaling about relationships. You can follow them, adapt them, or use your own.

  • Reflect on one small, everyday way someone shows up for you, a gesture you might overlook. How does this support your life?
     
  • Bring to mind a relationship that has challenged you or stirred discomfort. What growth or insight into yourself has emerged from this relationship?
     
  • Reflect on a relationship that feels balanced and reciprocal. How do you each contribute to one another’s growth, and what qualities in this person bring out your best self?

Meditation and Breathing Practices

Gratitude for Relationships: The Changing Nature of Connection
Karen and Chris guide you through alternate-nostril breathing and a heart-centered meditation. You’ll calm the mind, soften inward, and reflect on the changing nature of your relationships, seeing those you love through the eyes of compassion, appreciation, and time. (14 minutes)

From the Inside Out: Practicing Gratitude in Relationships

A healthy relationship is sustained over time by expressing appreciation. It’s a heartfelt, non-transactional way of affirming the importance of a person in your life. And yet, when we grow accustomed to the other's presence and roles, we tend to see them as a fixed parameter.  Our attention is not easily drawn to what we assume to be static; it naturally flows to what we anticipate will change. So when we take someone for granted, we are likely to overlook their actions. Moreso, we may even overlook the changing nature of who they are, another being navigating the transformations of life, just like us.  

Welcome to this week’s theme: Gratitude for Relationships. We’re going to go beyond remembering to say “thank you” and explore the question: what are the grounds for gratitude to flow naturally?

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Nerding Out: The Neuroscience of Embodiment, Empathy, and Gratitude

I’d like to highlight an area of the brain that sits at the intersection of embodiment, emotion, and empathy, which has helped me understand the physical basis for the relationship of gratitude practice in yoga. It’s the insula, which you’ll find by resting your fingertips on your temples, then imagine you were able to press them in about an inch deep into your head, on each side. The insula is involved in interoception, translating signals from inside the body, like heartbeat, breath and gut sensations, into an overall felt sense of how we are.

But that’s not all… the insula is versatile! It’s a key part of the brain’s salience network, which decides what is relevant and meaningful by promoting those signals to the forefront of awareness. This includes events within the body, as well as what we witness around us, such as an expression on another’s face or the sound of a child crying. Essentially, it decides what we should be giving our attention to in a given moment. Given the overlap among the insula’s roles in embodiment, emotion, and attention, it’s no coincidence that when we feel something is important, it's not just a mental pursuit but a visceral response with emotional tone. 

Read the article on our website