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by Lesley Nickleson, RD, IFNCP & Certified Meditation Teacher
Thanksgiving welcomes a beautiful opportunity to pause, reflect and release. It brings a gentle invitation to slow down and reflect. With mindfulness practices, I embrace it as a time to let go of what no longer serves my higher good and to appreciate the season's plentiful bounty of 'reaping what was sown'.
Here are some mindfulness practices that help to honour the season's rhythm of release and gratitude.
Morning Stillness: Setting Intentions with Gratitude and Release
Start the days with moments of stillness. As the sun rises, take a few deep breaths, feeling the coolness of fall and the quiet of the morning. Mentally list three things you are grateful for, allowing each thought to fill you with warmth and peace. As you reflect, ask yourself:
What do I need to release to move forward?
Just as trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter, we too can let go of old thoughts, patterns, or stressors that weigh us down. Visualize what you are ready to release, trusting that this “letting go” will create space for growth and renewal as a new season begins.
Walking with Wonder: Connecting with Nature’s Rhythm of Release
In my Meditation Teacher training, we devoted time to a practice of 'walking with wonder'. I remember feeling that I preferred sitting meditation practices over walking practices. However, to this day I still appreciate and honour this practice and even more so in the fall with all the beautiful changing landscapes.
As you walk outside in Nature, you shift your attention to your senses. You can take on 'sense' at a time. Begin to notice what you see such as the trees changing colours and shedding their leaves. Notice how the cooler air feels on your skin. Bring your attention to what you hear, perhaps the sound of birds or leaves crunching as you step. Reflect on how nature, without resistance, lets go and rests, preparing for renewal. As you walk, ask yourself:
What am I grateful for in this moment?
How can I flow with nature’s rhythm of release and restoration?
Walking in nature is a powerful mindfulness practice. As you practice, your thoughts will naturally begin to wander. When this happens, gently bring them back to one of the senses or to your breath and be present in the here and now.
Practicing Roses & Thorns: Honouring Release & Gratitude
When the time comes to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast, take a moment to reflect upon what you can release and what you can feel gratitude for. When my children were young we used to practice "roses and thorns". Before a special meal, we would go around the table and each of us would share a thorn- something that we really struggled with perhaps that day or during the season, and a rose- something that made us very happy.
What is your thorn and your rose?
In this practice there is no need to judge or fix the thorns, simply to express and thank each person for their sharing.
Mindful Eating: Savouring a Meal with Gratitude
As a Mindfulness-Based Eating Instructor (MB-EAT), I have experienced the powerful shift that mindful eating has in cultivating a positive relationship with food. As you practice, you bring your present moment awareness to the many wondrous aspects of savouring a meal. You begin by taking a moment to notice how food looks, the different colours, the pigments and shapes of food. Notice the aromas that different foods bring. As you place food in your mouth, notice the flavour and how it feels. Is the flavour sweet, savoury or salty? Just notice. As you take each bite what happens to the flavour- does it intensify or become more dull? You simply notice. With mindful eating, you can experience whole new sensations with food that you never had before.
When the time comes to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast, take a moment before the meal to pause and appreciate the food, the company, and the effort that went into the preparation. Invite everyone to share something they are grateful for this season.
Starting a Gratitude Journal: A Practice of Daily Abundance
Thanksgiving is a perfect time to begin a gratitude journal. In 1998, Sarah Ban Breathnach's groundbreaking book Simple Abundance, sparked a movement of gratitude, showing us how reflecting on the simple joys of daily life can lead to profound contentment.
Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk and teacher, has also shared powerful insights into the practice of gratitude. In his work, he reminds us that “It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” His teachings, which you can explore further in his inspiring YouTube video "A Grateful Day," encourage us to see each day as a gift, regardless of the challenges we face.
Starting a gratitude journal is a simple yet transformative practice. Here are a few steps to begin:
Choose a Journal: Find a notebook that feels special to you and you will enjoy writing in
Devote Time: Whether it is daily, weekly or monthly, dedicate regular time for the practice of reflecting upon what you are grateful for
Focus on Feelings: As you write, try to connect with the feelings that arise from being grateful. How does gratitude feel?
Embrace: Whenever you are feeling low, review your gratitude journal to remind yourself of the abundance that exists in your life
Gratitude is more than a feeling— you can cultivate it as a way of seeing the world. A gratitude journal is a life changing practice that trains your mind to focus on the positive, embrace the present moment and nurture a sense of joy.
Meditation Practice: Letting Go
Embracing the invitation to let go of what no longer serves us much like trees that release their leaves to prepare for winter. Practicing mindfulness around letting go can be a powerful tool for emotional and mental well-being.
Here’s a simple meditation and mindfulness practice for releasing:
Find a Quiet Space: Sit in a comfortable position, with your feet grounded and your hands resting on your lap.
Take Deep Breaths: Close your eyes and begin with a few deep breaths. Inhale deeply through your nose, bringing the breath all the way down into your abdomen and then exhaling slowly, letting any tension flow out with your breath.
Visualize What You’re Ready to Release: As you continue breathing deeply, bring to mind something you want to let go of—whether it’s stress, a worry, a fear, or even an old habit. Visualize this burden as a leaf clinging to a tree branch.
Let the Leaf Fall: With each exhale, imagine the leaf gently releasing from the branch and falling to the ground. Watch it fall softly and gracefully, knowing that this act of release is natural and freeing.
Acknowledge the Space Created: As the leaf falls away, notice the empty space that is now available for something new to grow. Embrace this space of possibility with gratitude, knowing that letting go is part of your growth.
Close with Gratitude: Before finishing, take a moment to reflect on something you're grateful for in this moment of release—perhaps the clarity, the lightness, or the peace it has brought you.
This simple practice can be done anytime you feel the weight of something you’re ready to release, helping you align with the natural rhythm of fall and create space for renewal in the season ahead.
This Thanksgiving, as you reflect on what you are grateful for, remember to also honour what you are ready to release. Doing so helps you to flow with the natural rhythms of life.
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