Circle Of Friends Gratitude Practice

Have you ever gone to the bathroom with a group of girls, only to hear a slew of negativity as you fix your hair, check out your booty or apply more lip-gloss? We don’t even give ourselves a chance, before we start to judge ourselves solely based on our appearance. We convince ourselves that if we judge ourselves first, the other person won’t get a chance, + somehow that is better.

What if we flipped this idea on its head?

What if every time we went to the bathroom with our girlfriends, we decided to instantly compliment ourselves + one another? This is one form of a gratitude practice, + great news, it doesn’t actually require a bathroom.

This practice was introduced to me by one of my teacher trainees in Fall of 2017. She shared that before her + her friends went out for the night, they would sit in a circle + express gratitude for each other. Naturally we tried it during teacher training, + by the end we were all crying. You can do this with a small group, a large group, or even at family gatherings. What if for Christmas, you gave everyone the gift of love + gratitude?

Here’s how it works:

#1] Sit in a circle with your friends.
#2] One friend starts. Perhaps you start as you’re the one leading the exercise, or maybe you spin the bottle to decide!
#3] The friend who starts chooses one person from the group, looks them in the eyes + shares why they are grateful for that person!
#4] They may or may not cry [every reaction is valid!] #5] They then continue the circle of gratitude. They choose a different person + share their gratitude for that individual.
#6] The circle continues until everyone has expressed gratitude + received gratitude.

It’s a simple practice with profound effects. It could also be expanded or simplified based on the setting. If you need a quick uplift, everyone could say one nice thing about the other. If you’re looking for team bonding, then maybe each person speaks a little longer. The key is to be open, vulnerable, + speak from the heart. You may be surprised at who you pick or who picks you!