n my life, Thanksgiving is so much more than a ghee-basted turkey roasting in the oven, double-baked potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I mean it is those things, and a dozen friends and family members around the table, but after India, Thanksgiving feels like a state. A state of mind, a state of heart. Something I can experience any time, something we all can. 

It’s like being gently set down into the quiet ease of the moment. Sometimes it takes a moment of closed eyes, and a sigh, a soft surrender to the here and now. Then I feel that acceptance, and forgiveness, that a simple okay-ness. In that softness, I remember. I trust. I allow. And with another slow, easy sigh, I’m naturally in the state of Thanksgiving. 

Yes, there are always problems. There’s always something we want. But a quiet turning inward, and the miracle of a soft sigh, maybe two, deeply in and out of the mouth… it really does relax shoulders, our heart, even the belly. With eyes still closed, we get that little chance to remember: we’re okay, it’s all okay. We are held. We are loved. 

If you know me, you know this is the same quiet we share at Surya… a reminder that well-being isn’t something far away. It’s inside, waiting for our attention. We can find it in a breath. A sigh. A small turning inward that reconnects us to a love we can feel, a love we can give.

So as we gather at our Thanksgiving tables this year, maybe try one gentle breath together before the meal begins. It can soften something inside. It can open the space where gratitude lives.

If you try it, write and tell me. I love knowing how it is for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!