Tula Vida gratitude practice
As many of you know, we have a regular practice at meal times of each saying 1 thing we are grateful for. It encourages us to focus on the good things during the day (training the brain) and also share with each other our personal highlights or things that have touched us, deepening connection and good conversation.
Gratitude is often spoken of as a mindset — something we humans could learn to feel more often or remember to practice. But we also note that in nature, gratitude doesn’t feel forced or performative. It arises naturally, quietly, through small moments of presence.
At Tula Vida, surrounded by horses, open skies, and living landscapes, we are reminded that gratitude isn’t something we chase — it’s something we notice. And it’s easy to do here.
Nature invites us back into relationship with the present moment. And from that place, gratitude begins to grow.
Let your senses lead the way
Taking time to connect with nature gives us many opportunities to practice gratitude using our senses. Instead of being in such a hurry to get through the environment, just stop for a moment and appreciate what exists right in front of you today. Notice how the cool air felt on your skin, how much joy the sound of the wind blowing through the trees brought you or how good it felt to smell the wet earth after it rained.
Being mindful of what is going on around us allows us to experience comfort, beauty and curiosity. As these experiences build, they create a greater overall feeling of support and safety in our daily lives.
And if you are needing a big helping of sensory delights, feel free to explore our upcoming retreats here.
Practice gratitude through stillness, not doing
We often associate gratitude with action — writing lists, setting intentions, or even expressing thanks verbally. While those practices are helpful, nature reminds us that stillness can be just as powerful. Sitting quietly beneath a tree or standing with a horse without expectation teaches us that presence itself is a form of gratitude. And then we name it later (around our dining table named Flow!) to reconfirm it to ourselves.
When you allow yourself to simply be — without needing to fix, improve, or achieve — you begin to feel a deeper appreciation for existence as it is. Horses embody this beautifully. They don’t rush gratitude; they live it through attunement and calm awareness. In their presence, we learn that gratitude doesn’t require effort — only attention.
Notice the ordinary as sacred
Many of the opportunities to feel grateful are found where we tend to miss them. Birds that land near us, the sound of our breathing, the change in how the sun appears during different points in the day, all demonstrate the gentleness of nature as well as how to use what we perceive as “normal” living as a means of expressing gratitude.
A lot of Tula Vida guests discover that their greatest moments of gratitude are the less “dramatic” ones, like walking next to a horse, standing with bare feet on the ground, and laughing with someone at sunset. It is not until we stop and take time to recognize those smaller moments that we are able to live our daily lives with gratitude, instead of reserving these types of thoughts for special occasions.
You might like: How do you know when you’re fully present?
Let nature hold what feels heavy
Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring difficulty. In fact, one of the most healing aspects of nature is that it holds space for all emotions — joy, grief, exhaustion, and hope alike. Sitting with nature during challenging moments allows gratitude to coexist with honesty.
You might find yourself grateful not because things are easy, but because you are supported. The land doesn’t judge your feelings. The horses don’t need you to be anything other than real. In this acceptance, gratitude becomes less about positivity and more about belonging. Sometimes we are simply grateful to be where we are, in that moment, and that is enough.
Create simple rituals of appreciation
Gratitude deepens when it becomes a gentle rhythm rather than a task. You don’t need hours or elaborate practices. Even brief moments — a pause on a walk, a shared glance with a horse, a quiet moment under the sky — can become reminders of how much is already enough. Gratitude grows not from grand gestures, but from consistent presence.
Gratitude as a way of living
When practiced through nature, gratitude becomes less about saying “thank you” and more about how we move through the world. We walk slower. We listen deeper. We soften our expectations. We remember that life is not something to conquer, but something to experience.
Nature teaches us this every day. And when we allow ourselves to meet it with openness, gratitude naturally follows — steady, grounding, and deeply human. Small, subtle, present.
So if you hear someone talking about gratitude practices, or asking what you’re grateful for – you can pause, breathe in and out, and just be grateful for that. That is enough.