The Gratitude Project – a week of practices to manifest your dreams

By Joleen Lunjew, of Asia Pacific Yoga

Gratitude. What a simple practice. Yet, so powerful. 

My partner Steve and I have always practiced gratitude. If you’ve been on one of Asia Pacific Yoga Teacher Trainings or dinners with us, you know that we’ll always practice ‘joyasana’ before eating – our way of saying thank you for our meal and all the things that we are grateful for. 

I recently came across a book The Magic by Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret) at a book fair at our local library and decided to pick it up. I believe in the ‘Law of Attraction’ and have been using the ideas behind The Secret since my 20s. 

The theme of manifestation focuses on manifesting your desired life via the practice of Gratitude. I’ve taken the liberty of choosing my favourite 7 gratitude practices for this article and modifying them so that you can practice each one for each day of the week, beginning Monday. The practices are pretty simple but quite powerful. After you’ve finished the week, just repeat it again!

I truly believe that when you start practicing gratitude daily, the magic starts to happen. Changes in life will surprise you, effortlessly.

What is it you truly desire?

Before we start the project, you need to first get clear on what you REALLY want in your life. What are your dreams? What is it that you want to manifest? 

Write down under each category, your wants and desires. Don’t worry if it seems far fetched or unachievable at this moment. If there were no limitations, write down what it is that you truly desire – the little things, the big things, what you want in this moment, this year, or in the future. 

Health and Body
Relationships
Career / Work / Life’s Purpose
Money
Personal Desires
Material Things

Once you are clear on the things you want, the Universe can start to deliver. Get ready for an exciting ride ahead!

Your Gratitude Week

It will be more powerful if you say why you are grateful for the item instead of just listing it. For example, ‘thank you for my car so that I have the freedom of driving anywhere I please’ or ‘thank you for my garden because it provides us with food’. 

Re-read your list and feel immense gratitude for all that you have in your life. When repeating next week, change the list of things you are grateful for.

Magic Stone
Find a magic rock that resonates with you and place it by your bedside. It could be any rock or stone from your garden or a crystal that represents something that you would like to attract more of. 

Before going to sleep tonight, hold your magic stone and recall and be grateful for all the things that happened that day. Find the best thing that you’re grateful for and say the magic words – ‘thank you’. Place the stone back by your bedside.   

Tuesday

Magical Health
I’ve put health near the beginning because I believe health is the most precious thing in life, and a lot of us take it for granted. We typically only appreciate health when we fall sick. Even when we are living with illness or disability, we can be grateful for the ways our body does hold our life. 

When you wake, think about every part of your body. Your legs – how they support you as you walk. Your hands, they help you create things. Your internal organs – how they function without you even thinking of them. Your senses – what would your world be without them! Your trillions of cells, each working unceasingly 24/7. Your brain – your powerhouse of function, thoughts and memories. Your heart – your life force that keeps beating even when you sleep. Say thank you to each part of your body, and for the health, vitality, strength, flexibility and mobility that allow you to move smoothly through life.   

Do this at least 4 times throughout the day. 

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

Wednesday

Magical Relationships
Choose 3 people close to you and find a picture of them, with or without you in it. Hold one picture and say thank you for everything that person has done for you. Feel grateful for the person they are, how they have supported you or how they have shaped your life. Do that with the other 2 pictures. Take as long as you like with each picture. 

Keep the pictures in your wallet or phone and look at these pictures at least 3x today, each time saying thank you to the person for all they have done. 

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

Thursday

Magical Work
Whether you’re employed or not, everyone works – be it for money, or the simple ongoing work of maintaining your life. As you go about work today, think about all the people who have made this work easier. If you are employed, be grateful that you have a job! 

From the people who made the tools and utensils you use, your computers, your desk, your chair, to the delivery people and cleaners who keep the office tidy and clean. Be thankful for your co-workers, your clients, your customers, your managers, your bosses, your employees. Be grateful for the projects you are working on, responsibilities entrusted to you, or services that you can provide for others. 

If you are a stay-at-home parent, be grateful that you can spend these precious times with your children as they grow up and grateful that you have a house to manage and keep. 

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

Friday

Money Magic
Feeling grateful for money when you don’t have much can be challenging. If you are feeling worried or angry, you are coming from a place of scarcity. Nothing will change until you change your feelings about money and the best way to start is to feel grateful for what money you do or did have. 

Think back to your childhood. Did you have food to eat? Did you have everything you needed for school? Were you given presents as a child? How did you travel to school? Did you have clothes as you grew quickly from one size to the next? Did you have a bed to sleep in? Did you watch TV, use lights, electricity and water?

All of these cost money and you received them! Be grateful for each memory because when you feel sincere gratitude for the money you’ve received in the past, your money will magically increase in the future. It is the Universal Law. 

Take any dollar note (I used a $20 note while Steve chose $50) and write a sticker that you place on it.

Thank you for all the money I’ve been given throughout my life 

Or

Thank you for the financial abundance I have and will receive

Or

Thank you for blessing me with financial abundance. Money comes to me easily and continuously.

Or any monetary message that resonates with you. 

Carry the note with you. Look at it at least 3 times today, read your words and feel truly grateful for the money you’ve been given and will have in your life. 

Make another copy of your note and stick it somewhere that you will see, like the fridge, your dresser, your work station or in your car. Each time you see it, read the words and feel grateful for the money that will flow into your life.   

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

Saturday

Magic Desires
Today is all about feeling gratitude about personal achievements, experiences or people you desire. Maybe you would like to play the piano, dance in Italy, or sail around the world. Maybe you want to do what you love for a living, find your perfect partner, start a family or travel around the world.

To do this, you have to visualise that you already have what you want and feel grateful that you are living your dream. 

If you are wanting a child, visualise holding your new baby for the first time, smelling their newborn smell. Feel the soft blanket wrapped around them. See yourself putting them into the car seat to take them home from the hospital.    

Maybe you want to be in a new relationship. Visualise the type of person you want, their physical shape as well as their character, down to the last detail. Taste the delicious food as you have a romantic dinner with them. Feel their hand in yours as you stroll down the street under the moonlight.

Or maybe it’s something fun like touring with your rock band performing to thousands all around the world, acting in blockbuster movies, being a celebrity model or a travel host. 

Whatever your desires are, visualise yourself experiencing them and feel immense gratitude that the universe has granted you everything you dreamed of.   

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

Sunday

Magic Things
End the week with the most fun practice of all – gratitude for Material Things. You could take it easy and start small like your next designer outfit, your new phone, next car or your next house. The Magic Things practice is similar to Magic Desires in which you have to visualise that you already have what you want and feel grateful for having it. 

See yourself in that designer outfit you’ve been eyeing. The softness of its material against your skin. How it makes you feel when you strut around in it. Visualise carrying that handbag or wearing that watch you’ve been wanting. Those designer shoes that fit snugly on your feet. Feel grateful that you have them all. 

See the colour of your car, the smell of its newness as you enter your car for the first time. Hear the sound of your engine as you shift it into gear and drive it away from the dealer. Feel the wind in your hair with the windows down. You get the picture. Say thank you for being able to drive the car you desire. 

See yourself already having what you desire and feel immense gratitude that the universe has granted you everything you want.   

Magic Stone
Repeat the Magic Stone practice before you go to sleep. 

There you have it. One simple practice for each day of the week. 

Personalise each practice then copy and paste them into your calendar and set a weekly reminder each morning to do the day’s practice. Do the Gratitude Project for at least a month and you will find that your mindset and your view of the world will start to change as well. 

Our personal experience
Since practicing the project, we have filled up our March yoga teacher training and been getting bookings and enquiries for the other Asia Pacific Yoga YTT dates as well.

We have also been practicing the Magic Stone practice with our 3 year old in which we ask him in bed each night what he wants to be thankful for. He’s very excited to give both of us our personal magic stones as he holds his in bed and think of all the wonderful things and experiences he has done that day. What a wonderful practice of gratitude to instill so young. 

Joleen Lunjew is a dedicated yoga teacher and practitioner passionate about encouraging and inspiring people to be the best they can be through movement, breath, wellness, diet and a holistic, mindful approach to life. 

Yoga Alliance E-RYT500 certified, Joleen currently co-teaches with Steve at Asia Pacific Yoga Teacher Trainings, focusing on the practical asanas, alignment, adjustments and teaching methodology. She teaches Ashtanga (Mysore style and LED), Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin and Restorative. She is also a certified Les Mills Body Balance instructor.

Joleen’s Asia Pacific Yoga teacher trainings are featured, alongside other reputable NZ-based trainings, in our NZ Yoga Teacher Training Guide 2024.