Three Years In, and What Gratitude Actually Does

Gratitude can sound like a greeting-card idea. The research behind it is more practical than that.

What the studies found

In a series of studies published in 2003, psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough asked some participants to regularly write down things they were grateful for, while others listed daily hassles. The gratitude groups felt better about their lives and were more optimistic. College students who kept gratitude lists exercised more. Among adults living with chronic health conditions, those who wrote down what they were thankful for reported sleeping longer and waking more refreshed. Grateful participants were also more likely to help others.

None of it required a retreat or an app. It required a pen and a few minutes.

A practice that fits a full week

• Pick one moment you already have. Sunday evening, the end of your commute, the last sip of coffee. Attach the habit to something that already happens.

• Write three lines, and make them specific. "The colleague who covered my meeting" lands harder than "my job."

• Include one person. Then, when you can, tell them.

• Keep it small enough to keep. Three lines you write every week beat a full page you write once.

Our list, three years in

This November, VAI turns three, and our own list is long.

Our guests, first. Thank you for every visit, every referral and every friend you've brought through our doors, and for trusting us with your training seasons, travel weeks, wedding weekends and well-earned afternoons off.

Our partners, too: AURA Skin Studio, Body on Earth Wellness, Club Pilates Crown Hill, HERMVMT, HOTWORX, I Do Bridal, Princess & Bear Wines, Soul Healing Collective and Varner Candle Co., with a warm welcome to our newest partner, Jetset Pilates. And to the companies that have brought VAI into their offices and events, thank you.

Our thank-you to you

• A gift for every member: choose a complimentary energy session at Body on Earth Wellness, a wine tasting at Princess & Bear Wines, or a $75 VAI gift card. Join in November, and the gift is yours too.

• Candle and calm: a complimentary guided meditation download with every Varner Candle Co. candle.

• The anniversary giveaway: every November guest is automatically entered. Prizes, drawn November 30, include an NAD+ 100mg boost with your next IV, a Jetset Pilates class pack, B12 injection trios and VAI swag bags.

Offers end November 30. Gifts must be redeemed by February 28, 2027. Medical clearance required.

Here's to year four.