Gathering in Gratitude: Coming Home to Your Body This Holiday Season

As we move into the holiday season, emotions can feel heavier, louder, and more complicated than they look on the outside. In today’s special Thanksgiving episode, I sat down with two of my pod sisters, Kena and Jennifer, for a warm, honest, and deeply grounding conversation about gratitude, body awareness, boundaries, and the truth of what the holidays bring up for so many of us.

Together, we explore:

• Why gratitude is a year-round practice—not a one-day event
• How to listen to your body before the holiday chaos begins
• What it means to “observe, not absorb” during family gatherings
• How to return to your center when you feel overwhelmed
• The power of micro-moments, breathwork, tapping, and body scans
• Why honoring your feelings is essential (especially during the holidays)
• How to set boundaries with love, clarity, and self-respect
• The importance of choosing your energy and intentions each morning
• Letting go of expectations and giving yourself permission to be human

This heartfelt conversation is full of grounding tools and gentle reminders that you can return home to yourself—anytime, anywhere.

Whether you're excited, anxious, grieving, overloaded, or somewhere in between… you are not alone. You get to move through this season at your own pace, with your own presence, and with as much softness as you need.

You can follow my Beautiful pod sisters at:

Kena Siu : https://www.instagram.com/midlifebutterfly/

Jennifer Chambers : https://www.instagram.com/j_b_chambers/

You can find me at:
https://www.instagram.com/cataton/
https://www.facebook.com/casey.taton/

You can find what sparks me at:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AgeRtyojY/
https://www.instagram.com/lmbdcelebrations/

Music by: Jason and Ashley Scheufler
Artwork by: https://www.instagram.com/graphx_ink/

Transcript

0:04

Hey friends. Welcome to the Enter Spark podcast. I'm your host, Casey Caton. If you're looking to hear stories of transformation and personal growth, this podcast is for you. My guest and I will be sharing those sparking moments that has changed the mental living a more fulfilling authentic life. I'm so excited for you to hear each unique story. So sit back, relax, and let's get started. Hey friends. Welcome back to the Enter Spark podcast. I'm your host, Casey Taton. Today I am talking about the holidays. It's really been weighing on my heart and. Last year I didn't have my podcast out and going, and I wanted to talk about just the holidays and the pressure and all the feelings that just come along with the holidays. And the holidays are not always happy for everyone. The holidays can be a very difficult time for a lot of people. It comes with being able to set boundaries, you know, some people. Have lost family members. Some people don't have a family, and you know, we just, the honest truth is we don't know what's going on in anyone else's life, what they've been through. If they celebrate the holidays, you and here in the us you know, Thanksgiving is a. Big deal. It's talked about the after part of it, the black Freddy shopping, we call it here in the us and just all of it together. And it was really just weighing on my heart of what does Thanksgiving mean to me? What does it feel like? And I want to just acknowledge that wherever you're at today. I want you just to know that you're enough, right where you are, and that I love you just as you are. Whatever your holidays look like, just go into him with an open mind. No caring, no judgment. Just be present. And just be grateful. I actually sent my pod sisters a message we were going to meet today and about two minutes before we were gonna meet, I said, Hey, would anybody like to record with me? We'll just do a short segment on the holidays and what it means to us, and I hope you love this conversation. As you're getting ready for Thanksgiving, as you're getting ready for whatever this day has for you, whenever you're listening to it, I just really, truly hope you love this conversation that I got to have with my pod sisters. And right off the bat, you'll hear, uh, a little blooper of, of me laughing, and that's truly what my processors are about. We have so much fun together. And we get to dig into the deep conversations, the feelings, the emotions, just the real raw truth of life. And I knew it would be a great conversation just to have with them. So I'm thanking them so much because I really gave them like a two minute notice of like, Hey, can we record today? This has been weighing on my heart. And so stay tuned. Here it is, and I hope you enjoy and love this conversation as much as I do. Hey friends, sorry. This is Casey T, your host, and I have with me today my pot sisters, Kasu and Jen Chambers, and we were just having a beautiful conversation. We were talking about getting ready for the holidays and what the holidays feel like. So we just wanna share with you our thoughts on the holidays and what it feels like and how we each have our own beliefs, our own thoughts, and how we just connect with what that really means to each of us and how it really fills. I'll just start. First of all, we talk about gratitude a lot and I think we associate Thanksgiving with gratitude and being grateful and it is something that we work on all year long. And I don't think it's just a one time thing. I think it's just truly tapping into. The love we all get to share with each other and gratitude for the world, gratitude for all the things we do. That is really what gratitude means to me is not just a one time, let's celebrate the holidays and really bring awareness to it. Then it's really about bringing it all year round. Does anyone wanna say how they feel about gratitude? Cana? Yeah, I do agree. It's. I think it's a practice., I do gratitude. I practice gratitude during my whole day, like since I wake up, like, thank you. Like I can feel my body and then I actually. Offer gratitude for, you know, like my shoes and they're my legs and my belly and you know, I do a full scan and then also like, yeah, I'm alive again and I, and then I'm grateful for the water that I am drinking.'cause the water is life. You know, I'm putting some love in there. I feel so grateful having this conversations with you ladies, right now. And I also give gratitude every time. Well, most of the time when I eat. Being grateful, not just for having the food there, but for everyone behind who made that possible, you know, and then also being grateful for the weather, whatever it is. But that's, mother nature is cyclical and so it's, it's really cool. I guess it's a way of seeing life because the more I practice, the more gratitude and more grateful I can be every moment. Uh, I love that you just said that it's really about being grateful for every moment and that you acknowledge that it's a practice. Yes. Yeah. Jen, do you wanna share? Yeah, that's really keena. I love that because the thing that's really hard about gratitude is that sometimes we always get down on ourselves because we don't feel grateful enough. I think about that all the time actually. I was actually talking to my therapist the other day and he was like, but I feel like you are really excellent in noticing the small things in life. And he calls those, and I've heard it called glimmers other places. And I mean, that's the way that I. Think that I'm practicing gratitude more often is noticing those small moments, like really tiny moments like having a cat on your lap or a really excellent cup of tea, or a gorgeous sunset, or the fact that you got the wordle in two instead of five, or you know, just these little things. I think those are less intimidating to me than like, oh, I have to be grateful for everything in my whole life. And yes, I am of course, but I don't feel it unless I really take the time to notice, because I don't necessarily practice in that way that Kena does. And I, and I really want to. I like that. So I guess the micro moments is how I'm practicing it more right now. Hmm. That is so good. I think it's, um. It all comes down to a practice. Mm-hmm. That even though we're each practicing it, I do daily meditations, I write a gratitude journal and mm-hmm. And so we're each practicing it in different ways, but just that we're also aware of gratitude. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And it's not just a one day thing. Mm-hmm. It's truly like, this is how we live. Yes, and I love what Kena said about doing this scan. That's something that I have gotten out of the practice of doing, but I think that's a really easy way to tap into that because I am so incredibly grateful for the fact that I can walk. I mean, for me, that's a bigger deal than most people because there was a long time when I couldn't, you know, but like, just the fact that my feet move, the fact that I'm able to do things for myself that I never thought that I could do, you know, the. I think that having that daily scan of those things helps you remember to be grateful for the bigger things. Definitely. Yeah. I agree with you. I'll tell this story later on another podcast about me falling but it was just so much gratitude of the people that helped me. Mm-hmm. And for my mom helping me shower when I couldn't get my knee wet with stitches. And it's just gratitude of our health. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, there was so many like Thanksgivings and holidays that I wasn't able to attend before. And so I really love what Cana said about really just checking in with your body and doing the body scan. Mm-hmm. Um, Cana would you talk about that? Yeah, sure. Well, I usually start with the, with my toes. Like I, so once I wake up still, like under the blankets or the sheets and just start like wiggling, you know, my toes, and then like, oh yeah, still, you know, like moving and then feeling the heels and then shaking a bit the legs and just being grateful, like, okay, still functioning, you know, and then shaking also, you know, with. With my womb and my belly and uh, my chest. And then sometimes I put my heart in, you know, uh, my hand over my heart and I'm saying, yeah, still there, you know? Mm-hmm. Still be eating there and then go checking with the shoulders. And then, well, for me, because usually when I am stressed is, that's what I get, the heaviness in my shoulder. So it is like. Also noticing there, okay, so how am I feeling now that I'm awake and having the presence and also like moving the arms and then okay, and then the neck and, okay, what's going on Also in, in my head and being grateful the same time like for my eyes. And like sometimes I focus more on the on one thing, sometimes focus more on that and another thing, but it's just that connection with the body. Before doing anything else'cause that connection with ourselves, that's the most important one. We gotta meet ourselves first, so then we can meet the world outside once we get out of bed. Oh, I love that so much. Uh, that's exactly, that's, I was thinking the same thing. I do that with my yoga practice. You know, you, you feel more at home with yourself when you're grateful for your physical. Person and in my yoga practice, like being, being able to tap into your own presence. It's, and really feel where you're at and feel grateful that your legs hold you up and that, you know, I think that's a wonderful way to think about it. Kena to, to really, it all starts with the body. It does. Mm-hmm. It's so powerful that you know, just brought it up of. We think about gratitude about other things, but really it starts within ourselves. Mm-hmm. And just from the moment we open our eyes of being grateful and just, I love how you just shared, I kind of put you on the spot there, so thank you. I'm just like, it's okay. My pleasure. Thank you. That's why I wanted you to share it because if you would see her, she's like lighting up talking about it. And so it's like as you walked us through it, it was like I could feel myself. Oh, are my shoulders getting tense? Like mm-hmm. You know, when you talk about certain things, but it's all becomes within us and so we can be grateful for all the things outside us, but if we're not grateful for our own bodies mm-hmm. And everything, that's really where it all starts. Mm-hmm. And I wanna add something. Uh, this practice, I just started it in, I don't know, in the last, uh, weeks. Really tapping it into how I want to feel during the day. Mm-hmm. So I'm still there. I know the sound of my alarm. Uh, I just make it a song and like, it's done. It's done. You know, it's done. That's what my alarm is telling me when it rings off in the morning. So it's like, what? It's done, it's done that I'm feeling good today. It's done this dream that I'm having over here. It's done. This other thing that I want to achieve, you know? So just by, ah, you know, feeling all the chills before getting out of bed and saying, yeah, like this is possible and filling up my body with this energy of positivism most of the time. Yeah, sometimes it's not, but it's like, and it's okay too. You know, accepting whatever emotions are happening there, but most of the time, like getting into this, idea of Yeah, it's possible., This body was given by source, you know, by God, whatever you want to call it, and it's welcome to do everything and it's about tapping into possibility and not limitation. Mm. Mm-hmm. It's what you choose. To pay attention to Exactly. Before getting out of bed. Right, right. Yeah. Choosing to tap into the feelings of positivity and possibility. Mm-hmm. Rather than, yeah, my, you know, my ankle hurts and yes, that also happens, but allowing space for all the things and pay attention to the things that way you're projecting the energy towards the stuff that you want. I love that. And projecting the allergy to the day. Right, right, right. Things are gonna happen. They're always gonna happen. But at least if we start with that intention, we did that attitude. Mm-hmm. The day is gonna approach us differently because we have already another, you know. The energy. We are energy. So if our energy is projecting that the good things are gonna happen, most likely that's what we're gonna get. Or if we, you know, stumble or something, then we're gonna be calling to, okay, that happened. Somebody pissed you off, you get centered again. Or, oh, you are sad. Okay, but the, let's get centered again. And then just coming back to that kind of intention that we are setting since, we wake up. I love that so much that you just acknowledge that we set the intention even if wake up feeling like we're aware maybe they have this ache or pain, but we just mm-hmm. You know, refocus on what we wanna focus, that we actually have the choice mm-hmm. To start our day, how we wanna start it. Mm-hmm. And that you brought it back to center of like how people are gonna piss us off during the day. Mm-hmm. And that's, I think, huge, like. Especially when we're talking about going into the holidays, there's all the added extra stress and things aren't always gonna go the way you want, but you have the choice to come back to you at any point during the day. I have to share something really quick, my tip for that, and it works in the holidays for me. Um, because yeah, there's gonna be those moments where there's gonna be one person that's annoying or, you know, something happens during your day, especially in the holidays when you're, everybody's expectations are high. Um, and it's easy. But my trick is, if I can't like physically leave. The room that is happening. I just really quietly, I do the tapping. I'll tap on my, um, my chest or I'll tap on my, lower arm. Or I can even tap on my thigh. I'm at the dinner table and somebody says something that's really infuriating. Oh, and tapping brings me back. And then also just taking a couple deep breaths wherever I'm at. It's always a good reminder to me that yes, I can come back to myself. And yes, I have these values, these boundaries that I've already set, and that helps for me. Preparing and having those kinds of things in place is so helpful. I love that, Jen. And as you said, we come back to the body, right? We're in control. So just noticing, okay, this is happening, this is happening. And it's like, again, choosing from there, just taking a bit deep breath and don't get attached to whatever conversation or whatever they're saying because Right. You know, you choose. Mm-hmm. And say, you know, I better just keep quiet. I'm okay. I'm okay. And just, you know. Yeah. Yeah. The awareness of it. Mm-hmm. Like just becoming I think we're all so aware. So if anybody's listening and they are like not aware, I think that's the first thing is be aware of your own thoughts and remember like you're in control of your own body and your own self.'cause I love what Jen just shared of just the power of stopping to breathe. Just without of tapping. You can do that anywhere. And it, I think it's just so important that we remember that it's that, you know, when we go to places, there's so many people and it's like, yeah, we can be positive and all this, but if something happens and we get triggered, it's not them, it's us. And it's like coming back home to ourselves and knowing like, okay, this is. Making my body get tense, the awareness and then bringing it back home. And that, you know, Jen just gave us great examples of how to do that. How to just come back home to ourselves and it's no huge extreme thing like anybody can do these things. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's toughening to that awareness. Mm-hmm. And then, and remember that we are the observer. You know, it's, yeah, it's our dots. Yes. Yeah, your dots, but you are not your dots. Just observe them. That's it. And as you observe your dots, observe other people too. I love this, quote. It says Observe, don't absorb. Ooh. And we tend to then absorb what other people are saying or how they are acting and stuff. But no, it's not up to us. Just observe them and that's it. And that kind of, if you think about it, it kind of, um. Yeah, since the holidays and stuff. With that saying, I mean, that quote is like creating a little like energetic, uh, shield around you that's saying, yeah, no, I'm in here. I'm in control of myself, not the other people. So I'm just gonna observe them and whatever they are saying, or, you know, I don't want to get involved with that. I'm just gonna listen and it's okay. I'm observing, not observing, and it makes the difference a lot. Beautiful. I'm gonna like tattoo that on my thigh or something. That's amazing. Or at least write it on a sticky note and put it in front of my door. That'd very good reminder, like before you leave, observe, don't absorb. Observe. Exactly. That is so good. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. I know that we could carry on forever, but I just wanted to do a little short episode on. Just gratitude as we're walking into the holidays, into the end of the year, but really just how this practice is used all year for all of us, and I am so, so thankful for each of you. My pod sisters are seriously the best blessing in my life, and I love that we can celebrate each other. We can talk about, all the things we're going through in life and just. We're all aware of coming back home to ourselves and we get to share things like this. So I just wanna thank you for, talking about gratitude with us. Mm. If we could all say a closing thought. My closing thought today for any listeners would just be let go of the expectations. Just live in the moment. Just truly be present wherever you're at and let go of the outcome. Like whatever it's meant to be is gonna be, and you get to choose to be grateful for where you're at. Do either of you wanna share something? I would say that it's okay to, um, it's okay to feel the feelings where you're at no matter what during the holidays and honor that, honor yourself and remember that you can come back at any minute to what boundaries you've set for yourself and. That it's just so important to me. It's so important to me to that, like I said earlier, pre planning that out for me, knowing what I will accept and what I won't, and the energy level that I'll accept and that I won't, and knowing that you can remove yourself at any time. You got to do what's right for you. Love that. Yeah. Well, just to compliment whatever, you know, you, you lady said, talking about boundaries. I think it's good. We usually know when we deal with certain person like what may happen, so just. Kind of like, think about it, okay, this might happen with this person. Okay? So just think about how would you like to act the next time? So in a way, you are prepared. Mm-hmm. That, okay? This person might say something and it might actually trigger me. How do I want to act? Do I want to keep quiet? Do I want to leave the room? Do I want to say politely? Okay. That's your point of view. I respect it, but I, I, I don't like it, you know, like I respect it, but this is my portfolio. Mm-hmm. Like, yeah, doing those kind of practices in the mind, because we usually, our minds usually do that, right? They are like, okay, what's gonna happen? And that's what we get, uh, all these, um, anxiety because we move to that future. So that's what Casey, what she said about staying present, that's important. Mm-hmm. But then our mind is always playing us because we're playing in that future. So if you're gonna play that future, then make a mental plan of what can happen so you can set the boundary in advance. Mm-hmm. So that's my take. Love that. Love that. I love that so much too. Yeah. I wanna thank you guys so, so much for. Just being here and all your gratitude and just awareness and just all the things we can share with each other. And if anyone is listening, I guess here's another final note is that I know that we're all talking about all these positive things, but we are all human as well, and we have all experienced, we experienced the ups and downs and we share it together, and I think that's really important to acknowledge like. I think, and one of you guys even said about, we can remove ourselves to different things, but it's okay to fill your feelings. And so just as you're going through these days, I mean, and really the whole thing of this is, is you get to make it a lifelong practice. And so even though we're doing this right before the holidays, it becomes really a lifelong practice that we get to carry with us every single day. Yeah. I have so much gratitude for you guys. I love you all so much. I love you. Y'all too. You too. Thank you for having us. Thank you. Thank you for tuning into another episode. I hope today's story inspired you to embrace your own journey of growth and change. Remember, transformation isn't always easy, but it's always worth it. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe. Share it with a friend, and leave a review. If you found something that sparked you in this episode and may spark a friend, I encourage you to go share with them. If you have your own story you would like to share, I would love to hear it. So please reach out to me. Until next time, friends, go have some fun and let those sparks lie.