Greetings,
I'm Alexis Brightman and I'm so glad you're here.
This meditation is a gentle invitation to come back home to your body,
To this breath,
And to what's still steady and good within you.
Gratitude isn't about pretending that everything is okay.
It's about remembering that even in the midst of uncertainty,
There are still small,
Sacred things holding you up.
Quiet reminders that life,
Even in its imperfection,
Still offers moments of beauty.
So wherever you are right now,
Allow yourself to arrive.
You don't need to change or fix anything.
You don't have to earn your peace.
Just be here.
Take a slow,
Deep inhale through your nose for four counts.
Hold gently for three and exhale through your mouth for six.
Let your shoulders drop.
Let your jaw unclench and let your breath remind you,
I am here.
Gratitude lives in the quiet moments,
The pauses between doing and becoming.
It asks us to notice what's already here instead of what's missing or undone.
Take another slow breath in and out.
Maybe today has been full and fast,
Or maybe it's been heavy and uncertain.
Whatever it's been,
Know this.
You don't need to feel grateful to begin the practice of gratitude.
In fact,
Gratitude is less about emotion and more about awareness.
It's a way of seeing,
A way of saying,
Even here,
Something good still exists.
Let's pause.
Let that truth settle.
Now,
Scan your body gently from the crown of your head,
Down your neck,
Through your shoulders,
Chest,
And stomach.
Notice any tension or tightness.
Breathe into those spaces.
Let your breath soften what's been holding on.
You might silently say to yourself,
Even this moment is worthy of gratitude.
Because here,
In the rhythm of your breath,
You are alive.
You are becoming.
You are enough.
There's an old story about a small village that lost power one winter night.
The entire town fell into darkness and the people began to panic.
But one by one,
Families began lighting the small lanterns they kept in their homes.
The light was faint at first,
Barely reaching beyond their windows.
But as each home kindled its flame,
The entire village began to glow again.
No single lantern was enough to end the darkness,
But together they created something beautiful.
Gratitude works the same way.
It doesn't erase what's difficult,
But each small recognition,
Each whisper of thank you,
Adds a little more light to the room.
You might not be able to see everything clearly yet,
But light,
No matter how small,
Reminds you that hope still exists.
Take a slow inhale,
Hold,
And exhale softly.
Now bring to mind one small lantern in your life.
Something or someone that has helped you keep going.
Maybe it's the resilience that got you through a hard season.
Maybe it's a person who always listens.
Maybe it's your morning coffee,
Your laughter,
Your breath.
Whatever it may be,
Let that image fill you.
Breathe it in.
I am grateful for what steadies me.
Exhale,
I release what I cannot control.
The practice of gratitude doesn't ask us to deny pain.
It asks us to hold both the ache and the awe,
And to trust that life can contain them both at once.
When we practice gratitude,
We strengthen our capacity to see clearly.
To remember that even when life feels uncertain,
There are constants that don't leave us.
Our breath,
Our capacity for kindness,
Our ability to begin again.
Over time,
Gratitude reshapes the way we meet the world.
It shifts us from scarcity to sufficiency,
From what's missing to what's meaningful.
And it reminds us that joy doesn't have to be loud to be real.
Take a few breaths with that truth.
Inhale for four,
I am open to what is good.
Hold for three,
I receive this moment with ease.
Exhale for six,
I am grateful for what remains.
As we close,
Place a hand over your heart.
Feel its rhythm,
Steady,
Loyal,
And alive.
This is your constant companion.
A reminder that you don't have to search far to find something to be grateful for.
Whisper softly to yourself,
I have enough in this moment.
I am enough in this moment.
This moment is enough.
Take one final breath in,
Letting gratitude expand in your chest,
And a long gentle exhale,
Releasing any expectation of how life should be.
You are here,
You are breathing,
And that in itself is something to be grateful for.
Thank you for sharing this moment with me.
May gratitude meet you in the smallest moments,
In laughter,
In stillness,
In breath.
And may you remember that every ordinary moment holds something quietly extraordinary,
Waiting to be noticed.
Until next time,
Be well.
