Hey and welcome to this Beginner's Gratitude Meditation.
Practicing gratitude can help you shift your focus from negativity to positivity and this has been proven.
It's been proven that we can foster ourselves more emotional resilience and things like contentment and overall well-being.
Which is great,
Yeah?
But it's worth noting that gratitude can feel really hard at first,
Especially during difficult times.
So today we're going to take this meditation really slowly and gently.
And know that you can feel grateful for something that's really tiny and small.
And even if you notice just for one breath,
This is enough.
Go gently with yourself today and meet yourself exactly where you are.
Begin by finding yourself a comfortable position.
You can sit,
Lie down or stand.
Just make sure that you find somewhere that your body feels supported.
Take a slow easy breath in and a gentle breath out.
Allowing your shoulders to soften.
Inviting your face to relax.
Allow yourself to arrive just as you are.
And beginning to notice your body now.
Bring attention to the feeling of your body being supported.
The ground beneath your feet.
The chair beneath your legs.
Or the sense of being held wherever your body meets the support beneath you.
Finding your breath.
The natural rhythm of your breath in and out.
Without needing to change it.
And maybe you can even begin to appreciate this moment.
This pause.
These special moments out that you have taken for yourself.
To meet yourself exactly where you are.
And let's begin to expand that out.
Resting your awareness on something simple that feels okay,
Neutral or possibly even mildly pleasant.
So this might be the support beneath you.
A blanket.
The steadiness of the floor.
Maybe the soft light in the room.
Or the quiet sense of being held by the space around you.
If nothing stands out,
That's completely fine.
Resting with whatever is here.
And that alone is enough.
And you might quietly whisper inside,
This is enough.
And I am enough.
And if it feels comfortable to expand this out a little further,
Bring to mind one small thing from your day or your life you could appreciate.
Make sure it's simple and gentle.
Maybe a warm drink.
Or maybe you could appreciate the fresh air that you are breathing.
Maybe a smile or a friendly message.
You could bring to mind the appreciation of a pet or a child.
Or a soft blanket or a moment of peace.
So when you've found one thing that you can appreciate,
Stay with that just for a few breaths.
And if nothing comes,
Stay with the breath and allow that to support you.
If something has appeared,
Repeat softly,
Thank you,
I appreciate this.
Maybe repeating thank you or I appreciate you or this.
Letting the words be gentle with no force or pushing.
A quiet acknowledgement.
And noticing how your body feels as you rest with this one small piece of gratitude.
As you feel into the gratitude,
How does this affect your body?
There could be some warmth or some softening around the edges.
And remembering it's okay if nothing changes.
This is a beginner's gratitude practice and it can take time.
Just being here is enough.
And remembering that gratitude practice does not have to be big.
Even the smallest flicker of appreciation can bring softness to a day.
And this is the seed that can expand and grow.
So as we begin to close for today,
Allowing yourself to have one more soft easy breath.
Feeling your breath and the steadiness of this moment and the support beneath you.
Before moving your body and gently opening your eyes or lifting your gaze.
And carry this softness with you for the rest of the day.
Knowing that gratitude grows slowly and naturally in it's own time.
And it all begins with the smallest of things.
Well done.
Namaste and thank you for joining me.
Have a good day and bye for now.
