This meditation is an invitation to appreciate something we often take for granted.
Being alive.
So now take a slow,
Comfortable breath in and slowly let it out.
Bring your attention to your body.
Feel.
Your breathing.
Notice the sensations in your hands,
Your feet,
And your face.
Consider how incredible it is that you can experience this miracle of what we call life.
You can breathe.
See.
Year.
Feel and move.
You can think,
Learn,
Imagine,
And create.
You can make choices,
Connect with others,
And influence the direction of your life.
And yet,
How often do we stop to appreciate these simple abilities?
Take a moment now to recognize that you are here and that you are alive.
There's so much that you can experience in this life.
Think about the ordinary things you do every day.
Getting out of bed.
Walking across a room.
So simple.
Washing your face.
Eating a meal.
And we do these things so often that we forget how remarkable they actually are.
Think about washing your face.
Feel the water on your skin.
Notice its temperature and how refreshing it all feels.
Or think about how eating something makes you really enjoy it.
Notice the sweetness of the right fruit,
The saltiness of your favorite snack,
Or the bitterness of dark chocolate.
Notice how the flavors spread across your tongue,
How your mouth responds,
And how certain tastes can make your mouth tingle or pucker.
Isn't that amazing?
Think about the incredible variety of flavors that you can experience.
From that sweet and sour feeling from the bite you just had or the salty bitterness flavor of the savory thing that you're trying next.
Every flavor offers a different sensation and your body allows you to experience all of it.
You don't just eat to nourish your body,
You get to eat to savor,
Taste,
And enjoy the incredible variety of flavors that life has to offer.
And how amazing is that?
You can feel the warmth of sunlight on your skin.
Hear birds singing outside,
Smell fresh flowers,
Or the aroma of a meal cooking.
These aren't just ordinary things to get through.
They're experiences you get to have.
What might change if you approached these everyday moments with more curiosity and appreciation?
Instead of pushing through life to get to the next thing,
What if you allowed yourself to experience what's already Consider how often your mind is just somewhere else.
Thinking about work while eating or planning tomorrow while you're living today.
Focusing so much of what you need to accomplish that you forget to appreciate what you have this very moment But your life isn't waiting for you in the future.
It's happening right now,
In your breathing,
In your senses,
In the people all around you.
Take a slow breath in.
And then let it go.
Now consider the possibilities that come with just being alive.
You could learn something new,
Explore somewhere different,
Create something,
Help someone,
Connect with someone you care about.
Try something you've never tried before.
You can change direction,
Make a different choice,
Or just scrap it all together and begin again.
You don't know exactly what life will bring,
But that's the amazing thing about it.
There will be challenges.
There will also be opportunities,
Discoveries,
And moments of joy.
You cannot control everything that happens,
But you can enjoy where your place is,
Your attention,
And how everything works together.
You get to participate in your life and you can appreciate what it is here that's remaining open to what is possible.
Now,
Let's bring your attention back to this very moment.
Feel your body.
Notice your breathing.
Listen to the sounds around you.
You are here experiencing your life.
You don't have to wait for something extraordinary to happen before you appreciate being alive.
Your life is also the simple moments that you have.
The breath you take.
The food you taste.
The people you love.
The things you can do.
The experience you have.
Yet to discover.
All of these are part of the experience of being alive.
Take one final,
Slow breath in.
And gently release it.
As you continue with your day,
Remember this.
You are alive.
You have the ability to experience the world,
Make choices,
And influence what happens next.
Don't rush past your life to get to the next thing.
Be present for what's there.
Appreciate what you can experience and stay curious about what is possible.
Because life isn't just something to get through,
It's something you get to experience.
When you're ready,
Now gently open your eyes and begin.
