Welcome.
Today's meditation is on gratitude.
Begin by coming to a comfortable position.
So move your body around.
See if you need to move your shoulders around,
Move your arms around,
Your wrists,
Your fingers,
Maybe wiggle your legs,
Your torso,
Your hips,
Until you come to find a still point with your body.
See that your body lands in a place of comfort.
And once you've made all the external adjustments,
Begin by feeling all that you're sitting on or all that you're lying on.
So if you're in a seated position,
Notice the ground beneath you.
Taking a big breath.
And as you exhale,
Feel your sitting bones grounding down all the way down into the earth.
And then taking another deep breath.
And notice your body expand with the inhalation.
Notice the lungs fill,
The sternum rise,
And the crown of the head reaching up towards the sky.
And as you exhale,
Soften the shoulders,
Let the lungs empty and the belly contract.
And then begin again,
Just taking a few deep,
Nourishing breaths here.
Letting go of your day.
Letting go of any thoughts weighing heavily on your mind or in your heart.
And then bring your attention to a time when you were in complete awe of something or of someone.
Noticing where you were,
What you were doing.
Maybe you were watching the sunrise or listening to a beautiful symphony.
Just see if you can breathe and let your heart expand into that state of wonder,
Awe,
And appreciation.
Opening,
Expanding into the beauty and into the love that is present.
Continue to breathe and open.
Noticing all the things in your life that you are grateful for.
The air,
The room that you are sitting in,
The earth beneath you,
The vastness of the sky above you.
Notice the courage and the strength within you that helps you tilt your chin up to the sky,
Reaching for hope,
For encouragement,
For inspiration.
Giving thanks for all the parts of yourself that show up,
That are vulnerable.
Noticing the space for all that to be here within yourself.
Noticing and allowing there to be both the imperfection and the brilliance,
The joy and the sorrow.
Knowing that you are a vessel and that you can expand to receive all of life.
So today,
Let yourself turn towards yourself and send appreciation for the person you are in this moment.
See if you can open your heart and breathe in love and acceptance for who you are.
Knowing there is nothing you need to do or say and no one you need to be,
You are enough just as you are.
I breathe in and I send love and kindness to myself.
I exhale and I send love and kindness to everyone outside of me.
I breathe in compassion for myself and I exhale judgment and criticism.
There is space within myself to grow,
To expand,
To fall and to rise.
I am that I am that I am.
And as we get ready to move on with our day,
Say a little prayer to bless your hands that they may serve you and all that you touch.
To bless your words that they may be a balm for those in need.
To bless your heart that it may expand in the fullness of who you are.
And for this time together,
To open our hearts in awe,
To bow down in devotion to all that is good in life and all the darkness that exists that allows us to reach for the light.
For all of this,
We say thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you.
Blessed be and blessed be your day.
