Our human brains tend to dwell on perceived flaws or shortcomings rather than put our attention on things that we appreciate about ourselves and our life.
These negative thoughts can be really draining on us but our brains can be reprogrammed to create positive mindsets.
The study of neuroplasticity says that our brains are constantly changing and evolving based on how we are using them.
So the more we use the brain in a certain way the more the brain will automatically use itself in that way in the future.
So it means that the more positive thoughts that we think the more positive our mind will automatically think in the future.
It's like training a muscle.
Having a positive perception of yourself and the world helps to lower blood pressure,
Improve sleep and very much improves our mental and emotional well-being.
A positive mindset can start to transform your life.
Gratitude practice is a very enriching practice where we can put our attention on our strengths,
Accomplishments and positive qualities in our life.
The benefit of this is that it can help you to recognize your inherent worthiness and value as a person and start to cultivate feelings of self-acceptance and self-love.
And this empowers you to be able to return this kindness to others and to the world around you.
So let's do a gratitude meditation together to begin to flex those positive brain muscles and create beneficial and meaningful new pathways.
So before we begin,
Find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit.
It could be on a meditation cushion or a chair as long as you're comfortable and your body can relax.
It's good to sit with your back tall but don't be too rigid.
Allow a sense of movement and softness into your body.
As you begin to settle,
Bring your awareness in to notice your breath.
Notice the rhythm of your breath coming in and going out.
Notice the feelings and sensations of your breath coming in out of your nostrils or your throat.
Notice the feelings and sensations of your lungs,
Ribs and abdomen rising and falling with each Notice the feelings and sensations of your lungs,
Ribs and abdomen rising and falling with each in-breath and each out-breath.
You can just allow yourself to be present and inquisitive of what you notice in your body as you breathe,
Allowing yourself to gradually settle and relax into your body.
You can kind of give yourself permission to be here in this room in your body and in your own space and you could almost feel like there's a bubble around you protecting you as you relax and breathe.
Whenever you're distracted,
That's absolutely fine.
There's no need to judge yourself.
There's no need to stop the thought or to do anything with it.
You can just kind of leave it and let it do what it wants to do and then gently bring your awareness back to your breath and back into feelings and sensations in your body as you breathe.
And now shift your awareness slightly to become aware of your out-breath as a resting and settling breath and follow the out-breath down,
Feeling your body relax deeper and deeper with each out-breath.
As you gradually begin to relax,
Move your awareness to become aware of your ground.
Notice the feelings and sensations of the weight of your legs weighing you down gently into the ground.
Notice the feelings and sensations of the ground or the cushion pushing up from below you.
The feeling of the ground really protecting you and holding you as you relax.
And notice whether you're really allowing yourself to trust that sense of ground and allowing your whole body to deeply relax and let go into it.
Begin to notice the room that you have right now,
The space that you have to sit and meditate and think about the comfortable bed that you have prepared for you.
And as you do that,
Notice the feelings and sensations in your heart center.
Notice the feeling of the air that you breathe in and the feeling of the air that you breathe out.
Notice the feeling of the air that you breathe out and the feeling of the air that you breathe in and out.
Notice the feelings and sensations in your heart center.
How do you feel when you think of those in your life that you love?
Take a moment to think about something in your life that you're really grateful for.
It could be anything,
Pets,
Your work,
Accomplishments,
Your home,
Being in nature.
It doesn't really matter.
Just take some time to think about anything that you're really grateful for and instead of visualizing it,
Try to really feel this in your body.
Notice the feelings of joy and love as you think of these things.
And let those feelings fill your heart and fill your whole body.
Now take some time to think about your own positive qualities that you have.
It doesn't matter what they are or even how small you think they are.
Just think about qualities about yourself that you value and that you're grateful for.
And again,
Instead of just thinking about this,
See if you can feel this joy and love in your body.
Let those feelings fill your heart and fill your whole body.
And let yourself enjoy this gratitude.
Notice if you're allowing yourself to be grateful for something.
If you're allowing yourself to feel grounded and present in your body,
Enjoying these feelings of gratitude,
Love and joy.
Notice how you feel in your body and allow your heart to be soft and open and spacious.
As we bring this meditation to a close,
Let's finish off by setting an intention for your day or for your life.
It can be anything,
Big or small,
It doesn't matter.
And as you think about this intention,
Notice how you feel in your body and know that it can be done.
Take a moment to think,
Are you in this life,
On this planet,
Just to get through it?
Or are you here to enjoy and celebrate your life?
Life is with you,
Not against you and you are safe and supported.
Allow yourself to learn,
To grow,
To celebrate,
To have fun and pleasure.
And know what you want to bring into the world and what you'd like to get out of it.
Go into your day with a sense of certainty,
Life will reflect back at you,
What it is you're looking for.
So that you can feel true self-acceptance,
Self-love and so that you can share this joy and love with others around you.
I hope that you enjoy this gratitude meditation and that you enjoyed celebrating the positive things about yourself and in your life.
Gratitude is a very positive practice that you can bring into your life,
That I found very beneficial to do even first thing as you wake up,
Before you look at your phone or think about all the things you need to do in your day.
And this little pick-me-up habit can be super valuable in your life.
This meditation is from my course called Deep Healing,
Self-Acceptance and Self-Love.
So if you enjoyed it and would like to explore deeper feelings of self-acceptance and self-love,
You're welcome to have a look at the course.
Thank you.
