Welcome to the 10 finger.
Appreciation practice or appreciation meditation.
While I will be using and giving the instructions for the 10 fingers.
You can also use 10 toes.
10 parts of the body or simply just imagining.
10 of something.
However,
It is recommended to use something that you can connect with physically in the present moment.
And the fingers or other parts of the body can be quite.
.
.
Visceral in experiencing something that's concretely happening here and now.
What we're gonna be doing is moving through each of the fingers.
Bringing to mind something small that we appreciate,
Taking the time to experience gratitude,
Thankfulness,
Appreciation,
Not just conceptually,
Theoretically,
Mentally,
But also viscerally,
Experientially,
And in the body.
For illustrative purposes,
I'm putting my hand up right now asking you to grab your finger in any way or configuration that works best for you.
And then once you do that,
You can place the hands comfortably on the lap.
Or on any other object.
We will be going through the fingers.
And.
.
.
As always,
Feeling free to go.
A degree that's comfortable for you.
What I say is an invitation.
You don't have to accept invitations.
However,
I do recommend having an open,
Curious,
And caring mind.
And taking a break whenever that feels to be the wisest choice.
With that,
Now that we've taken hold of the thumb.
If not already,
Having a more comfortable,
Supportive,
Wakeful posture.
Getting a sense of the body.
As it comes into contact with the floor or the chair,
The cushion.
Getting a sense of.
.
.
The room or the space you're in.
What does it feel like?
What can you hear?
Happening around you.
As well as as best you can,
Getting a sense of the body breathing in this moment.
And we can narrow the attention now.
Towards the finger,
The thumb.
Maybe noting how firmly or softly you're holding.
Adjusting if need be.
And I invite you to bring to mind now.
Something that you appreciate.
That's in the space you're in right now.
It can be.
.
.
Maybe the comfort of the chair.
My favorite painting.
Your computer or Whatever it is,
Something small,
Something immediately around you that you can be grateful for having right now.
And as you allow the mind to think about that,
Widening the attention to the body as well.
Perhaps sensing what it's.
.
.
What it's like in the body.
What does it feel like to.
.
.
Appreciate.
We're not trying to.
.
.
Change we're not trying to evoke a certain experience we're just paying attention what's here right now.
With more openness.
And with more care,
Perhaps.
On the next out breath.
We can let go of the thumb.
And take hold of the next finger.
Connecting,
Grounding,
Anchoring to the present moment via touch.
Noticing how's it like to.
.
.
Make contact with this finger.
And we can now bring to mind.
.
.
Something we appreciate in the building.
That we're in.
Maybe it's a home or an apartment.
A structure.
We're just in the wider space that's around you.
Maybe there's one thing in particular,
Or maybe the mind is scanning several things.
And as we do so.
.
.
Keeping the attention a bit wider.
And noticing if there's any shifts or changes.
In the body,
In the felt emotion.
Sensation On the next out breath,
We can let go of the finger.
Reach towards the next finger.
The middle finger.
Connecting to that sense of touch.
Maybe noticing some pulsating.
Some vibrating.
Some tiny movement as we hold on to this middle finger.
Inviting you now to bring to mind something you appreciate about The physical.
Location you're in right now the city the town the village What's something you could be great for?
That's here.
Witnessing what the mind does.
As well as witnessing what it's like in the body.
As we.
.
.
Breathe the next breath out.
Let go of this middle finger.
And then take hold of the next.
The next finger,
The ring finger.
Let's bring to mind now something that we.
.
.
Appreciate.
About.
.
.
The body.
Our body.
Being mindful of our negativity bias.
As we explore maybe one,
Maybe a few things that we can appreciate about the body,
Here and now.
Maybe it's a simple fact that I can.
.
.
Hear what's being said.
That I'm breathing right now,
That my heart's beating.
What is it like in the body?
Maybe there's an opening,
Maybe there's a closing.
Maybe there's a change in temperature.
Change in how the breath is or the heart rate.
On the next exhalation.
We can let go of the ring finger.
And grab the pinky finger now.
Paying attention to what it's like to take hold of this finger.
How is it similar?
How is it different?
To the others.
Let's reflect now for a moment.
About one thing we can appreciate about where we grew up.
Paying attention to mind.
As well as the felt or sensed experience in the body.
Breathing out.
Reaching and taking hold of the thumb on the other hand.
Noticing what's here.
Maybe temperature.
Dryness moisture Shifting more of the attention to here and now.
Directly experiencing something in the present moment.
Such as the thumb.
Inviting us now to.
.
.
Appreciate something about.
.
.
Our work.
Our profession.
If you're not working currently,
Perhaps a hobby or a passion,
Something that you're working on.
Noticing not only where the mind goes,
With the language.
The tone.
The words,
The story,
The images,
The concepts as they unfold,
Moment by moment.
As well as what's happening in the body.
And if nothing's changing or happening,
That's okay too.
Just noticing that as well.
Next out breath.
Letting the thumb go,
Letting it be.
Taking hold of the next finger.
Our pointing finger.
Bringing the attention to the present moment via.
.
.
The anchoring of touch.
Inviting you now to reflect or think about Someone you appreciate in your life right now.
Maybe it's a family member,
A friend.
Maybe a stranger that did something nice.
Smiled.
Something simple.
It doesn't have to be grand.
Being with the mind and the body as we appreciate.
Breathing out.
Letting go.
Letting be.
As we move to the next finger,
Our middle finger on the other hand.
Taking some time to.
.
.
Sense.
Touch.
Bringing to mind now.
Something we.
.
.
Something we appreciate.
Another tool or object or thing in our lives.
Maybe it's.
.
.
Phone on.
Maybe it's the clothing.
Maybe you reflect upon those two that I just mentioned or something else.
Giving yourself some space now to open mind.
Open up the mind.
Appreciating some things.
And opening up to how's that felt in the body on the next out breath.
Letting go of the finger.
Letting it be as we take hold.
The ring finger,
The next finger bringing to mind something that you appreciate.
About the day so far.
And or something that you might.
.
.
Appreciate in the future that might come up.
Today or that's part of the plan.
Breathing out,
Letting go,
Letting be.
Maybe breathing in.
Grabbing that last finger,
The pinky finger.
As I ask you finally to appreciate.
Or reflect about what comes up when I ask you to appreciate Something from this practice,
From this exercise we've just went through.
Next,
Out breath.
Letting go of the fingers.
Taking these last few moments.
Just to be soak in any after effects reflections echoes ripples of these practice we've just done taking your time to transition to whatever is next.
If you've had the eyes closed,
You can begin to gently open them up.
I thank you kindly for taking part in this 10 finger.
Appreciation practice.
Hopefully it gave you more awareness to what the mind and the body does when we appreciate.
Getting more familiar with our reactions,
With our habits.
As well as taking time to Notice what it's like to appreciate more holistically,
Not just in mind,
But also in body.
This isn't just a cognitive checklist.
Have also time in this practice to experience.
How the mind causes certain emotions,
Biochemistry.
Which changes the physiology,
Which can then give us a sense of.
.
.
What happens in the body.
This is a practice the more that we practice,
The more that we can learn and cultivate and nourish.
Qualities,
Attitudes,
And understandings.
For what it's like to appreciate.
Especially since we have a negativity bias and we've evolved.
From a functional perspective.
To be quite negative and look out for threats and dangers constantly.
So last but not least,
It can be quite supportive in.
.
.
Nourishing you,
Supporting you in difficulties,
But also just to be more present and to soak in the goodness that's always present.
That's always present.
Thank you.
All the best.
And I appreciate you for making the time to be here and practice with me.
All the best.
