Today,
We will explore painting with the colors of gratitude.
So settle in now,
Finding a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down,
Feeling completely relaxed and ready to receive.
Start to notice your inhales and your exhales,
Letting the belly follow naturally with the breath flow,
Softening the jaw,
Removing the tongue from the roof of the mouth,
Shutting down the eyes,
And softening the whole body.
Take a deep breath in,
Filling up the lungs,
And sigh it out through the mouth.
Now picture yourself somewhere in nature.
Your favorite outdoor place or a perfect spot in your imagination.
You can feel a soft breeze on your skin.
You hear the birds in the background.
You can smell the elements of nature around you.
The temperature is just right and you are grateful for being right in this space.
You find a comfortable spot to take a seat,
Maybe a chair on a porch or a rock by a lake or whatever you can see yourself relaxing in here in this beautiful space.
Sitting in front of you right here is a blank canvas on an easel and right next to you sits an assortment of small jars of paints in every color you could ever imagine.
There are as many things in your life to be grateful for as the colors you see here.
You find a beautifully worn brush that you pick up in your hand.
You graze the bristles against your fingertips to feel their softness.
You're feeling creative and ready to make something beautiful.
No matter if you're already an artist or this is your first time tapping into your creativity,
You are led by your heart and know that there is no wrong way to interpret your gratitude.
Now looking at this blank space,
Ready to receive what your soul has to give,
You now picture in your mind the color that most represents gratitude to you.
Take a moment,
Look over the colors and scan through the hues of blues,
Reds,
Oranges,
Pinks,
Whites,
Earth tones,
Yellows,
Purples,
And greens and find the one that most closely represents gratitude from your heart.
What color would that be?
Take a moment to decide.
Now take your brush and dip it down slowly and mindfully into the jar of paint that you've chosen.
Start to paint onto the canvas however it feels natural,
Swiping the brush back and forth,
Back and forth,
Or maybe up and down.
Swirl circles,
Make lines,
Spirals,
Whatever your heart feels and just breathe.
Now when you feel complete with that brush stroke and that color,
Dip your brush down in the clean water provided,
Rinse off your brush,
Pat it dry on the towel next to it.
Now with much more gratitude bubbling up as you paint,
You feel inspired to keep creating.
You start to find a new color,
Maybe the same color in a slightly different hue or a color that's completely different to the one you had chosen before.
You dip your brush down into this new color,
Using your intuition to lead your brush,
Begin to move the brush against the canvas in whatever manner that seems natural.
Feeling at ease with no expectations of the outcome.
Now take a look at your creation so far.
There is even more gratitude swelling in your heart space,
So clean off your brush and if you like,
Let's pick another color.
Continue to do this for the next few moments,
Filling the canvas,
With all the colors of gratitude that you have in your heart.
And when you're ready,
Take a step back and look at your creation without any judgment.
It is a beautiful creation.
What comes from our heart doesn't have to stay within the lines or be perfect,
Doesn't have to mean anything to anyone else,
As long as it resonates with you.
And you,
My friend,
You are a beautiful creation.
You are a beautiful creation.
You are a beautiful creation.
And you,
My friend,
Have created a masterpiece,
A fine work of art,
A display of gratitude so beautiful that you feel as if your heart may burst with joy.
Relax and let all of that gratitude sink in.
I will mind the time and just breathe.
Now slowly start to awaken,
Wiggling fingers and toes,
Rocking your head gently side to side,
And deepening your breath.
And deepening your breath,
Feeling good about your creation,
And knowing that you can come back to this feeling of gratitude anytime by just picturing this painting in your mind,
Pausing,
And smiling because you have so much to be thankful for.
Now take a deep breath in,
And let it go,
And flutter your eyes open.
Welcome back.
