Welcome to Gratitude Meditation.
I'm Janna.
Gently close your eyes.
Notice the sound of your breath from inside your head,
Proof of life,
The darkest and the brightest moments.
Our breath may shift,
But it's always present.
How wonderful to be breathing,
To have this life force within you to sustain you.
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Sometimes when we place a hand on the body,
We judge.
If there's judgment when you touch the body with the hands,
Simply notice it,
Name it,
Judging,
And then return to the breath with compassion and curiosity.
Notice your breath through the whole body.
There's movement even beyond the chest,
Ribs,
And belly.
Perhaps even your hands move as you breathe.
Just bear witness to this movement of breath with no rules,
No judgment,
No good or bad.
Go ahead and release the hand that's on the belly,
And now just focus on the chest,
On your heart space.
Embody that heart space.
Begin to envision,
Feel,
And open your heart.
Know that the space around the heart is symbolic of kindness,
Openness,
And gratefulness.
Bring to mind a person for whom you are grateful.
It can be someone in your life now,
Or someone who's passed,
Perhaps even a kind stranger.
And as this kind person comes to mind,
Remember the moment in which this person showed kindness to you when you needed it.
Feel that moment,
The kindness,
The gratitude for this person.
Feel it in your heart space.
Allow it to be felt.
And now,
Whether this person is living or has passed,
Send this person a profound thank you.
Connect with this being energetically,
Bathing yourself in this gratitude.
Just allow yourself to feel grateful.
And now,
Consider a person who is grateful for something you did.
Bring to mind the moment that this person expressed gratitude and you felt appreciated and gratified.
Seen,
Celebrated for your goodness,
For your kindness,
For your act or gesture.
And now feel this moment.
Feel the sense of having done something that was truly appreciated by another.
From this same heart space,
Know you are someone who cares,
Who uplifts,
Who supports others,
And you deserve this gratitude.
Bathe yourself now in this beautiful cycle of gratitude.
Let yourself know the beauty of giving and receiving.
With your eyes still closed and hands still on the heart,
Know that you can give yourself a chemical hug.
With that hand on the heart,
You can release oxytocin,
The same chemical that we release when we hug others,
Sometimes known as the cuddle chemical.
A chemical that helps us feel human connection,
Both to others and to ourselves.
Now bring your awareness above the space or room you're sitting in,
As if you're looking down upon yourself,
All the beings in the world meditating right now.
Perhaps some also with hands on their hearts,
Also bathing in gratitude for each other.
Send that gratitude to all these beings,
All who support each other,
Make us feel appreciated as humans,
Who witness the kind acts of others and make them feel appreciated,
Necessary,
Seen,
Celebrated,
Gratified.
To all who demonstrate acts of kindness or giving,
This always involves us being vulnerable and taking risks to possibly be rejected or for the kindness not to be reciprocated.
Find the mutual gratitude we give and receive,
Even in moments of vulnerability.
This is what connects us and our acts of kindness.
In this moment,
Celebrate each of our goodwill as we uplift each other.
This is the best side of us,
And we are here to be our best,
Most vulnerable,
Curious,
Kind selves.
Of all the people in the world in this moment,
Here we are now,
Just us meditating together,
And we'll be changed in some way because of this moment,
As we are by all moments in which we're present.
Gently open your eyes.
