Welcome to your 10-minute gratitude meditation focused on the idea of Santosha.
As you start to find a spot to comfortably sit or lie down,
Invitation to close the eyes and allow your whole body to settle.
Once you've settled in your seat and as you continue to settle,
Taking in a deep breath through the nose,
Clear out any blockages in the nasal pathway and a slow and steady exhale through the mouth,
Releasing all of the breath.
Letting your breath begin to slow down,
Allowing the shoulder blades to soften.
In yoga philosophy,
Gratitude is connected deeply to this idea of Santosha or contentment.
Yoga sutras teach that true peace comes not from what we gain,
But from what we are appreciating that is already present.
So letting this meditation be a moment to open your heart to gratitude.
Worrying about your body or your breath and all the life that moves through you.
The prana is continuing to stay alive in the body.
Beginning to really ground into this moment,
Placing one hand on the heart and the other hand on your belly making connection with the palms of the hands to the heart and the belly and with this connection,
Just feeling the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
As you take a breath in,
Silently repeating to yourself,
I receive this breath with gratitude.
And as you exhale,
I release any tension or expectation.
Inhaling,
I receive this breath with gratitude.
And exhaling,
I release any tension or expectation.
Continue breathing like this for a few moments as you allow your awareness to simply rest in this gift of breath.
Now shifting your awareness to your feet.
Feel the presence of the right and the left foot and then both feet together.
Acknowledging that these feet have carried you through countless moments of your life.
How have they supported you today?
And silently whisper or thinking in your mind,
Thank you feet for grounding me.
And moving your awareness to your legs,
The whole right leg and the whole left leg.
And considering the strength that they offer,
The way they support you in movement,
Whether they have walked,
Danced,
Or simply rested today,
Just acknowledge the presence of your legs.
And saying to yourself,
Thank you legs for carrying me.
And shifting to the hands,
The right hand and the left hand.
Reflecting on all they do,
How the hands are responsible for holding and creating and connecting.
And maybe pondering how your hands have served yourself or others today.
And saying quietly to yourself,
Thank you hands for all you allow me to do.
Now bring your attention to your heart,
The heart that beats without your asking.
That carries emotions,
Love,
And wisdom.
Taking in a deep breath in and feeling its presence.
Saying to yourself quietly or in your mind,
Thank you heart for guiding me.
And now bringing to mind's eye one thing that brought you joy today.
It might be something small,
Maybe a kind word,
A moment of laughter,
Or the feeling of sunlight on your skin.
Whatever memory arises,
Holding this in your mind and allowing yourself to fully appreciate it.
Inquiring to yourself,
What simple joys might I have overlooked today?
Letting gratitude fill in as you inhale.
Breathing into this moment.
And then exhaling with a sigh of relief.
And shifting your awareness outward this time.
Bringing to mind someone who has supported you on this path or inspired you.
Perhaps a teacher or a friend,
A loved one comes to mind.
And picture them in the front of the mind or painted on the back of the eyelids.
And silently say,
Thank you for your presence in my life.
Thank you for the presence in my life.
And extending this attitude of gratitude even further to those who you may not know personally,
But who contribute to your life in unseen ways.
Perhaps someone who grew the food that you ate today,
The hands that built the place in which you call home,
Or the many people whose efforts make your daily life possible.
Silently repeating,
May all beings be blessed with gratitude and peace.
Taking a final and deepest breath in through the nose.
And slowly release.
Allow your awareness to rest in the fullness of this moment.
Knowing gratitude is always within reach.
And ever so gently and slowly,
Bringing your hands right over the heart at heart center,
Right hand over top of the heart and the left hand on top of the right.
Coming into this hand gesture called Hidraya Mudra,
Gesture of the heart.
Embracing the beating of your heart in the chest and connecting with the movement of the breath as it rises and falls.
Sealing your practice with one more final breath in.
And an exhale.
Releasing and letting go.
Carrying this gratitude with you as you move throughout the rest of your day or evening.
Until we meet again,
Namaste.
