Welcome to a guided meditation designed to ease the mind and calm the body.
Today we'll explore a gratitude meditation.
Taking some time out to appreciate all that we have in life can help to enhance feelings of wellbeing and thankfulness.
You may already do this regularly or it could be completely new.
Either way I invite you to treat this as an experiment and to remain open and curious.
Enjoy the ritual of making yourself fully comfortable and at ease.
There's no particular shape you have to be in as long as your spine is nice and tall,
Your shoulders feel relaxed and your arms are heavy.
Set the intention to notice how the practice of gratitude affects your experience in meditation.
There's no need to set expectations for this,
Just be open to see what unfolds.
Begin by having a really good look around the space that you're in.
It could be a room that you're very familiar with.
Start by noticing all of the things that you can see that you're grateful for.
Perhaps the first thing is simply appreciating that we have the gift of sight.
Something we can easily take for granted is we use it every day.
Take the time to look around and use your sight to explore.
Taking in the various colors.
Lingering on each one,
Noticing how each color makes you feel.
Common objects that bring you joy or make your life easier in some way.
Taking a moment to think about all of the things you gain from your sight,
Being able to see the faces of the people you love and care about.
Reading,
Watching inspiring or moving films and documentaries.
Taking in nature,
The beauty of a sunset,
Trees,
The ocean.
And connecting now to a deep sense of gratitude for the fact that you can see.
Not everyone can see very well or even at all.
And if you wear glasses,
Being grateful for them too.
Now closing down the eyes if that feels natural.
If this practice feels slightly uncomfortable,
Being open with that and continuing with curiosity.
Opening up the years.
Taking in the soundscape.
Noting how the sound changes and transforms over time.
Let these sounds wash over you.
Being grateful for everything that the gift of our hearing brings to our life.
Listening to music.
Hearing what loved ones,
Friends and family have to say to us.
Discovering new things with podcasts and audiobooks.
Appreciating that we can listen to the soothing sounds of nature.
Waves gently lapping on a sandy shore.
Wind rustling the leaves of trees.
Sound of birdsong in the morning.
Taking a moment now to feel deeply grateful for the gift of hearing.
Bringing awareness now to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Something we do habitually from the moment we're born to the moment we leave this earth.
Observe that simply by placing your full attention on the breath it may naturally become slower,
Smoother,
Maybe even a little deeper.
None of us really ever know how many more breaths we have in this lifetime.
So each and every one is something we can be truly grateful for.
Now I'll leave you here to be conscious and thankful for a few rounds of breath.
Shifting your awareness to the body.
Thanking your organs for everything they do for you.
Working hard to keep us alive,
Healthy and well.
Thanking the lungs,
Heart,
Stomach,
Kidneys,
Liver.
Taking a moment to be grateful for this body that we've been gifted.
So often we take good health for granted until there's a problem.
So it's nice to take a moment to be grateful for all our bodies doing for us today,
Right now as we rest,
Even if we aren't quite as healthy as we'd like to be.
Now bring your attention to some of the day to day things that you enjoy and are grateful for.
These can be simple things like going for a walk in nature.
Spending time in the garden.
Reading.
And eating.
And the things in our life that make our day to day lives easier,
Like warm water,
The kettle or coffee machine,
Electricity.
Now moving on to the people around us that give our lives joy and meaning.
Take a moment as you bring each person to mind.
Consider what it is about them that you're most grateful for.
And if it feels comfortable,
Imagine giving them a big hug.
And if you find it hard to visualize,
Then just thinking about how this person makes you feel and offering them thanks works just as well.
I'll leave you for a few minutes to go through each person that comes to mind.
Giving you time to connect to a feeling of gratitude for them.
You.
You.
Now spending a few moments bringing anything else to mind that you're thankful for.
Let this practice go now and spend the next few moments and stillness.
Sinking into any positive feelings you may have cultivated.
Notice how the body feels.
How the mind feels.
Any emotional tones.
Before this meditation comes to an end,
Taking a moment of gratitude for yourself.
Making the time to do something important and just for you.
Gently wriggling the fingers and toes,
Bringing some energy back into the body.
Briskly rubbing the palms of the hands together to generate some heat.
Placing the hands over the face.
Feeling the heat of the palms warm the eyes and cheeks.
When you're ready,
Taking as much time as you need to.
Opening up the eyes and coming back into the space around you.
Your time in meditation is now complete.
You.
You.
