Find a comfortable seat with a tall spine.
You could be cross-legged,
Sitting on the heels,
Or even in a chair.
Whatever shape your body intuitively asks for that will support stillness and ease throughout this meditation.
Your eyes can be soft or closed.
Feel the grounding in your seat and the length in your spine as your shoulders stack over your hips.
Notice your shoulders also soften down away from your ears as the crown of the head rises taller creating a natural length in the back of your neck.
Start by taking a few easy breath cycles in through your nose and out through your mouth.
You can continue with that breath or shift to Ujjayi breath.
Inhale and exhale through your nostrils with a slight constriction in the back of the throat.
If that feels too constrictive today,
Just go back to exhaling out the mouth whenever you need to.
Let the breath remain light and effortless and just observe how it moves through the body.
Notice if the breath is short and sharp or full and deep.
No need to wrap a story around any observation.
Just notice without judgment the movement of breath through the body.
Just the simple act of breath and stillness in this moment is something to be grateful for.
Now take a moment to notice the thoughts in your mind.
If the thoughts are falling back to something that's already happened or jumping ahead to something that may or may not ever happen,
Become aware of that without judgment.
Our human minds are really good at creating stories or getting stuck on situations that we can't control,
Pulling us out of the present moment and into feelings of fear,
Anxiety,
Depression,
Or dis-ease.
If and when you notice that happening,
Try not to cling to it.
Instead,
Invite a sense of gratitude for being where you are,
In your body,
In the moment,
With your breath,
Letting go of what doesn't serve you.
As you breathe,
Invite a sense of gratitude into your heart space.
Feel as if it's literally filling the space around your heart,
The front of the chest and the back of the chest.
Maybe there's a light or color you choose to attach to that sensation.
The light or color are gently expanding throughout your entire chest.
Now think of someone you love that brings you joy.
This could be a family member,
Friend,
Animal,
Or some other loved one.
Whether they're from your past or present,
Remind yourself of how grateful you are to have them in your life and notice how that makes you feel.
Bring your awareness back to the gratitude in your heart space and the light or color you visualized in that space.
Now as you continue to breathe,
Imagine that color,
Light,
Or sensation of gratitude slowly expanding throughout the entire body,
Filling your feet and ankles,
Traveling up the legs and into the seat,
Expanding throughout the width of your hips,
Traveling up the spine,
Filling the front of the body,
The belly,
Chest,
Shoulders,
Into the neck,
Filling the face and the head.
Your whole body is filled with that light,
Color,
And sensation of gratitude.
Nothing to overthink or search for.
Simply be here with a sense of gratefulness,
Filling your entire body.
Now take a moment to think about three things you're grateful for today.
They could be small,
Simple ideas or something greater and more powerful.
There's no right or wrong answer.
Take as much time as you need and just notice what shows up.
Once you've thought about three things that you were grateful for today,
Gently bring your mind back to your simple,
Effortless breath.
Now,
Notice your thoughts.
Notice how you feel in your stomach,
Your heart,
Your head compared to moments ago when you first sat down for this meditation.
No need to judge or create a story around how you feel.
Just be grateful for any emotions and keep coming back to your breath,
Moving through your body.
At any point in the day when your mind slips out of a place of gratitude and ease,
Remind yourself of this practice,
Of the gratitude in your heart and the things you were most grateful for today.
