Hey,
I'm Annabelle and thank you for joining with me on this gratitude practice today.
Just find yourself a comfortable seat and we'll get started together.
You might find it useful to have your back up straight,
Your shoulders relaxed and your head facing up towards the ceiling or the sky.
Just making sure you are comfortable,
That your discomfort will not distract you.
Today we're going to begin with our eyes open.
Start to observe your surroundings,
Noticing the colours in your space around you.
Which ones are brighter,
Duller?
Which ones make you feel the most happy inside?
Feel the texture beneath your feet.
Tune in to the sounds,
Maybe there's a slight breeze.
Begin to notice the temperature on your skin as you sit in this room.
Really observing what you can see.
You might notice something that you didn't even know was right there in front of you the whole time.
You're not trying to change anything or wishing that you were somewhere prettier or better.
You're observing without any judgement.
Once you observe the room,
Just begin to deepen your breath,
Letting your belly rise on the inhale and exhaling completely to the very last bit of the breath.
Slowing down the breath,
Inhale.
Exhale completely,
Let go to the very last bit of the breath.
On your next rounds,
We're going to consciously choose to close our eyes and go inward on the next exhale.
Now with your eyes closed,
Allow the breath to become your main focus.
Makes you feel a little bit worried or your breath becomes shallower.
Maybe begin to count the breaths.
Right now,
We're not in the place to start changing anything or controlling too much.
We're just trying to observe our natural state that we're currently in.
And with that,
We will slow down the breath,
Slow down the mind,
Really arriving in this present moment.
On every inhale,
Feel every part of your body holding at the top and then completely let go of that exhale.
Making sure it all comes out of your body,
Pause at the bottom.
Inhale,
Exhale.
When ever thoughts arise,
We take you away from your breath,
Without judgment,
You're just going to let them pass.
Really practicing the art,
Not trying to control what's going on.
The more we are here in the right now,
The more we can be content with the right now.
Just slowly start to see and feel that your body is light.
Maybe you see a light shining from the top of your head all the way down into your body.
Every inhale expands deeper through your body,
Flowing through.
Every exhale,
It releases.
Every inhale goes up a little bit further through the body.
Exhale it releases.
You are completely light,
Shining and just flowing as you were intended.
Keep the breath long and slow.
Make sure you feel the light continue to flow through the body.
Not thinking too much about it or feeling like you have expectations of how you're going to answer this question.
Just answer it in your mind without attachment.
Who or what are you grateful for today?
Who or what are you grateful for today?
There's no expectation of how you're meant to answer this.
It can be a material thing,
A person,
A lifestyle choice,
Your health.
Who or what are you grateful for today?
Allow the thought to be more than just a thought.
Maybe it will help you visualize what you're grateful for.
Maybe if it's your health,
You can visualize you running around in a park,
Feeling that happy feeling deep in the pit of your stomach that you are healthy.
Whatever you've chosen,
See if you're able to manifest it within your body.
That grateful feeling,
That little spark of joy.
It may even allow you to smile just a little bit.
You're smiling on the outside.
Your body is getting all the benefits from this gratitude practice throughout to your heart,
To your mind,
To your gut.
If you can't think of anything that is bringing that feeling to the surface,
Then that's okay to be grateful that you're on the beginning of your practice.
You've chosen this time to be grateful and that is beautiful.
You can feel the gratitude,
That smile within your body.
You are light and you are present and you are grateful.
Still maintaining that lightness,
Come back to the breath,
The ultimate guide.
Without it,
You wouldn't exist.
Allowing the breath to bring you back into the moment.
Allowing the breath to bring you back into the room.
Feeling it down,
Becoming more aware and conscious of the rhythm.
On your next inhale,
Slowly,
Really gently begin to open your eyes as the breath is controlled.
Taking your time,
No rush,
Giving yourself these last few moments to not be in a rush.
Let go of the control of the breath until you completely come back into the room and without making any sudden movements,
Begin to observe the space.
Notice if anything looks different,
If the colours look more contrasted,
More saturated.
If you feel a more sense of calm when you look at your surroundings,
Maybe you notice nothing at all,
Just really taking it in,
The texture below your feet,
The temperature in the room,
Noticing what's changed,
What hasn't,
All without judgement.
This might be difficult at first,
But the more you practice,
The more that you will feel and see.
Slowly wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Noticing every little movement.
Maybe just smiling to yourself,
Try and take that feeling of when you thought about what you were grateful for with you for the rest of the day.
Any moments of stress or tension or something that you just want to run away and hide from comes up in the day.
Remember that this feeling is possible.
You just have to go inward.
So thank you all for joining me today.
I'm Annabelle and I'll be doing this every day for myself to help me be more present and grateful for what I've got right here in front of me.
And I would love it if you guys joined me on this journey.
