This is Benjamin.
We're going to do a practice today focused on the concept of abundance.
You know the author and teacher Eckhart Tolle once wrote,
Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation of all abundance.
In truth,
The only thing you need to be abundant is the feeling of abundance.
And the foundation for the abundance in your life is simply acknowledging the good that you already have in it.
So in this guided mindfulness practice on abundance,
We won't be using the power of our imagination or visualization to draw it to us.
Instead,
We'll do a simple practice of appreciating the positive things in our life right now that can give us that powerful feeling of abundance.
Please get into a comfortable position and bring awareness to your breath.
Let's take some nice natural inhales and exhales.
And as we breathe,
We notice right away that each breath is an opportunity to experience a sense of abundance.
We never wake up in the morning worried,
Wondering,
I hope there's enough oxygen in the air for me today.
We know that with every breath we take,
Our body will receive its restored supply of oxygen.
No living being,
In fact,
In its natural healthy environment need worry about having enough oxygen,
Including us.
And also me taking a breath doesn't diminish the oxygen available to you.
So take a moment to notice this simple example of abundance in your experience every single day.
And now shift your awareness from the breath to something simple that you're experiencing in this moment.
Take your time.
It could be the side of a tree swaying gently in the wind or the warmth of sunlight on your skin or maybe simply the experience of comfort from the chair you're sitting in.
It could be the sound of the busy street below or the simple wonder of pausing in the midst of your busy life to engage with this practice right now.
These are just examples,
But let your awareness go to what naturally draws you and brings up a sense of appreciation.
Just choose this one thing to notice and allow it fully into your experience.
Let appreciation and gratitude arise and fill your body and mind.
Now think of someone you don't know well,
But who has supported your experience today in some way.
Maybe it's a driver.
Maybe it's the person who stacked the fruit in the grocery store or the author of the book that you're reading right now.
Allow yourself to feel you've benefited from the gift of their work.
Allow yourself to feel appreciation and gratitude.
Now think about all the tools that you use that support you in your work,
In your life,
Including things like your computer,
Your books,
The buildings that you come in and out of all day,
The equipment that you interact with.
Now choose one thing from among these and consider all that was needed for its creation.
Appreciate and feel gratitude that you have access to these tools.
Now bring to mind someone you care about.
Picture them in your mind.
Think about what this person really means to you.
What you appreciate about them,
Who they are,
What you've experienced together,
The experience that they've had in your life.
As you imagine them,
Notice what feelings you're experiencing,
What sensations you detect in your body,
Especially those in the area of your heart and let yourself express a form of gratitude towards them,
Thanking them for being who they are and for their presence in your life.
Go ahead and imagine them receiving your gratitude.
As you bring these people and these things to mind for what you're grateful about,
Allow yourself to rest in this experience.
Notice the sensation that gratitude and appreciation cause in your body.
Acknowledge that this feeling itself is a form of abundance,
A form of abundance that cost you nothing,
That was readily available with a simple pause and reflection.
It doesn't take something extraordinary in our life to experience it,
It just requires our attention and awareness.
When we are aware of what gives rise to appreciation in our lives,
We can create more of it,
We can generate it.
So if you'd like to extend this practice more,
I encourage you throughout the day,
Throughout the week to cultivate the habit of thinking about something you feel appreciation for every morning when you wake up.
You might even want to start a gratitude practice using your journal.
You might also try expressing appreciation at least once a day to a person for whom you feel grateful.
And just remember that the simple phrase thank you is perhaps the most important form of currency we have.
Think about it.
It bestows positive feelings on those who receive it,
And it fills you with reasons to notice the blessings in your own life,
And that is abundance.
