So,
Find a posture that allows you to feel supported,
Open,
Spacious,
And gracious.
It doesn't have to be upright.
You can take this meditation on the back.
We're probably going to go for about 12 to 15 minutes.
And as you settle into a posture,
Give gratitude for the fact that you have autonomy.
There are many people in the world at this moment that do not have the ability to make choices for themselves.
So even if you have a lot of drama in your life,
You have free will.
So give gratitude that even something as mundane as picking your meditation posture,
You can do that.
And then as you find the posture that suits your needs in this moment,
Return to gratitude for the breath and finding a breath cadence that allows you to feel the breath in its entirety.
So maybe that's an inhale that you count,
An exhale that you count.
Maybe you use the mindfulness trick of I'm breathing in on the inhale and feeling that.
I am breathing out on the exhale and feeling that.
Maybe you place one hand on the heart,
One hand on the abdomen,
And not only feel the breath as it inhales,
But you feel the chest and belly rise and fall.
And maybe you take it even one step deeper and hear the breath as you feel it.
But being present with gratitude for this thing called the breath,
That when we slow down,
We can acknowledge and luxuriate.
And it's the biggest gift we've got,
Y'all,
The ability to breathe.
And if you notice any areas of tension in the body,
Perhaps directing the breath to that space on the inhale,
Focusing your attention on something that's tight,
And using the exhale as a mechanism of softening and liberation,
Feeling how the body drinks in each breath with gratitude.
So for the next 30 seconds,
Forming a virtuous circle of gratitude for the breath,
Feeling it,
Hearing it,
Sensing it.
Maybe there's smells that waft into the nose on the inhale,
But just being present with this miracle of the breath,
Which animates our lived experience.
Bottom of the next exhale,
Switch your focus of gratitude from the breath to perhaps something on your list,
Or perhaps to something that spontaneously emerges.
And as you really sit with this person,
Place,
Or thing,
Notice how slowing down,
Being present with it,
And giving thanks for it,
It just awakens endorphins in the body,
Your countenance lightens.
Just notice the physiological responses to being present with gratitude.
So for whatever you've chosen,
Just being like,
I'm really grateful for this,
And noticing how the mind responds.
The shoulders relax,
Does the heart get wider?
If you're really feeling it,
Maybe you place one hand on the heart,
And I'm really grateful for this,
Right?
Because gratitude is also a compassion practice.
One of my main critiques of Thanksgiving is that it's become too cerebral.
We think about it,
We feel gratitude,
We don't think about it.
Bottom of the next exhale,
Release what you have been grateful for,
And onto the next thing on your list.
Or if something else has spontaneously emerged,
Be present with it.
What does it feel like?
And for the remainder of our meditation time together,
When you feel ready,
Switch to something else.
And then notice not just how the body feels,
But that we're strengthening the gratitude muscle.
We're strengthening the ability to find the good and the bad.
Because as we're sitting here practicing gratitude,
There's still a hell of pessimism on the news.
There's still a lot of stuff going on in the world,
But the variable is that we're here focused on gratitude in the midst of that.
So maybe you even feel into the power of 40 plus people holding space for gratitude and community while all this other stuff is going on.
Feel that power.
I don't know about you,
But when I said that,
My heart lit up.
Yeah,
Right?
Like,
That is a beautiful thing.
And it's not to diminish what's not going our way in the world,
But to amplify what is going right,
Because both can exist simultaneously.
So I'll fade into the distance for a little bit.
Allow your mind to wander in all the gratitude that you feel for the next little bit.
And I'll sound a chime.
We'll transition to reflections.
But in the meantime,
Just focus on gratitude so much that you can't help but smile and get kind of tingly,
Because it's magical.
Now,
Keeping this sense of gratitude,
This sense of open heartedness,
This sense of lightness from focusing on the things that you're grateful for,
And noticing the shift in mood and attitude that you have had in yourself for the next little bit,
Send these good feelings to someone else that needs this feeling,
Right?
So when we focus on gratitude and community,
Our hearts lighten.
It awakens compassion.
So whether you use your own metta practice,
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
May you be free from suffering,
May you simply wish this feeling or someone else either that you know of or that you don't know of,
Because you can send this into the universal bank of humanity and someone will come and claim it,
Right?
So using the merit of our gratitude practice for the benefit of reduction of suffering for all beings,
It's not just enough to show gratitude.
You have to hope that all people feel as good as you do right now,
And maybe even do something about it.
But the compassion has to awaken first.
Perhaps noticing how effortless it has been to when you're so buoyant and full of gratitude to want this for someone else.
The three more breaths,
Let's count them out.
Inhale through the nose,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Gentle pause.
Exhale your wish for well-being as far as the winds will take it.
On this inhale,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Drawing all this gratitude and compassion together.
Exhale,
Send that to someone who needs it.
Stevie,
Send one your love.
Think of it in that way.
Last one,
Inhale,
Seven,
Six,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Gentle pause,
Savoring in your gratitude,
Your compassion,
Your good feeling.
Exhale,
Send it wide to the all corners of the universe and beyond.
And pausing and noticing how it felt to not only resource yourself with gratitude,
But then share your resourcing in community.
How did that feel?
And as you're ready,
Touch tips of fingers together.
So fingertips on the thumb and pointer finger touch,
Thumb and middle,
Thumb and ring,
Thumb and pinky,
Just to come back into just to come back into the physicality easily.
Then bring palms together,
Reacquaint yourself with the palms and create a little friction in the hands.
Then wherever on you that needs loving,
Kind touch,
Place heated hands there.
So sharing all of this love gratitude practice with you.
One or two more times,
Friction,
Build up this compassion,
This heated hand in love.
You deserve it.
One more time for wiggles and giggles.
Then when ready,
Flicker the eyes open,
A flame with new feeling in the heart and spirit.
Welcome back.
