This meditation practice is meant to help cultivate a sense of gratitude for your body.
Now depending on your relationship with your body,
Depending on your personal body image,
Whether or not you deal with chronic illness or chronic pain,
Will determine how easeful or how challenging this particular meditation might be.
With that said,
Cultivating a sense of gratitude can also help to befriend your body,
To feel more at home in your body,
Especially if you're struggling with chronic illness,
Body image distress,
And or chronic pain.
So the goal for this meditation is to begin to foster and cultivate a sense of gratitude.
This is a practice you can individualize for you based on your needs.
You can offer gratitude to your entire body,
Or you can even offer gratitude to a single strand of hair.
It's as much or as little as you feel capable of doing in this moment.
So for this practice,
We're going to recite gratitude using the breath.
So on the inhale,
We'll say I am grateful for,
And on the exhale,
We'll name something about our body that we're grateful for.
So maybe it's your kind eyes.
Maybe it's your soft skin.
Maybe it's your fingernails.
Maybe it's your arms,
The power of your legs.
Whatever aspect of your body you can find gratitude for,
Use that as a foundation to build gratitude for your entire being.
Again,
This will be different depending on your relationship and depending on the day.
So,
Practice this meditation with a sense of curiosity.
The days that it feels harder,
Notice that.
The days that it feels easier,
Notice that.
Much of this work is getting curious and collecting information.
So,
With that said,
Come to find a comfortable posture for your body in this moment.
And allow yourself to adjust as you need throughout the practice so that you can be as comfortable as you can be in your body in this moment.
I invite you to close the eyes only if that feels comfortable.
You can also find a soft gaze on a point of focus and begin to notice your breath.
Notice your natural inhale and exhale.
With a gentle compassionate curiosity,
Just begin to explore the qualities of your breath.
Maybe the speed or length of the inhale versus the exhale.
Now shift your awareness to where you feel your breath most in your body.
Maybe it's the flow in and out of the nostrils.
Maybe it's a gentle rise and fall in the chest,
The abdomen.
If it's comfortable,
Allow your focus and awareness to rest there.
Wherever you feel that connection with the breath and the body the most.
This right here might be enough for you today.
If you feel that you're in a space to offer gratitude,
Then continue with me on the rest of the practice,
Knowing you can always return to your breath at any moment.
So for the practice on the inhale,
You'll say,
I am grateful for.
.
.
And on the exhale,
Name what you are grateful for.
You can repeat the same gratitude over and over again.
Or if there are multiple things you are grateful for,
You can name all of those things.
So go ahead and take a few natural breaths in and out.
And in your own time,
Whenever you're ready,
Begin the gratitude practice.
On the inhale,
Say out loud or mentally,
I am grateful for.
.
.
And on the exhale,
Name what you are grateful for.
I will be silent now as I breathe in.
I will be silent now and leave you to the practice.
As this is your practice,
You can continue for as long or as little as you'd like.
And then after this last round of gratitude,
Return to your breath and where you feel your breath in your body.
Just noticing if the connection feels different,
Maybe the same.
Again,
There's no right or wrong here.
We're just noticing.
Invite a sense of curious awareness.
Invite a compassionate awareness to any sensations,
Feelings,
Thoughts that might be arising.
And see them as an observer.
Try not to get wrapped up in what's coming up.
Just noticing what's arising.
Again,
Noticing it as an observer,
As if you're collecting information.
And slowly begin to let the practice go and the awareness.
And slowly allow that awareness to soften.
Begin to deepen your breath.
Bring both palms together in the center of the chest.
Begin to rub the palms together as fast or as slow as it feels.
Begin to rub the palms together,
Generating some heat and energy here.
And then in your own time,
When it feels right,
Place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder.
Giving yourself this gentle,
Energetic hug.
Feeling any sense of warmth or energy from your hands.
Giving yourself this,
Giving yourself a gentle hug.
Noticing any warmth or energy from the hands.
And gently tuck the chin in towards the chest,
Remaining in this hug.
And just repeat the gratitude,
Any gratitude that you used in the practice.
And if you didn't,
Just simply say,
I am grateful.
Scratch all that.
And then just softly begin to rub the hands together.
Bring the palms together,
Bring the palms together in the center of the chest.
And gently begin to rub them as fast or as slow as it feels right.
I'm going to be generating some heat and energy here.
And when you're ready,
Place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder.
Giving yourself this gentle hug.
Notice if you feel any heat or energy from your hands.
And while you give yourself this hug,
Just simply say,
Thank you.
And then gently allow the hands to fall into the lap.
The eyes are closed,
Very softly allow them to flutter open.
Integrating,
Bringing your awareness back into the room.
And if anything arose during this practice,
I invite you to journal about it or talk about it with a trusted friend.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
