Gratitude For The Little Things

This practice places special attention on the everyday, "ordinary" things that we can take for granted. The key to a gratitude practice is to actually focus on BEING grateful not just DOING gratitude. To this end, when conscious effort is made to become aware of and feel grateful for things in your life that normally go unnoticed, you are actively reprograming your brain to notice more of these things in your life. In addition, the neural pathways created in the process, support the production of additional serotonin and dopamine; both essential for feeling happier and more motivated.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this gratitude meditation.

Today we will be expressing gratitude for all the little things in life,

From the day-to-day gifts that we receive that often go unnoticed,

To the compliments and the people that help make our life better.

This meditation is best listened to in your favorite indoor room in a relaxed position.

First,

Let's begin by just calming the mind and the body.

And as you sit or lie down,

Make your best effort to become as comfortable as possible,

Giving yourself permission to become more comfortable as well.

Close your eyes now and just start to focus on your breathing.

Breathing a little bit more deeply than you usually do,

While also exhaling a little bit longer and a little bit more slowly.

Again,

With that intention to breathe a little bit more deeply,

We can just observe the breath because it's a great way to bring the mind into a state of balance and focus.

Take your time breathing.

Just allow it to move slowly and effortlessly.

And then we're just gonna shift the awareness slowly from your breath back to your body now,

Feeling the floor beneath you.

Well,

Maybe it's a couch or a bed.

Whatever your body is placed upon,

Allow the attention to go there.

Now think about the room or the space that you are in.

How does it feel to be here?

What is this place like?

Begin to take notice of the little things around you that you might take for granted as you go about your normal,

Busy day.

Just make the conscious effort to notice what's around you and try to look at it with fresh,

Open eyes.

Really think of this room as a shelter,

A haven,

Keeping you safe from the outside elements,

Keeping you well protected,

Comfortable,

And safe.

Feel the air on your skin and notice what it feels like,

Whether it be warm or cold.

Just appreciate the temperature of the air that surrounds you and the room that you're in,

Seeing it and experiencing it with an open mind and a fresh perspective.

And of course,

Opening up another sense,

We want to notice the sounds in this room now,

Or perhaps the sounds outside of the room.

Perhaps you hear a ticking clock,

The hum of a fan,

Or the murmur of voices.

It could be my voice as well.

And you may pause this recording or lower the volume if necessary as you observe the sounds within the room and around the room,

Just allowing the sensory input to enter your ears to experience it in a new,

Curious,

And interested way.

And whatever the sound is,

Rather than thinking of these sounds as noises or distractions,

Lend some appreciation to them.

Think of each sound as an opportunity to explore your surroundings and become more mindful of all of the moving parts that exist here.

Just listen,

Be present.

Again,

You may pause this recording or lower the volume if necessary.

The key is to really devote yourself to this practice.

Now breathe deeply now and see what you can smell.

See if you can uncover scents that you may not have realized were here.

Inhaling through the nose as you pick up on subtle aromas.

Perhaps you smell the wood of the floor beneath you or the walls around you.

Or perhaps you can smell plants or soil or maybe you notice other scents drifting in through the window or from another room.

Just breathe,

Explore,

And appreciate this moment of mindfulness.

Sight,

Sounds,

And smells.

Taking it all in and including the experience of being here and feeling wherever your body is resting upon.

If there is an absence of smell or any of the other senses,

That's okay too.

Just notice what you notice.

The key is to be here present with the experience as it arises.

Now slowly begin to extend your awareness to outside of your immediate surroundings.

Think about your entire home and everything within it.

Bring to mind the things that you use every day to help your life run more smoothly.

Alarm clocks,

Your phone,

Computers,

Sinks,

Your mode of transport,

Closets,

Clothes,

The garage that maybe holds the vehicle,

The couch that you might be sitting on,

The TV in the other room,

Or maybe the balcony.

And I'll invite you now to see yourself going through a normal day but moving more slowly through it,

More mindfully.

Taking your time getting dressed,

Washing up,

Eating,

And working.

Imagine taking the time each day to express gratitude for all of these modern conveniences,

Whatever they may be for you.

And try not to dwell on the haves and the have-nots.

Simply appreciate every aspect of your daily experience.

Continue to breathe deeply,

Setting an intention to move more mindfully throughout each day,

Starting right now.

And extending your awareness even further now as you think of the world outside.

Thinking of the blue sky above or maybe it's cloudy.

The Sun,

The trees that offer you shade,

And the soil beneath your feet.

All of the things,

All of the dimensions,

All of the aspects of the world outside.

You can think of the seasons depending on where you are.

It might be four seasons or maybe two.

You can think of autumn with its deep rich colors and crisp breeze.

You can picture the perfect winter day complete with a warm cup of tea or coffee,

Comforting heat from the cold air outside,

Or maybe a fireplace.

Breathe in the dewy freshness of spring,

Watching the flowers blossom,

The colors change as the Sun returns to the earth.

And think of a slow lazy day of summer soaking up the sunlight,

Savoring sweet ripe fruits and the cool refreshing drinks of summer.

And just continue to express appreciation for the changing of the seasons and the gifts that each bring.

Now it's easy to find gratitude for everything that runs smoothly in our lives,

But how about those bumps in the road?

Those things that create tension or irritation or stress.

We can actually be thankful for these little life lessons too.

The spilled milk,

So to speak,

The flat tires,

The seemingly endless grocery line or emails that you need to catch up on,

The difficult clients or maybe even colleagues or bosses.

All of the little errands and tasks or those minor annoyances that sprinkle our day.

Every mishap or challenge offers us a chance to slow down actually.

The chance to live more in the present moment and to focus our attention on the matters at hand.

Just imagine navigating these bumps in the road with grace and ease,

Effortlessly going with the flow and keeping a cool calm head.

Adopting a come what may attitude or go with the flow.

And take a deep breath in now pulling the air into the body as far as you can to the point that is still comfortable and take a slow long letting go of the breath as you release all the stress from your body.

Letting it all go with the out breath.

Taking another deep inhale and slow exhale releasing expectation,

Releasing stress and releasing tension on the exhale.

And taking a few more slow breaths letting go of anything that prevents you from experiencing gratitude.

Releasing all the blocks from the exhale and letting all inner barriers to gratitude dissolve.

Inhaling clarity and relaxing your body and letting clarity and relaxation take the place of those things that create stress or discomfort in your life and in your body.

And just engage with a peaceful and steady rhythm of your breath as you continue to invite gratitude into this experience.

There's a quote that I really like by G.

K.

Chesterton and it says when it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

And take a moment to really let that sentiment sink in.

The critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

And just make an active and conscious commitment to trying to turn all of your for-granted's into gratitude.

Mindfully walking through your life and making an effort to notice more,

To feel more,

And to see more.

Take a couple more deep breaths fully integrating this idea of taking everything with gratitude and when you're ready just breathe naturally and become aware of your body once again.

Feel the floor beneath you,

The air against your skin.

Notice the sounds around you as you slowly allow your eyes to open taking everything in.

This is your life,

This present moment,

Right here,

Right now.

And as you continue your day or night remember to take everything with gratitude.

Best wishes my friends.