Good morning to you,
And welcome to this guided gratitude practice.
Gratitude is a wonderful way to improve your overall well-being,
Happiness,
And positive chemicals in the brain.
The science of gratitude is quite strong,
And it has been shown to reduce depression,
Lessen anxiety,
Support heart health,
Relieve stress,
And improve sleep.
In addition,
It helps us increase compassion,
Empathy,
And forgiveness.
So let's begin this practice by first finding a comfortable position.
Whether you are standing,
Sitting,
Or lying down,
The key to a gratitude practice is to be relaxed and comfortable,
Yet alert,
Focused,
And aware.
Taking in a deep and relaxed inhalation in through the nose,
And then letting out a long,
Relaxed,
And complete exhalation through the mouth.
Again,
Breathing in through the nose,
And then taking a long,
Relaxed,
Exhalation through the mouth.
Next,
I'll invite you to bring into your awareness someone that is presently in your life that you are very thankful for.
This person could be a friend,
A family member,
Or a mentor.
Whoever it is,
You just want to make sure that you have a genuine and deep appreciation for them.
Take your time,
And just allow your body and mind to bring the images,
Memories,
Feelings,
And sensations,
And any other relevant details into your awareness about the experience and relationship with this person.
Taking a moment,
And just going with the first impression,
Allowing your mind and body to be creative,
Bringing this person and these experiences to life,
And just focusing on the reason why you are grateful for them being in your life.
It could be something they have said,
Or maybe consistent support they have provided.
Whatever it is,
Allow yourself to experience it fully,
And be with this for the next while.
Wonderful job.
Now I'll invite you to move on and start thinking about a different person in your life,
And bring into your awareness someone who is no longer in your life,
And yet you are still very thankful for them.
Perhaps it could be an old teacher,
A friend,
An ex-partner,
Or maybe a friend or family member who has passed away.
Whoever it is,
Again,
You just want to make sure that you have a genuine and deep appreciation for them.
Take your time,
And just allow your body and mind to bring the images,
Memories,
Feelings,
Sensations and any relevant details into your awareness around this person,
And the experiences that you had with them.
And again,
Focusing on the reason why you are grateful for them having been in your life.
It could be something they said,
Perhaps encouragement they provided,
Or maybe a deep lesson you learned from them.
Whatever it is,
Allow yourself to experience it fully,
And be with this for the next while.
Excellent work.
Next,
I'll invite you to bring into your awareness yourself,
And take the time to move into your body,
And begin to feel the physical sensations arising in your experience.
So mindfully,
Just notice any thoughts or emotions that arise during this practice,
Becoming a curious observer of what's ever happening in your mind and your body.
Really just taking the time to ground yourself into your own experience,
And giving yourself permission to feel the entirety of your being.
Breathing in deeply through your nose,
And breathing out a long,
Relaxed exhale through the mouth.
And for the next few moments,
Just scan your body from head to toe,
Creating a deeper awareness of what's happening,
And begin cultivating a sense of gratitude for every ounce of your being.
Now please,
Repeat the following words after me,
I am thankful for my beautiful mind,
Which allows for my experience.
I am thankful for my beautiful heart,
Which allows me to love.
I am thankful for my beautiful lungs,
Which allow me to breathe.
I am thankful for my beautiful body,
Which allows for my existence.
I am thankful for my life,
My being,
And all my wonderful qualities.
Well done.
Finally now turn your attention to your heart,
And tune in to the beating of your heart in your chest.
Slowly bring your awareness closer to this area,
And begin to feel the beating of your heart.
Take a few moments,
Stay here,
And breathe into your heart center,
The heart chakra.
And continuing to breathe into this part of your body,
I want you to imagine all of the things in your life you are grateful for,
The people,
Your memories and experiences,
Your health,
And really take the time to imagine and feel all of it.
And at the same time,
Keep your attention on your heart,
And allow the process to come together as one holistic experience.
Consciously bringing into your awareness all that you're grateful for.
Breathing into your heart center,
And just allow this experience in your breath to open Now,
Begin to slowly spread the awareness of your heart from the center of your chest to the rest of your body.
Feeling into your wrists,
The beating of your heart in your wrists,
Your legs,
The beating of your heart in your legs,
And your neck.
Feeling into the beating heart in your neck,
And wherever else you can feel the beating of your heart.
Just allow your awareness to feel the full process of your heart beating,
Sending beautiful energy throughout your entire being,
And just give this process some time.
Beautiful work.
Feeling the fullness of your heart's energy throughout your entire body.
And before we end this practice,
I'll invite you one more time to take a deep,
Relaxed inhale through the nose,
Followed by a long,
Relaxed exhale through the mouth.
Feeling the changes in your body,
Your energy,
And your mood,
Knowing that any time and any place you can access this feeling as if it has always been there,
And always will be there,
A part of you,
One with you.
Take this into your day.
