Appreciative awareness,
Settling comfortably into our posture,
Taking the attention to the breath at the nostrils if that feels comfortable to you.
Form your intention for this practice to explore appreciative awareness.
Reaffirm your motivation for cultivating this quality and the potential benefit to yourself and others.
Returning to the details of the breath and breathing,
Each breath in the present moment teaching the mind to be present,
Noticing that subtle touch of the breath,
The coolness,
The warmth.
So as you are breathing in,
You are aware you are breathing in and breathing out following the full release of the breath.
Breathing in,
Let the breath be received by a softened belly,
Bringing your awareness more fully into the body now,
And with a soft attention to how you feel in the body,
Getting a sense of your physical presence,
A sense of the whole body breathing,
If possible.
Noticing and allowing the arising and passing of sensation within the body,
Body resting on the ground,
Mind resting in the body,
Soft breath,
Soft attention,
Experiencing directly this moment,
This breath,
This sensation,
The body alive and awareness in this field of sensations.
Bring to mind someone that you care about and for whom it would be easy to appreciate.
This could be a child,
A family member,
A beloved pet,
Whomever naturally brings happiness to your heart.
Letting yourself feel what it's like to be in that being's presence,
Allowing yourself to enjoy the good company.
Create a vivid image of this being in your mind's eye.
Now recognize how this being wishes to be happy and free from suffering,
Just like you and every other living being.
Repeating softly and gently,
Feeling the importance of your words,
Directing these words towards the other.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
You may wish to use your own words here to capture your deepest wish for your loved one or continue to repeat these phrases as they are.
May you be happy.
May you be peaceful.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.
When you notice that your mind has wandered,
Returning to the words and the image of the loved one that you have in your mind and savoring any warm feelings that may arise,
Taking your time and now adding yourself to your circle of goodwill,
Creating an image of yourself in the presence of your loved one,
Visualizing you both together.
May we be happy.
May we be peaceful.
May we be healthy.
May we live with ease.
Now letting go of the image of the other and letting the full focus of your attention rest directly upon yourself.
You may put your hand over your heart space or elsewhere and feeling the warmth and gentle pressure of your hand.
Visualizing your whole body in your mind's eye,
Noticing any stress or uneasiness that may be lingering within you and offering yourself these phrases.
May I be happy.
May I be peaceful.
May I be healthy.
May I live with ease.
Following your breath again and with a sense of warmth and appreciation for your breath,
For each breath and your body,
For yourself and all the qualities and intentions that you have,
Acknowledging your process of growing and learning as you grow.
Take a few moments and a few breaths to appreciate yourself with a sincere gratitude for yourself as best you can.
Offering yourself thanks.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for what you'll do.
If there's any resistance that arises,
Or difficulty,
Just see if it's possible to bring a sense of warmth and appreciation and acceptance and compassion to this as well.
Now expand your circle of appreciation to all living beings everywhere,
Making the wish that they all find happiness and peace.
May all beings experience joy and well being.
Taking your time and then resting without any particular focus.
Just resting quietly in your own body,
Accepting whatever your experiences exactly as it is.
And as a way of concluding your practice session,
You can reaffirm your intention and motivation by framing something in your own words like,
I intend to carry the practice of appreciation into my daily life for myself and others.
And when you're ready,
Releasing the practice,
See if you can carry this awareness of this sitting session into the future moments of your day.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
