I'd like you to get yourself into a comfortable position in your chair sitting upright with your feet flat on the floor,
Arms and legs uncrossed and hands resting on your lap,
Palms up or down as is most comfortable for you or you may feel more comfortable lying down on the floor or your bed.
Allow your eyes to gently close either fully or partially.
And now bring your awareness to the physical sensations in your body beginning with the sensations of touch or pressure where your body makes contact with the chair or the floor your back against the back of the chair or lying on the floor,
Your arms on the armrest or your feet on the floor just take a few moments to get in touch with the movement of your breath in your chest and abdomen feel the rhythm of your breath in your body like ocean waves coming in and out just focus on each inhalation and exhalation breathing in and out and notice the changing patterns of sensation in your chest and abdomen as you breathe in and out.
You may like to focus on where you feel the breath the most either the coolness just under your nose or it may be in your chest or your abdomen just behind your belly button there is no need to control your breathing in any way simply let your body breathe for you as best you can bring an attitude of gentle acceptance and allowing to your breath there is nothing to be fixed no particular goal and no particular state to be achieved just simply allow your experience to be your experience without needing it to be anything other than yours if you notice your mind wandering off just allow your mind to gently come back to your breath to the sensation of the breath coming in and going out as best you can bring kindness and compassion to your awareness perhaps seeing the repeated wanderings of your mind has opportunities to bring patience and gentle curiosity to your experience if you become aware of any tension or discomfort in your body just notice it make space for it and let it go as it naturally dissipates with time as you go deep within allow access to the gratitude that you have for the people in your life of whom you are close to you may think of your friends,
Your family,
Your partner just bring the people that you are grateful for into your mind one by one and allow the feelings about each person to wash over you connecting deep within your heart space filling it with love,
Peace and gratitude for the amazing people that you have in your life as you bring each person into your mind you may like to say,
For you,
I am so grateful allow these feelings of love and gratitude to wash over you and fill you up next turn your attention onto yourself you are a unique individual,
Blessed with imagination,
The ability to communicate to learn from the past and plan for the future and to overcome any pain that you may have or may be experiencing think about a time in the past where you have overcome some kind of difficulty or taken the higher road when people around you were being difficult just feel into your strengths and the unique abilities that you have sit with this for a moment and really appreciate yourself you may like to name your strengths or the times when you have overcome difficulties and were so proud of yourself I'd like you to take the time now just to notice these times and situations and say to yourself,
For this I am grateful finally rest in the realization that life is a precious gift that you have been born into a period of immense prosperity that you have the gift of health,
Culture and access to spiritual teachings maybe you have food on the table and clothes on your back maybe you have a car to drive or access to public transport a house to live in and a bed to sleep in just think about each thing that you are grateful for in your life and say to yourself,
For this I am grateful as we begin to close out this meditation on gratefulness I'd like to read you this poem about gratitude by Rumi it's called The Guest House this being human is a guest house every morning a new arrival a joy,
A depression,
A meanness some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor welcome and entertain them all even if they are a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture still treat each guest honorably maybe clearing you out for some new delight the dark thought,
The shame,
The malice meet them at the door laughing and invite them in be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond as this time for formal practice comes to an end gradually widen your attention to taking the sounds around you now slowly open your eyes,
Notice your surroundings and allow the awareness of the present moment to stay with you throughout the day and allow the energy that you have created with this practice of gratitude to remain in your heart filling you up with love,
Acceptance for the way that things are right now
