Welcome.
We will be tuning into the source of gratitude today and moving through a practice to expand from this source and let it inspire our state of being.
So come to sit in an upright position,
Maybe in a chair or on the floor,
And I will guide you to situate your body in the 7-point meditation posture.
Root your hips into the surface beneath you,
Lengthen your spine out of your pelvis all the way to the crown of your head,
Reaching toward the ceiling.
Place your hands in Dhyana Mudra,
Resting your right fingers in the palm of your left and bring your thumbs to touch each other.
Let the teeth slightly part with your lips still together.
The tongue rests on the palate behind your upper teeth,
The chin tucked slightly down,
And either closing the eyes or softening the gaze ahead,
Not looking at anything in particular.
Abiding here in Stira Sukham,
Relaxed and attentive,
Finding that middle path of structure and surrender.
Stira Sukham,
Serene and aware.
Let the breath become profound,
Slow,
Deep,
And steady,
Setting the pace for your mind to acclimate to.
The Dalai Lama says,
The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation.
So,
It is not about accumulating more,
But deepening into the soil of appreciation.
For what is here now,
Take a moment to think of a person or situation that actually makes your body feel warm with gratitude when you think of it.
When you have it in your head,
Notice the sensations it has brought into your body.
Flood your attention into this single-pointed focus of gratitude.
Rest in it,
How precious.
Now begin to focus your attention on the gratitude itself,
Letting go of the person or situation.
This person or situation is a reflection of the blissful appreciation that has always rested inside of you.
Let this soil of appreciation nourish your body,
Knowing at any time you can return here to this state independent of anything external.
You do not need something to validate your right to rest here.
You can simply skip the external stimuli and enter this realm of being,
Staying with this inner fire of appreciation.
Let's connect these felt sensations to a word or phrase.
Find a phrase or word that resonates with you.
Perhaps,
Thank you,
How lucky to be alive.
Or,
Om.
Once you have it,
Plant it into the soil of appreciation.
Repeat it either out loud or in your mind for the next minute.
Let us take this deeply cultivated place of gratitude and let us extend this source of gratitude,
Its energy,
And extend it to our bodies as if we can look through this sort of presence,
This perspective,
If we can see our bodies through this lens,
Noticing all the ways in our body that we have enough,
This breath in our lungs,
These functioning organs,
A heartbeat,
Muscles that can hold us upright,
Ears to connect with others,
Listen for sweet sounds,
Our taste buds,
Our feet,
Our hands,
Our voice.
In so many ways,
We have more than enough,
The ability to be held in another's embrace,
To physically hold others close to us,
These arms,
Antennas for connection,
For crafting creativity,
For playing with the world.
Let us take this lens,
Let us direct it towards a person in our life that has challenged us to the very place that we feel challenged.
Can we look at this challenge as an opportunity for growth?
Can we find at least some part of us that is grateful to come to know its strengths,
To be human,
Its spectrum of colors,
Sometimes so humbling,
And in these places of contrast,
Can we find gratitude for the very contrast it shows us,
The challenges that unveil our desires,
The confusion that anchors our presence into compassion,
Into gratitude,
This stagnancy that awakens a drive and commitment within us that we would have never been able to find before.
Knowing that this gratitude is seen because of you,
Because of your presence that you put into it.
There's actually an amazing quote by Albert Einstein which says,
There are two ways to live life,
One as if nothing is a miracle and the other as if everything is a miracle.
And to pull from Byron Katie,
Life is simple,
Everything happens for you,
Not to you,
Everything happens at exactly the right moment,
Neither too soon nor too late.
You don't have to like it,
It's just easier if you do.
It's not the problem that causes our suffering,
It's our thinking about the problem.
So as we develop this place of gratitude,
May it fuel our courageousness,
Our sensitivity to the beauty of life.
And as we are ready,
Becoming aware of your breath again,
Taking full breath,
Rooting into this moment,
Begin to extend your gratitude into your surroundings,
An acknowledgement of appreciation for the room surrounding you,
Bringing it into the floor,
Chair,
Or bed that you are sitting on,
For this support,
For this comfort.
And let this gratitude bring you back into the present moment,
When you are ready to open your eyes,
Find one thing in the space you are in to be grateful for.
You can use this as a mirror into yourself,
To see your own sweetness,
Your internal place of gratitude,
Managing this external to your internal.
Welcome back.
