Welcome!
We're going to start our practice by bringing ourselves into a comfortable posture.
A posture that brings ease and comfort into your body and at the same time supports you to be awake.
You might try making some gentle movements with your shoulders,
Your neck or whatever other movement feels right for you in this moment.
Closing the eyes or simply lowering the gaze,
Softening your face by resting your eyes and start to connect now with your breath,
Taking a few long and deep breaths,
Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.
As you bring the attention to your body,
It might be that you become in contact with any tension or tightness,
Simply a part of your body that could soften a little at this time.
You might try bringing the breath to that area,
Recognizing that possible tension or tightness and as you exhale,
Invite,
Release,
Softness,
Inviting relaxation and softness into your body with each exhale,
Allowing the breath now to go back to its natural rhythm,
Letting your breath be natural and in this moment,
I invite you to open to the fact that you are alive,
That your body is being breathed by life,
Moment by moment.
With the in-breath,
Feel life moving you without you needing to make anything happen and with each breath,
Notice the opportunity for relaxation that arises,
Being aware of this breath that is sustaining you and keeping you alive.
You might express gratitude by whispering,
Thank you breath,
Thank you breath,
Letting yourself rest in how it feels to simply be here,
Being breathed by life,
In gratitude for each breath.
And now,
Bring to mind a situation,
Someone or something you're grateful for,
Perhaps something that awakens an inner smile and see if you can bring to your mind's eye an image of this person,
Animal,
Being of this world,
Experience,
Situation,
Whatever that is that you're grateful for,
That is arising for you in this moment.
Bring in that image close to your heart and offer a thank you,
Thank you,
Offering that experience,
Situation,
Being a thank you,
Letting gratitude arise within you and resting in it,
Being with the well-being,
The sense of well-being that might be arising within you when you connect with what you're grateful for.
And even if you are experiencing any difficulty in this moment,
That's okay,
There's nothing wrong with it.
If any difficulty arises,
See if you can allow it to be there as well,
While keeping your intention to be with the experience of gratitude,
Only by having the intention to invite well-being through connecting to that which we're grateful for.
You can trust that well-being lives inside of you,
Even when it seems difficult or impossible to experience it.
Now,
Taking a deep breath in,
A slow exhale,
Letting your breath be natural again.
And now bring to mind another situation,
Experience,
Someone or something that you are grateful for.
Sometimes we try to find very big things or meaningful,
And it can be a simple,
Beautiful flower you saw this morning,
A cup of hot tea,
A memory of an act of kindness,
Whatever arises for you,
Bringing to your mind's eye an image of that experience,
Of that person,
That being,
And offer a thank you from your heart.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Letting yourself be with this experience.
There is nothing else we need to do in this moment,
Nowhere to go.
You can give yourself permission to rest in this experience of well-being that arises when you connect to what you're grateful for.
And again,
If any difficulty arises,
You can trust that the potential for well-being can't be taken away.
It is part of your nature.
You might take this last moment here to rest in that presence of well-being,
Or simply to rest with the movement of your breath.
Resting in the present moment.
And as we come to the end of this meditation,
Let yourself slowly open to your surroundings,
Taking in all the beauty inside and around you.
And now I want to offer a gratitude,
A deep gratitude to yourself for showing up here.
Thank you for practicing with me.
I wish you well.
