Grateful Stillness

I invite you to ground yourself in graditude by calling onto nature and the animal kingdom. Let's send out our love of our favoritve places and learn how to always reach them with mediation no matter where or what is going on in the world.

Transcript

And so as we first begin here,

Let's just start by accepting exactly as we are this evening.

So whether we are new or whether we have been practicing meditating for a very long time,

Some days it's easier than others to meditate.

And so we're just going to meet ourselves where we are this evening with compassion.

Let's just simply start with our breath.

As you're beginning,

Just noticing the inhale.

Maybe it travels through the nose or the mouth.

Maybe you know how long it travels down through the torso.

And then internally watch the exhale as it travels back up the torso.

And then you release.

Maybe even staying with the physical parts of the body that move with the breath.

You're now beginning to add on to the breath.

So we're going to extend our exhale so that it is double the count of the inhale.

I think a good number to start with when you inhale by counting would either be a two or a three.

And then whatever number you chose when you exhale,

Either choose that four or six.

So whatever double your inhale is.

And I'm just giving you examples of numbers to use.

Feel free to either shorten or elongate those numbers.

Just ensuring that the exhale is double.

This is a very good breath pattern that can calm our nervous system.

And then take two more rounds of your breath.

Moving on from the focal point of the breath to the physical body.

Let's first start with our mouth and our jaw.

Simply just noticing the upper lip where it connects to the lower lip.

There's that plane of contact.

Noticing how your jaw is feeling this evening.

Maybe it feels a little bit tight.

Maybe you feel like the lower jaw is unhinged and away from the upper jaw,

Not clenching.

And then as we continue to lower down,

You can notice your throat,

Even maybe feeling the breath as it moves in and out of the throat.

Noticing the shoulders,

However they might feel.

Don't feel the need that you need to change them or even critique yourself.

Just accepting and noticing.

Traveling to the back of the shoulders,

Going from the upper back to the middle and then to the lower.

Noticing if there's any sensation specifically in the back.

Maybe there's one point.

Maybe there's one area that feels different than another part of the back.

Moving your awareness to the front body.

Noticing your belly,

Whether you're holding,

Whether it's just moving with the breath.

Also noticing your hands,

However they might be resting.

Maybe they're resting on a surface or on your lap.

Maybe they feel sweaty or tight or open.

Noticing your hips,

Moving your awareness down through the legs into the feet,

Feeling where your body connects to a surface below you.

From this point,

We're going to begin to ground ourselves.

We're going to use nature to do so.

And so I want you to begin to bring yourself to a place outdoors where you feel very connected.

Maybe you have one specific tree in your yard that you like to sit up against.

Or maybe it's just the general beach,

You like the beaches.

Or a specific place maybe that you like to hike.

And it doesn't even have to be a place that you've ever been to before.

It could just be the earth that you're connected to on a mountain or on a beach.

And as you begin to bring yourself to that location that you have chosen,

Notice how your body connects to the earth.

Maybe you're standing.

And if you are standing,

I want you to be barefoot.

Maybe you're seated.

Maybe you're supported by a tree.

Or you just feel the ground below you.

Allow the weight of your body to become heavy.

Allow yourself to be supported by the earth.

And as you are supported by the earth,

Noticing the senses.

What do you see?

Do you see specific colors or patterns or objects?

Can you hear anything specific or feel anything?

Maybe even know that there is a specific scent associated with this place.

And as you hold your awareness in this location,

Noticing how your body is feeling.

Maybe perhaps you do feel a bit heavier.

Maybe areas that you scanned when we first begun,

They have shifted from one place to another.

And with a heart of gratitude,

I want you to send gratitude to the earth for supporting you,

For providing you shelter,

For providing homes to all beings and animals,

For providing magnificent views,

Areas that bring us peace and settlement,

Areas that make us feel safe.

With that same sense of gratitude,

Now sending gratitude to the earth,

Noticing how your body is feeling,

And noticing how your heart is beating.

And with that same sense of gratitude,

Now sending gratitude and love specifically to all beings who occupy the earth.

You can send love to the animal kingdom and gratitude.

Maybe even sending love to those people who might need it right now.

Those who are struggling or angry.

Those who really need support.

Or even those who love to the community in which you're part of or your family.

A heart of gratitude to them.

Love and gratitude for them being there to support you,

For listening,

Celebrating in moments of good times,

Being there when you need them.

And now coming from that same sense of gratitude for ourselves,

However we might be doing right now.

A sense of gratitude for the journey that we have traveled to bring ourselves here.

For simply just taking care of ourselves by beginning to meditate.

Gratitude for all our experiences that have led us to this moment.

All the joys.

For our hard work.

And a sense of love for ourselves.

Clearly you care enough about yourself being here today to take care of yourself.

Feeling this sense of love and gratitude in your heart center.

And you can even imagine as if it is a light located in the center of your chest.

And as you inhale,

The light brightens from this space.

And as you exhale,

The light travels throughout the rest of the body.

Allowing this spark of joy,

This spark of gratitude and love to start from here and radiate and heal the entire body.

Now from the sense of light and love and gratitude,

I want you to call to mind an area of your life where you need some assistance.

Maybe it's best to not start with an area where we,

That is really difficult for us.

Maybe a person or a situation we're questioning or an area where we're emotional and need just a bit of assistance.

And from your heart center,

I want you to bring the image of the light back again.

And you can begin to then imagine this beam of light from your heart center traveling to that situation or that person or that area where you need a bit of light.

And so you can even imagine the light is traveling from the heart center through this channel.

And then it just encompasses that whole situation.

And as you send it love and light,

You send acceptance and you send some trust and patience,

Maybe even some gratitude.

And as you continue to sit here or lie here,

Welcoming in somebody to assist you with this area.

It could be someone of the physical world that you talk to often,

A spouse,

A partner,

A family member.

It could be someone who you speak to who supports you,

Who has passed away,

Or if you believe in something above that,

A higher source.

I'm just asking that person to sit right next to you.

Taking these last couple moments of silence to either ask a question,

Maybe just sit in silence and see what comes up.

Ask them just to hug you or be there with you.

Maybe they're just supporting you by sitting right next to you.

So whatever that might look like for you.

We will take these couple moments of silence together.

And when you hear the bell chime,

We'll start to bring ourselves back into the room before doing anything else.

Thanking the person,

Sending them deep feelings of gratitude and love.

And then coming back into your breath again.

We'll do the exact same breath pattern we did at the very beginning.

So doubling the exhale.

One last time,

Bringing your awareness into your heart center.

If you are lying down,

You can stack one hand on your heart center,

The other hand on top.

If you're seated,

You can bring your hands into a prayer position right in front of the heart.

As your hands rest right above your heart center where your heart chakra,

Your heart chakra,

The word chakra just means wheel.

So right above where that area is located.

Coming back to gratitude for yourself and love for yourself.

And it could be something specific,

Maybe just a general love or a general gratitude for even just showing up tonight.

And as you've sent that message to yourself,

Feel it in the physical body.

Maybe your eyes brightened,

Even if they're closed.

Maybe you felt a sense of peace or the body even relax a little bit.

There are many studies done with gratitude,

Whether we write them down,

Whether we do it in the mirror and saying them.

And a lot of the studies say that it can bring us to more happiness.

So whatever our baseline was,

It can actually make us sleep better.

And there's even a study that says that we can work out or exercise more if we have a gratitude practice.

Allowing this gratitude to shine from this heart center and reminding yourself that you can always tap into it.

You don't have to be in this class,

Even just taking one breath,

You can do it.

You don't have to be in this class,

Even just taking 30 seconds of just pausing,

Saying what you're grateful for,

And then feeling it in the body.

And from my heart center to each of yours,

I am deeply grateful that you all joined me this evening.

Namaste.