Welcome to this gratitude practice.
Gratitude is an emotion that arises when we express appreciation.
It's important to pause,
Take a breath and create some space for this wonderful emotion.
Making your way into a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
Making any adjustments that you need so that you are as comfortable as possible.
As you settle in,
Give your body permission to relax.
Closing down the eyes if that feels right or simply maintain a soft gaze.
Allow your shoulders to drop,
Your mouth to part,
Your hips to settle.
Now begin to connect with your breath.
Stay noticing the rhythm of your breathing as you inhale and exhale.
There's no need to change the breath in any way.
Just become aware of what it feels like to be sitting here breathing.
Now let's begin to take some deeper breaths.
Inhaling deeply,
Exhaling fully.
As you continue to deepen and lengthen your breaths,
Begin to bring gratitude into your
Awareness.
How does it feel to be grateful?
What does it like to express your appreciation?
With your next inhale,
Breathe in gratitude.
Imagine it flowing throughout your entire body.
And as you exhale,
Breathe appreciation out into your surroundings,
Letting it touch everything
Around you.
Gratitude in and gratitude out.
Bring it deep into your body and let it flow effortlessly from your heart.
If your mind innocently wanders at any point,
Gently guide it back to the breath.
Once again,
Visualizing gratitude coming into the body with the inhales and flowing out
Of the body with the exhales.
Now let's deepen this experience by adding some pauses to the breath.
Let's find some stillness between the inhales and the exhales.
Simply notice the small pause at the top of the breath after the inhale and the pause
At the bottom of the breath after the exhale.
I will count and guide you as you breathe.
So inhale,
Pause,
Exhale and pause.
So once again,
Inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause.
Continue to practice this breathing method,
Finding gratitude for each breath and the
Stillness in between them.
Throughout our busy lives,
We don't often get the chance to find stillness.
With a relaxed body and a calm mind,
It's easier to let gratitude in.
Slowly breathe and experience this wonderful sensation of appreciation,
Letting gratitude
Wrap around you like a warm blanket,
Comfortable,
Relaxed and grateful.
Now allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Begin to notice the sounds around you.
Bring some gentle movement to your fingers and your toes.
And when you are ready,
Gently blinking your eyes open into a soft,
Steady gaze.
