Hello and welcome to this gratitude meditation.
I invite you to find your altar if you have one or just a nice place where you can have some privacy and quiet time.
If you have an altar then go ahead and light a candle or incense or something that you can gaze at throughout the meditation.
Go ahead and find your comfortable seat whether that be on a chair or cross-legged on the floor,
Whatever feels best for you.
Make sure that you adjust any clothes or hair or take care of anything right now that might distract you during the meditation.
Once you've lit your candle or incense just allow your gaze to come softly to that focal point and you're welcome to keep your gaze there throughout the practice or close your eyes if that feels better.
Start off by just feeling the connection between your sit bones or your feet,
Your legs on the floor.
Feel the weight of your body on the earth as Mother Earth carries you and supports you and holds you.
Then start to grow tall through the spine,
Elongating in the waist and up through the crown of the head,
Reaching up to the heavens.
Allow your shoulders to relax and release away from your ears and just start to bring your attention to the breath.
Noticing as your chest rises and falls as the breath,
Warm or cool,
Comes in through your nose and back out again.
Just keeping your focus there.
I invite you to bring your hands to Anjali Mudra in prayer position at heart center.
If at any point throughout the practice this gets tiresome,
Feel free to just drop your hands down to your knees.
For this gratitude practice we call in the goddess of abundance,
Lakshmi,
The goddess of the harvest,
Dimitar,
Any deities you admire,
Any spirit guides,
Angels,
Ancestors,
If it resonates,
Inviting them into our space to express our deepest thanks,
Dedicating this practice to them.
Noticing the breath,
Letting go of any judgment and simply noticing,
Observing,
Beginning to reflect on what is abundant in our lives at this time.
Meditating on our friends and family who love us,
Our health,
Maybe an abundance of time or work.
Maybe you have an abundance of rest or energy,
Money,
Clients,
Or maybe it's simply an abundance of life lessons at this time.
Taking a moment to reflect on where we can find abundance even in the smallest places.
Ask yourself,
What has been my personal harvest this year?
What has grown into full expression and brought me joy?
And say to yourself,
I celebrate.
I celebrate.
I celebrate.
Maybe asking yourself,
What shadows have been brought to light so far this year that have illuminated something important in my life,
A lesson or a message I needed to hear?
And say to yourself,
I appreciate.
I appreciate.
I appreciate.
We cannot have light without the darkness.
So we honor both which have brought us to this very moment today.
Staying with our breath,
Expanding the belly with every inhale and softly deflating with every exhale.
Now bringing to mind three specific things that we are most grateful for in this very moment.
One to three things.
Consider the physical space that you occupy,
The things that you use daily,
The thought,
Design,
Planning,
Effort,
Manufacturing,
Transportation,
And everything that went into its existence.
You may wish to consider the people in your life that are grateful toward you for all that you offer to them.
Gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving.
And bring your attention to your heart space.
You may wish to cross your hands over your heart.
Just notice how it feels,
The temperature.
Maybe it's warm,
Maybe it's cool.
Notice if any color comes to mind.
Notice its fullness.
And allow this feeling,
This image to expand and grow into all of the limbs of your body,
Overflowing into your entire body,
A full cup full of gratitude.
Imagining a golden light begin to radiate from your heart space,
Out to the confines of your body,
Emanating into the world and around to everyone that encounters you,
Going with you everywhere that you go.
And with every inhale,
Say to yourself,
I am.
And with every exhale,
Say to yourself,
I am.
Inhaling,
I am.
Exhaling,
Grateful.
Inhaling,
I am.
Exhaling,
Grateful.
I am.
Grateful.
I am.
Grateful.
I am.
Grateful.
Really feeling those words in your heart,
In your core,
Placing your hands on your heart,
Noticing your heartbeat and remembering that if you ever feel like there is nothing to be grateful for,
Simply feel,
Listen to the beat of your heart,
The rhythm that serves as a reminder every second of every day of your aliveness.
And when you're ready,
Softly opening your eyes to the world around you and moving into the rest of your day from this place.
Namaste.
