Hello,
And welcome to this morning gratitude meditation.
My name is Elliot and I'm a meditation instructor in Melbourne,
Australia.
It's a privilege to be here with you on Insight Timer.
Maintain a straight back with its natural curves.
With the face slightly upturned,
Allow your focus to rest between the eyebrows.
And then gently invite the eyelids to close,
The mind to settle,
And the body to relax.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough.
Take a good,
Full,
Deep breath in through the nose and let it go out the mouth.
In through the nose,
Out the mouth.
Tuning our awareness into the freshness of this breath.
Clearing out the lungs and respiratory system from any stagnant energy left over from sleep.
And inviting the fresh,
New,
Morning air into the body.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
We'll begin this gratitude practice right here with the breath.
It's quite easy to take the breath for granted.
It flows in and out of its own volition and we rarely mind it unless it acts up.
The breath is life and what a fantastic gift it is to wake up and breathe.
Bring your awareness to the physical body,
Becoming aware of it from the crown of your head all the way down to the toes.
We often judge our bodies for what they can't do,
But rarely stop to marvel at all they're capable of achieving,
Oftentimes without any conscious effort on our part.
Besides breathing,
What is your body doing right now that you can be grateful for?
Throughout the day or night,
What can your body do that you are grateful for?
Now shift your awareness to yourself,
Your character,
Your persona.
It's really easy to be self-critical and to pick ourselves apart when we're so identified with our psyche.
While bringing some gentle observation to our own nature,
Our own character,
Let's softly utter what personality traits we can be grateful for.
Perhaps they're parts of us that we worked hard on or came naturally to us,
Or perhaps they're things we are currently focused on improving within ourselves and making progress with.
Whatever they may be,
What makes you uniquely you that you can acknowledge and send some love to?
In through the nose.
And now,
Moving your awareness to the external physical world around you.
What do you have in this world to be grateful for?
Could it be a home to live in?
Nourishing food to sustain you?
A bed to rest in?
Clean water to drink?
What freedoms do you have in this world?
These are often considered basic necessities for some,
But keep in mind that these are gifts that still many people will not have the opportunity to be fortunate enough to enjoy today.
Let's take a moment to send gratitude for these things we have.
Shift your awareness now to the people in your life.
We do not get from point A to point B alone.
In almost every single act we make,
There are many others involved who may have dedicated part of their life to enhancing yours whether you know about them or not.
Who supports you?
Who encourages you?
Who inspires you?
Who brings joy into your life?
Bring these people to mind and silently send them gratitude from your heart.
You may find it useful to put your right hand upon your heart for this part.
In expanding.
Out contracting.
Through gratitude,
We can live in awe and become available to the inherent goodness of the world.
From this place of gratitude,
Move into your day knowing that there will be obstacles and challenges to face.
And whether you can't change those or choose not to,
Always choose to remember the many gifts that you are grateful for.
When you feel ready,
Begin to bring some gentle movements into your body.
Take a big breath in through the nose.
In the mouth and let it go.
In your own time,
Begin to open the eyes.
Namaste.
