Hi,
This is Emily.
I'm recording this Hearts Thank You meditation the day before Remembrance Day 2020 in honour of the veterans who risked their lives and sacrificed so much for us.
A quote I love from Fred-to-Fit Fan Amberg is,
Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of bankruptcy.
I love it.
Feeling gratitude is truly one of the best ways to increase abundance in our lives and actually expressing our heartfelt appreciation is a priceless gift and a way for us to share that abundance with the people in our lives.
Let's get started.
We'll begin by finding a comfy position,
Either sitting or laying down.
If you're laying down,
You might want to put a hand on your heart and hand on your belly.
And you can also do this if you're sitting.
Go ahead and close your eyes and open your awareness to your inner world.
Doing a quick body scan,
Beginning with the top of your head,
Move your awareness down your body,
Taking note of any areas of physical or emotional tension.
Allow your breath to soften these areas,
Letting go and relaxing more deeply with each exhale.
If you notice recurring thoughts of past conversations,
Events,
Feelings,
Or future commitments,
Simply allow them to pass and gently bring your attention back to your breath instead.
We begin by opening our hearts and offering gratitude to ourselves for taking a quiet moment of stillness to do this meditation,
To be fully present with yourself and with your heart.
Consider for a few moments a few of your favorite things about yourself.
Maybe that's your sense of humor,
Love for animals,
Curiosity,
Your honesty.
Just take a few moments to feel love and appreciation for yourself and your greatest strengths.
Take a moment to make note of what the gratitude feels like in your body.
It might be a warming sensation in your heart,
A certain glow in your cells,
Or a feeling of expansion.
Whatever this feeling is for you,
Take a moment or two to just simply enjoy,
Using your breath to amplify it even more.
Now let's continue expressing love for ourselves and our bodies.
Feel a deep appreciation for your heart,
For pumping fresh,
Life-giving blood into all your organs.
Feel an appreciation for the gift of hearing,
For being able to actually listen to this meditation,
To hear the sounds of birds chirping,
The voices of friends and family,
Your favorite music.
And take a few more moments to give thanks now to your other senses as well.
Take another moment to feel gratitude for your body in general and everything it does for you every single day.
Offer your body a heartfelt thank you for being so strong and resilient and healthy and whatever else you love and appreciate about your body.
Now I'll invite you to expand your awareness beyond your body to the people in your life.
Bring to mind a person or a pet that makes you feel loved.
Someone who's made your life easier in some way.
Maybe a parent,
A friend,
A co-worker,
Teacher,
Or mentor.
Thank them with your heart for showing you love.
Bring to mind someone who challenges you now,
Offering them a thank you for helping you practice acceptance and for pushing you out of your comfort zone to help you learn and grow.
Now with a deep breath,
Gather up all the people in your life and hold them in your heart for a few moments.
With a few deep breaths,
Extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of them.
There are a lot of people that we don't actually know in the world who contribute to our well-being in some way.
It can be easy to forget about those we never encounter that help make our lives better,
Easier,
And safer in some way.
From the farmers who grow and harvest the food you eat and the people who make the clothes you wear,
To the workers who gather your recycling every week,
Those who maintain internet servers so you can connect virtually with friends and family and co-workers,
And the veterans who laid everything on the line for us and sacrificed so much.
Take a few moments to feel gratitude for those people that you'll never encounter that help to improve your life in some way.
There's a lot to be grateful for in our world that we often take for granted.
We live in a stunningly beautiful world but we don't always stop to enjoy and appreciate it.
The warm sun,
The beauty of freshly fallen snow,
The calm,
Quietness of a starry night,
The trees that provide us shade on a sunny day,
And the wood to keep us warm in front of a fire,
The springs and glaciers that provide us with fresh drinking water,
And all the animals and plants we eat to stay alive.
Take a few moments to send a prayer of loving appreciation to the natural world.
And finally,
We return to the generous present moment.
We thank this moment for simply being one we can experience.
One free from distraction,
Free from ruminations on the past and worries about the future.
We feel gratitude together for this moment of stillness,
For bringing us into our bodies and filling us up with love and appreciation for all the goodness in our lives.
Remember,
Feeling gratitude is one of the best ways to cultivate happiness in your life.
Another is actually expressing it.
So today I encourage you to find a way to express your appreciation to someone or something.
The music will continue for a few more minutes,
So feel free to enjoy the stillness a little bit longer.
I extend my gratitude to you for listening.
Thank you.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you.
