Welcome to this reflection practice.
You may wish to journal at times throughout this practice,
Although it's not strictly necessary.
So please pause the recording and gather what you need if you would like to journal what arises through your reflections today.
Please make yourself comfortable,
Perhaps taking yourself to a space that you feel safe and relaxed in,
Or just somewhere that you can be undisturbed and take this time for yourself.
A reflection practice offers the opportunity to remember the gift of who we are.
When we reflect on our lives through the lens of appreciation,
We may find magic and medicine in the mundane moments of our lives,
And we can remember our adversity and achievements and what matters to us.
In this modern world of doing and going and getting,
We sometimes lose sight of our accomplishments,
Our efforts,
Our big wins,
Our small wins,
The learnings,
And the growth,
And the simple pleasures of life.
May this practice soften the tension,
Pressure,
And restlessness of the lacking thoughts and feelings that instill in us to do more and be more.
They can be relentless,
But you are enough,
Just as you are,
And you are doing so well.
This is an opportunity to appreciate all of your efforts in life and to appreciate yourself.
Let's turn that frazzled chasing feeling into inspired action by reflecting and seeing ourselves and life through the lens of appreciation.
Turning into your breathing now,
Letting your attention lightly land in your body with your breath in and out.
Maybe some nice thoughtful breaths in and out through your nose or sighing it out through your mouth.
And as you gaze around the space that you are in,
Breathe easily,
Beginning to see the space around you through the soft eyes of appreciation.
Tuning in with your breath again,
What is something that you can enjoy about breathing today?
The rhythm,
The sound,
The miracle that is your breath,
The connection it offers you to nature,
The adaptability of your breath.
Spend a few moments appreciating and enjoying something about your breathing.
Here now is the part of your practice where you may wish to write.
Please remember in addition to writing,
Remember to feel and breathe with the experience as well so that it becomes more than just a journaling exercise.
Recall a moment that mattered to you today.
Perhaps it was the blooming flowers you saw in a garden,
An interaction with a friend or the receiving of some good news.
Hold this moment gently in your awareness.
See what you saw.
Hear what you heard.
Feel what you felt.
And then notice how your eyes,
Your breath and your body respond as you remember.
Take it in deeper by breathing with appreciation for this meaningful moment in your day.
From the past year,
Recall one new thing you have tried.
Hold this experience gently in your awareness,
Letting your whole body and all of your senses remember.
And then notice how your eyes,
Your breath and your body respond as you remember.
Take it in deeper by breathing with appreciation for the act of trying something new and for anything else about this experience that you want to savour and cherish.
Breathe with that too.
From the past year,
Recall one success you've had.
Hold this experience gently in your awareness,
Letting your whole body and senses remember.
Notice how your eyes,
Your breath and your body respond as you remember.
Shifting from simply recalling the thought to soaking in and savouring the sense of achievement,
Satisfaction,
Success that may be humming and thrumming and pulsing in your heart,
In your body.
And anything else about this experience that is asking to be cherished and appreciated,
Breathe with that too.
Through our trials and tribulations and life experiences,
We grow and learn immensely.
From the past year,
Recall one thing you've learnt about yourself.
Keep this learning gently in your awareness.
Sense this new found knowledge,
Wisdom and understanding of yourself within you.
Nurture it with your breath and your attention.
Notice how your eyes,
Your breath and your whole body respond as you remember and appreciate your own growth.
From the past year,
Recall a new skill you have honed or acquired.
Have you upgraded your adaptability or started painting?
Hold this thought and experience gently in your awareness,
Remembering,
Breathing,
Appreciating.
Remember what arises as you reflect.
By now,
Each one reflection may have turned into many and you may feel flooded with thoughts,
Feelings,
Memories of all that you have experienced,
Endured and enjoyed in the past year.
Too many things in fact to be appreciated in one meditation session.
Offer yourself more space as these thoughts and feelings and memories come flooding in.
Feel and breathe with that abundance and know that you can come back to this practice again and again to reflect and appreciate,
To remind yourself that you are enough and that you are doing great things and that you are living and loving and showing up for life in your own way.
Can you sense the tingle and hum of appreciation as it softens the push and pull of the striving and the doing more?
You are doing so much already when you pause to reflect.
Allow all this appreciating to become a kind of medicine for your active mind,
Your tender heart,
Your weary bones as you rest for a little while longer and remember.
GS If it feels good to do so,
Continue exploring what else there is you want to appreciate and celebrate in your life.
People,
Places,
Achievements,
Learnings,
Growth.
Pausing as each thought or impression occurs to you.
Hold it lightly in your awareness.
Breathe with it.
Bring it into your heart and let your whole body and all of your senses remember.
And soak up that feeling.
Pretty quickly the things worthy of appreciating start to stack up.
From delicious meals you've eaten,
Meaningful conversations with friends or strangers,
To huge achievements you've been working towards and to challenges overcome.
And then as you feel ready to emerge,
Let your eyes drift leisurely around the space you're in.
See this space and your life now through a renewed presence,
Through the lens of appreciation.
The ordinary becomes extraordinary.
The mundane becomes magic.
And there is so much to celebrate and appreciate about being you.
May you continue on into your day with the soft lens of appreciation in your eyes and in your heart.
