Begin by finding a comfortable position that allows your spine to be straight but not rigid.
You may choose to close your eyes as this will minimize distractions,
But it is also possible to meditate with your eyes open.
Before we begin,
You may want to acknowledge that you have taken time out of your schedule just to be with yourself.
It is an act of self-care.
Briefly checking in with your body,
Paying attention to your face and jaw and releasing any tension you may be feeling.
Now directing your attention to the shoulders or your lower back.
See if you can make yourself any more comfortable before we begin.
Taking a long breath in and a slow long breath out.
Once more,
A long breath in and a breath out at your own pace.
Allow your body to resume its natural breathing rhythm.
Gently bringing your attention to the breath.
You may follow the air as it travels through your body or you may simply focus on one part of your body,
Such as your nostrils or your abdomen.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
In case your mind is wandering and it's hard for you to focus on your breath,
You may choose to label your breaths.
You can label every inhale as in and every exhale as out.
Let's begin with your present moment experience.
What is the most pleasant sensation you're feeling right now?
Focus on that and immerse yourself as much as you can in this experience.
Try and feel appreciation for the sensations you're feeling right now.
This pleasantness has arisen out of nowhere,
Out of an extremely complex set of circumstances,
And it's here and you're able to get pleasure from it.
When it starts fading away,
Let it go.
We have a tendency to cling to pleasant experiences,
But much like everything else,
They will come and go.
Now,
Even if the sensation is still present and pleasant,
Gently return your attention to the breath.
Think back at your day yesterday or today.
Try to find a person that has in some way been a part of your experience.
Pick someone you don't know very well,
A clerk,
A driver,
The person that works in your grocery store,
A new co-worker.
Now,
Allow yourself to see how you've benefited from their work,
Or perhaps from something even smaller,
How a small gesture could have made you feel.
Allow yourself to feel grateful for that experience.
While you do this,
Be mindful of your body.
Which part of your body reacts with gratitude?
How does it look like in your body to be grateful?
Be aware of these sensations.
Focus on each one.
Stay with them.
See how they change.
Observe their intensity,
Their quality.
Now,
Think about everything that you need that allows you to have the life that you have right now.
There are more things than we even realize.
Your laptop,
For example,
IPad,
Books,
Washing machine,
Internet,
House you're in right now,
Chair or a cushion you may be sitting on.
Choose any of those and think how they came to be in your possession.
How much work was needed for it to be made?
How many people participated?
From the factory workers,
To the salespeople,
And everyone else whose work indirectly or directly contributed to the making of this object.
How many things had to come together in just the right time so that this object would end up in your hands?
How much attention,
Hard work,
Time has been put in so that this particular thing would be created?
Now,
Bring to mind someone you care about.
And think what this person means to you.
What is it that you appreciate about them?
About who they are?
About what they do?
Think about what they have done for you and what you have done for them about things you've been through together.
As you imagine this person and remember what they mean to you,
Notice what feelings you're experiencing,
What sensations in your body and where.
Focus on the strongest of these sensations that you're experiencing right now and just be with it.
Allow it to take center stage of your awareness for just a little while.
Now,
Imagine this person in front of you and say thank you.
In your own words,
Whatever feels most natural to you in this moment out loud or in your thoughts,
Express the gratitude for everything this person means to you.
Imagine them receiving your words.
As you imagine this,
Gently return your attention to the body and be mindful of what is happening.
How do you feel right now?
How does it feel to say or think those words?
Now,
Let us try something slightly more difficult.
Until now,
I've asked you to focus on the good in your life and on the pleasant experiences.
It's rather easy to feel grateful for such moments.
But most of us have experienced bad and painful things as well.
Losses,
Accidents,
Fights,
Failures of all kinds.
These have felt bad and have hurt us.
Suffering is a universal fact of all our lives.
These bad experiences are,
However,
Sometimes good and bad at the same time.
Good things can come out of horrible events,
Even if it's very hard for us to see that sometimes.
And not only see,
It's also hard to come to terms with the fact that life is really not easily divisible in categories such as good and bad and pleasant and unpleasant.
Things are always more complicated than that.
I would now like us to explore these kinds of experiences.
In case this part of the exercise is too unpleasant for you,
It's perfectly OK to open your eyes and stop right here.
If you've chosen to continue,
Bring to mind a challenging experience from your past.
If this is your first time with this practice,
Perhaps you want to select an experience that is not overly traumatic or difficult.
Now think about how this challenge was also good for you.
How this bad experience has transformed you for the better.
I'm not suggesting to forget the pain and the suffering and the bad side of this.
It is all right to feel all that again right now.
Be with those sensations if they arise.
Welcome them.
Being mindful means being with whatever comes.
Embrace your experience in all its complexity and with all the mixed feelings.
Try to find at least one thing to be grateful for in that experience.
Now let your body and mind settle as this exercise can be quite intense.
Bringing your attention back to the breath.
Allow your body to pace the breathing according to its needs.
Observe and follow the breath.
Every time your body inhales,
Label it with in and every exhale with out.
In,
Out.
As this meditation comes to an end,
Extend gratitude for this very moment and this very practice.
And for all the experience you've brought back during the exercise.
Perhaps wish yourself well.
You may want to repeat after me.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
As you inhale,
Wish yourself well.
And as you exhale,
Wish yourself to be happy.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
Now take a slow,
Deep breath in.
Pause for just a second and then slowly release,
Exhaling at your own pace.
Whenever you're ready,
You may open your eyes.
