We are continuing the theme on the attitudes of mindfulness and today we are looking at gratitude.
When mindfulness becomes a way of life rather than just a sitting and breathing practice we find ourselves living more in the present moment,
Becoming more accepting of what is,
More loving towards our relationships and more grateful for this incredible gift we have called life.
There are so many things we could be grateful for right now.
Some things would be different for each one of us but today in the midst of the difficulties some have experienced lately in the light of COVID-19 we will look at gratitude for our breath.
I invite you to close your eyes and together let us think about the actual journey of the breath.
The air travels up through the nostrils,
Down the throat into the lungs and into the blood where it is transferred to red blood cells and taken to the heart and then to every cell in the body.
Life giving oxygen exchanged for waste removing carbon dioxide.
That is a simplified version.
This is in fact an amazing system and we don't even have to think about it.
It just happens.
A beautiful,
Incredible,
Divine exchange.
Let us contemplate the actual workings of the breath right now.
The reason for the breath,
Its job.
Take your attention to your breath.
Imagine what has just taken place internally within that breath and also that breath.
Tighten your face and your hands and your feet and your whole body.
Tighten it and squeeze it and then just relax.
Settle into your breath.
Don't change it,
Just settle into your easeful breath.
Allow the body to become heavy and to soften with each exhale.
Imagine the scalp softens,
The forehead,
The face,
The muscles around the eyes,
The jaws,
The neck,
The shoulders,
The back,
The chest,
The hands and feet,
The legs.
Just imagine that the whole body is becoming heavier and more relaxed.
Let's just appreciate that which quietly supports our lives,
Our breath.
Notice where the breath is for you.
Is it the nostrils,
The chest and rib area,
The stomach?
Observe this breath.
What is the length of it?
What does it sound like?
Is it a gentle air-bend flow or does it have more power,
More energy?
Listen for a moment.
Study the breath a little deeper now.
Observe the point where the in-breath gives way to the out-breath.
And observe the point where the out-breath gives way to the in-breath.
And now observe the space in between.
Relax into that space between the in-breath and the out-breath.
Allow that space to expand.
Explore that space.
Become fully immersed in noticing the breath.
Examine the breath.
Breathe your senses alive right now.
Does your breath have a taste?
Look deeply into your breath,
This giver of life.
Imagine your breath as a colour.
What colour can you see behind your eyes as your breath comes in?
And as your breath comes out?
Are they different colours?
Are there many colours?
Maybe there isn't a colour.
Maybe there is a pattern.
Maybe you see nothing.
All is ok.
Neither is right.
Neither is wrong.
Just notice what is there for you.
Again,
Discover the fabric of the breath.
See if you can see the beginning of the breath.
And the middle.
And the end.
And the pause at the end before the new beginning.
The new journey.
The new assignment.
And now look at this breath as a universal breath.
It permeates everything that exists.
That is all around us.
In every home,
Every town,
Every country,
Every being.
Our exhale becomes another's inhale.
Our inhale previously another's exhale.
One breath shared by all.
Can we honour this breath?
This flow.
This journey that keeps you alive.
Can we honour the purposefulness of the breath?
The industriousness,
The diligence and the absolute magnificence of the breath.
But also the simplicity,
The naturalness,
The primitiveness and the innocence.
What an incredible thing.
And how much we take it for granted.
Give thanks for your breath right now.
Sit in silence as we acknowledge and cherish this remarkable and miraculous breath.
Practicing gratefulness is a wonderful thing.
It is beneficial for our health,
For our wellbeing.
It brings positivity,
Hope and optimism.
I encourage you to practice gratefulness as much as possible.
Wherever you are,
Whatever you are doing.
Have a look around you.
See things that you can be grateful for.
Things in your environment,
In your home,
In your relationships,
In yourself.
Be thankful for them.
Allow yourself now to become aware of your feet or your bottom on the floor.
Move the part of the body which is in contact with the ground.
Have a sense of that connection.
Become aware of the space around you,
Where you are right now.
Slowly blink open the eyes and just take in your surroundings.
Before you move,
Think about something else in your surroundings or in your body or in your life right now that you could be grateful for.
Maybe say it out loud or say it to yourself silently.
I am grateful for,
And then fill in the blank for you.
Maybe you can think of lots of things.
If so,
Stay where you are and say what you are grateful for.
Thank you.
