Take a few moments to settle into a comfortable position.
Perhaps you close the eyes or just take a soft gaze right out in front of you and just try to release your mind from the day behind you or what's to come later on.
Arriving in this present moment just as you are.
As you settle in,
Take a deep breath in through your nose and sigh it out of your mouth.
Do that one more time,
Inhaling deeply and releasing completely.
As you allow yourself to become aware of the present moment,
Notice what you can soften here right now.
Perhaps it's your brow,
Unclenching your jaw,
Releasing the shoulders away from the ears,
Softening the belly.
Just allow yourself to arrive in a complete state of ease.
Feel the breath moving freely and naturally in through the nose,
Down the throat,
And into the lungs.
Perhaps it begins to slow down and extend in this space.
Are you able to lengthen the exhale before inviting fresh new breath air back in?
Now I want you to visualize yourself at a beach.
It's a quiet and peaceful morning just after sunrise.
There are not many people around,
So the silence is nice.
You look out into the vast,
Beautiful blue ocean and take in the waves slowly rippling into the shore.
The soothing calming sounds of the water splashing against your feet,
Combined with the soft sounds of seagulls out in the distance,
Make you grow in appreciation of the beauty of this earth.
You gain a little bit more appreciation as well for the precious moments that you are able to slow down.
As you look down at your feet,
You notice perfect seashells aligning the shore.
Every seashell is unique in its own way.
Some are broken and so many shells that have remained whole and intact.
You pick up a bucket that you have nearby and you begin to pick up the shells one by one.
Each shell represents a person or an experience that has had an effect on you in some way.
You find shells that represent loved ones,
Another set that represents specific milestones in your life such as a new job or a grand accomplishment.
There are also shells that symbolize the breath you have,
The body that is living,
And the mind that you are using in this moment.
One by one,
You begin to collect all of these shells.
Some whole and without flaws,
But then you notice how some of the broken ones have an intricate pattern,
A glimmer or shine,
That the whole ones do not.
And so you begin to gather those too.
These broken shells may represent the challenges you faced,
The people who have hurt you,
The situations that were painful.
In spite of the brokenness,
You are able to see the beauty within those too.
Before you know it,
Your bucket is full of so many shells to the point where it's on the verge of overflowing.
You take a moment to show and express so much gratitude towards the people and experiences that have helped shape you.
There are so many things to be grateful for.
Even the ugly ones that have taught you lessons along the way.
You hold the bucket close to your heart and allow it to fill your spirit with so much joy.
Take a moment here to just experience the fullness of gratitude,
The appreciation of life,
The moments to pause and just be grateful for what you have and what you have experienced.
Bring your awareness back to this present moment and repeat these words.
I intentionally choose gratitude.
I am grateful for who I am and what I have.
The more gratitude I feel,
The more I am aware that supply is endless.
I am filled with the abundance of happiness and gratitude.
I intentionally choose gratitude.
I am grateful for who I am and what I have.
The more gratitude I feel,
The more I am aware that supply is endless.
I am filled with the abundance of happiness and gratitude.
Slowly take one more deep breath in through your nose and release it out of your mouth.
Gently open the eyes and thank you for spending your meditation practice with me today.
