Hello dear friend,
Have you ever wondered what does appreciation really mean?
Most people think that gratitude and appreciation are the same.
Gratitude is an emotion we experience within ourselves,
Whereas appreciation is an acknowledgement we extend to others.
Well,
Now that we have clarified the distinction between these two words,
I hope you are ready to activate your appreciation muscle.
Choose your preferred comfortable posture.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and then release.
Straighten your back,
Making sure your lower back is well supported.
Lean your head to your left shoulder so you can release any tension in your neck.
And then drop your head to your right shoulder.
Now bring your head back to centre.
Feel your head balancing its weight right between your shoulders.
Press your feet firmly on the ground.
Feel all points of contact between your feet and the ground.
Your hands freely resting in your lap,
Palms facing up.
Close your eyes and focus on your inner landscape.
Connect to your breath and notice how good it feels to be able to breathe in and out.
I invite you to breathe in for a count of three and breathe out for a count of four.
Keep breathing like this until you reach a place of inner peace and calm.
Observe your mind and the activity that's going on in your mind right now.
Now I invite you to shift your attention from your mind and focus on your breath.
Keep breathing these juicy breath and settle deeply into the core of your being.
Let the breath come back to its normal rhythm and see if you can perhaps slow down a little bit.
Breathe in your chest and tummy rising.
Breathe out your chest and tummy relaxing.
Breathe in your chest and tummy rising.
Breathe out your chest and tummy relaxing.
Breathe in your chest and tummy rising.
Breathe out your chest and tummy relaxing.
Now I invite you to breathe in through the back of your heart and breathing out through the front of your heart.
Imagine white light,
Healing energy entering and leaving your heart.
Sense and feel how this is spreading through your whole body,
Washing away your negative feelings and emotions.
Rest your awareness in your heart space and activate your appreciation muscle.
Recall a time when you felt deep appreciation for a person,
A special place or an experience.
Remember how good it felt to express your appreciation.
The intention is really to focus on something that is special.
The intention is really to focus on something you really appreciate and notice how you feel.
Notice what visuals,
Feelings and emotions are coming up for you when you activate the appreciation muscle.
Use your breath to open up the space within your whole being for all emotions and feelings to unfold.
Take a breath and see if you can list all the things that you appreciate.
I appreciate my life and all the people in my life.
I appreciate the place I live in,
My bed,
My pillow.
I appreciate my body and all the lessons and experiences that I have gone through.
I appreciate a good body and all the experiences that I have gone through.
I appreciate a good meal,
A warm cup of tea.
I appreciate a sun rising and setting even when I don't see the sun.
I appreciate the moon and a starry night.
I appreciate the rain kissing the earth.
I appreciate the mountains and the oceans.
I appreciate the flowers and the trees,
The birds and the animals.
I appreciate our planet and all the planets in our constellation.
I appreciate a beautiful painting,
An inspiring novel,
An enchanting conversation,
A good belly laughter.
Take a deep breath in and a big breath out.
Is there anything else you appreciate and I forgot to mention it?
Go ahead and show your appreciation to those things.
Take a deep breath and notice how you feel.
Are you experiencing any new emotions or a shift in your mind and physical body?
Just breathing and enjoying this moment of deep appreciation.
Just breathing and feeling this muscle of appreciation growing and expanding within you.
I invite you to take this feeling of appreciation into your day and into your night.
