Hello.
Thank you so much for joining me today for our morning meditation.
Today's topic is gratitude.
This topic is dear to my heart.
We all strive to be happier,
But happiness is not a feeling as much as it is a state of being.
We create a happy life.
And how do we do that?
We start with gratitude.
Gratitude is the act of being thankful.
The thoughts we tell ourselves to find appreciation,
Joy for the lives that we lead.
So before we begin,
Close your eyes.
Make yourself oh so comfortable.
Maybe you're still in bed.
Maybe you're enjoying your cup of coffee.
Maybe you're taking a slow easy walk.
Wherever this meditation finds you,
Bring some ease into your body.
Maybe you want to close your eyes.
If you're in a chair,
Sit upright,
Feet flat on the floor,
Hands relaxed.
And we'll start with our usual formula,
Which generally goes where we focus on the breath.
Relax our body.
Maybe the mind stops wandering just a little.
And then we listen to our heart.
So when you're ready,
Exhale all your breath out.
Inhale deeply through the nose for the count of five,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Five.
And now exhale for the count of six,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Two more times just like this.
Inhaling deeply,
Feeling your body soften and relax.
Sipping in the air,
Chest rising,
Stomach expanding.
And as you exhale,
Allow your exhale to be slightly longer than the inhale.
And let something go,
Whether it's a muscle,
Whether it's tension,
Whether it's a negative thought.
One more time.
Inhale deeply through the nose.
Exhaling your spine long,
Feeling rooted and grounded wherever you are.
And exhaling,
Letting go,
Creating space for our gratitude practice.
Notice as you breathe normally and naturally for yourself,
If there's any tension in the face,
Starting around the eyes and the back of the head,
Energetically allow these muscles to soften and expand.
Just visualize all the muscles around the eyes becoming less tense.
Notice the area around the mouth and the jaw.
If you're grinding or clenching,
Create some space.
Allow any muscle tension of the neck and shoulders to roll down the spine as you breathe and out the fingertips or through the seat.
Allow your stomach to be heavy and hang.
If you're sucking it in,
Let it go.
Feel your hips release and soften.
And noticing if there's any tension in the hands or the feet,
Wiggling the toes and the fingers a little and just relaxing and softening as you breathe.
If your mind wanders,
That's okay.
Just notice and come back to the breath.
So as we think about gratitude,
What we are grateful for,
I like to think of this in two parts.
Part one is what am I grateful for?
Imagine if you're having a day or a week or a month or a year where you feel there's nothing to be grateful for.
Start simply.
I am grateful for waking up.
I am grateful for the food on my plate.
Start with your basic needs.
I am grateful for being outside.
And the second part of this is why.
Why you're grateful for it.
I am grateful for waking up today because I have another opportunity to create the life I want to live.
I am grateful for having food because it nourishes my body so I can be my best self.
I am grateful for going outside because it gives me new perspectives and new ideas I may not have thought of if I stayed in my home or my cocoon.
See how adding the why creates a more well-rounded,
Easier to see and feel.
It creates a reason that permeates deep into your cells.
And if you can feel how it feels to be grateful,
Maybe you notice it in your heart.
Or your stomach.
Or your hands.
If you're still having a hard time thinking of something you're grateful for,
Allow yourself to visualize a memory of a past time when you were with a loved one,
A pet,
Or outdoors.
Allow yourself to feel what it felt like to be in their presence.
Maybe spending quality time with your puppy or your kitten,
Petting their soft fur,
Allowing their kisses to nuzzle your face.
Remember how you felt in your heart area in these situations.
Maybe it's a fuzzy feeling,
A tingly feeling,
A warmth,
And allow this to spread throughout your whole body.
If your mind has wandered,
Come back to the breath and let's take a deep breath as we end our time together.
Exhaling all your breath out.
Inhaling deeply through the nose.
And exhaling completely,
Feeling your body soften again.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
I encourage you to try to find one thing today that you're grateful for,
Asking yourself why you're grateful for it,
And then allowing your body to feel what gratitude feels like.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
