Welcome to your practice.
As we begin,
Let yourself land in the present moment.
Find a tall,
Comfortable seat and invite your mind and body to settle and soften.
Feel your legs and hips relax and become heavy,
Connecting you to the earth.
Feel your spine lift and lengthen as the crown of your head extends to the sky.
Let tension melt away from your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your jaw.
Soften the muscles of your face and let your eyes gently close as you draw your gaze inward.
Inhale deeply.
Fill your body with breath.
And then exhale with a sigh,
Letting go,
Letting go,
Letting go.
Another full breath in.
Fill your belly,
Your lungs,
Your chest.
And then exhale to release.
Let it all go.
One more deep breath in,
Welcoming the sensation of fullness at the top of the breath.
And then release the breath completely.
Let it all go.
Let your breath return to its natural rhythm and take a few moments to attune to the sensations that accompany your breath.
Notice the way the air feels moving through your nostrils.
The gentle rise and fall of your chest.
Draw your awareness to your low belly and invite the muscles of your belly to become soft and supple.
Feel any tension,
Any gripping you find there.
Feel your belly expanding and softening with your breath.
A gentle massage for the inner environment.
Slowly move your attention up to the center of your chest.
And notice what you find when you arrive.
Perhaps you sense the beating of your heart,
The movement of air in and out of your lungs.
Invite your gaze to move more deeply within,
Deep into your heart center.
As you inhale,
Breathe loving kindness and compassion into your heart,
Kindling a warm glow at your center.
Rest your awareness in this place of warmth and love and ask yourself,
What am I grateful for in this moment?
As you contemplate gratitude,
Notice all the words,
Images,
Names,
Faces,
And places that arise.
Become them all with compassion and acceptance,
Without judgment,
Without attachment.
Give thanks for all that arises.
And then let the images gently float away as you return to your breath and the warm glow at your heart center.
There is something quite profound in regularly giving thanks for the simple blessings in our life.
The practice of gratitude helps us shift our focus to the unsung heroes that support us on our journey.
We can give thanks for the love of family and friends,
For the roof over our heads.
We can give thanks for the gifts of hearing and sight,
Of taste,
Touch,
And smell that allow us to connect to the world around us and marvel at its beauty.
Even in the throes of despair or disease,
We can give thanks simply for the breath that nourishes us and gives us life in this moment.
Gratitude can offer us a refuge from our inner and outer struggles.
It shifts our gaze away from our challenges and helps us cultivate a sense of contentment,
Balance,
And perspective.
We are reminded to appreciate the simple joys of life,
The gift of being alive,
And we begin to recognize that this too shall pass,
Whatever this may be.
We remember that change is our constant companion,
And with each moment arrives new possibilities,
New opportunities to grow,
To learn,
To heal,
To stand wrapped in awe at the simple blessings this moment brings.
Gratitude can be practiced anytime and anywhere.
And like any skill,
The more often we practice,
The more adept we become.
Invite the practice of gratitude into your daily life.
Perhaps when you awaken each morning or before you retire each evening,
Ask yourself,
What am I grateful for on this day?
When feelings like frustration,
Anger,
Loneliness,
Or pain arise,
Invite yourself to pause and bring to mind one thing for which you are grateful in that moment.
The more often we pause and we acknowledge that we are truly rich,
The better able we will be to find contentment within ourselves and the world around us.
Inhale deeply.
Fill your body with breath.
As you exhale,
Release and let go,
Slowly coming back into the room,
Letting your eyes flutter open.
Take a moment as we complete our practice to simply notice how you feel.
Return to the place of warmth,
Compassion,
And gratitude that you cultivated at your center and let it guide you through the rest of your day.
