Meditation and mindfulness keep showing up in my life in subtle whispers that if I wasn't paying attention,
I might actually miss.
When I was a little girl,
I often heard my grandmother say to me,
Thanks for being you.
She was the type of person who saw the beauty in everything.
She was always trying to get my grandfather to bring home massive boulders just for her yard,
Simply for the sake that they were beautiful.
Not very practical,
But stunning.
I'm sure she terrified parents of newborn babies,
Usually complete strangers,
About her excitement and curiosity towards their babies.
She just wanted to snuggle them right up.
I wish that my children would have had the opportunity to meet her.
If I am completely honest,
When I was a teenager,
Her positive attitude and gratitude would drive me crazy.
I certainly didn't appreciate her gracious attitude at the time.
But as an adult,
I miss her perspective.
And I often wonder what her take would be on a situation or a challenge that I'm facing.
She was a religious person,
And never specifically called her gratitude or presence in any moment mindfulness.
But she always seemed engaged and grateful in the moment.
When my children were little,
We expanded the saying and we would share it with each other each night before they fell asleep.
It would usually go something like this.
Did you have a good day?
What was your favorite part?
Thanks for being you.
I am proud of you.
I love you.
And for whatever reason,
We would always end with,
And you have stinky feet.
And to that,
I would tickle them into fits of giggles.
I realize now this was not only my way of incorporating my grandmother into my children's life,
But it was also about incorporating her gratitude.
So when things get hard,
And they will,
Mindfulness and gratitude helps me see my way through the difficulty.
So let us explore gratitude together.
I will now take you through a guided meditation.
At the end of the meditation,
You will hear a soft bell.
It is important to come out of the meditation slowly and take your time.
There is no rush.
I will be here guiding you through the entire process.
The theme of this meditation is gratitude.
Mindfulness is about engaging your attention in the present moment on what you are experiencing without judgment.
Let us center our attention and bring awareness to the present moment.
Let us center our attention and bring awareness to gratitude.
Explore this meditation with mindful curiosity as you become mindful of your body,
Mindful of your environment,
Mindful of gratitude,
And as you maintain a gentle present moment focus.
Start by finding a comfortable position.
Let us settle into our breath.
Placing your feet flat on the ground with your hands laying comfortably in your lap.
Or if you are sitting on a cushion,
Find a comfortable position with your hands resting comfortably in your lap.
Using your eyes if you prefer and become present,
Grateful,
And relaxed in this moment.
Observe the sensations of the body and notice what you are thinking.
As you become more relaxed,
Notice the chatter of your mind starting to quiet.
When your mind wanders,
Come back to your breath in this present moment.
Being mindful of anything getting in your way and let it go on the next exhale breath.
Gently release any tension you notice.
Letting go of anything that might be getting in the way of you being here in this present moment.
Remembering it's okay to have thoughts and when a thought occurs,
Simply let the thought go on the next exhale breath.
Allow each area of your body to settle into the breath.
Giving gratitude to your breath.
Giving gratitude to your body.
Giving gratitude to your life.
Giving gratitude to your community and to the world.
Explore the sensations in your body mindfully with curiosity and without judgment.
Let us practice stillness and gratitude.
Gently engaging your attention in the present moment on what you are experiencing without judgment.
For this meditation,
Let us welcome everything and simply let go of any expectations.
At any point during this meditation,
If your mind starts to wander,
Simply come back to your breath as an anchor of focus.
In this present moment,
Come back to your gratitude.
Remembering to be kind to yourself.
We'll take the next few minutes in silence,
Giving you the opportunity to continue to focus your breath as you mindfully maintain a gentle present moment focus.
Let us explore gratitude with curiosity.
I will keep track of the time as we take these moments of silence together.
Keeping your eyes closed as we integrate back from the meditation,
Start by wiggling your toes and fingers or any part of your body that feels right for you.
Take as much time as you need to come out of the meditation slowly and mindfully.
And when you are ready,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me today in this meditation and I hope you enjoyed the experience.
May we honor the light,
Love,
Truth,
Beauty,
And peace in all of us.
Namaste.
