Gratitude for a person.
This practice will focus on noticing and developing a sense of gratitude for an important person or people within our life.
We'll begin by settling our body and breath.
Allow yourself to sit comfortably.
Feel the weight of gravity.
Your seat on the chair,
Your feet on the ground.
Let go of any tension in your shoulders,
Neck or jaw.
Close your eyes or look down towards the ground.
As the body settles into stillness,
Bring your attention to the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Notice each breath coming in and out.
Becoming aware of the physical sensations of each breath.
Perhaps noticing air passing the tip of the nose,
The expansion of the chest or the rise and fall of the abdomen.
Breathing in and breathing out.
We're going to spend some time cultivating a sense of gratitude and thankfulness for the people that we are connected to and value in our lives.
You might choose to focus on one particular person or on a group of people that you care about.
So bringing to mind a person that you appreciate having in your life.
It may be a person that you are close to or who is far away.
You may see them frequently or rarely or they may have passed on from this life.
Allow yourself to feel a sense of appreciation for this person or people.
Allow gratitude to come up naturally without being forced.
And when it arises,
Just let yourself sink into the feeling,
Surrender to it.
Where do you experience this feeling of gratitude in your body?
You might have a gentle expression or a small smile on your face or a warmth in your heart.
Allowing this feeling to gently grow.
And bringing to mind a sense of one quality that you value in the people or person that you've chosen.
Is it their humour,
Kindness,
Their compassion,
Care,
Strength,
Honesty,
Their reliability,
Ability to understand you?
Allowing to come to mind an example of a situation that they demonstrated this quality that you value.
You may wish to think of a time that this person has contributed to making your life or someone else's life a little brighter or happier or safer or more spacious.
Or maybe the world becomes more loving with this person in it.
Remembering this situation,
How did the person act?
What did they do or say?
What was their energy like?
Their posture?
Their facial expression?
And noticing how it feels for you to remember this example of the quality that you value in this person.
Breathe into the space of this memory and feel how the appreciation for this person fills your own heart.
Allow yourself to soak in the sense of appreciation for another person.
Breathe in and allow the sense of connection to expand.
The sense of being connected in this world with another being that you value and care about.
Breathing out and sending a sense of well-wishing and care to that person.
Breathing out our gratitude.
Perhaps seeing this flowing outwards from us like a light enveloping the person with our care for their well-being.
We might say some words,
I wish you well,
I care for you too.
You might bring an image of the person to mind,
Looking into their eyes and sensing the connection.
Perhaps you're able to see their smile and smile in return.
To whisper your thanks.
You might make a gesture of gratitude,
Laying a hand on their shoulder,
Taking hold of their hands,
Stroking their cheek or holding the person in a hug or embrace.
Breathing in a sense of connection,
Our care for this person.
Breathing out our gratitude and thankfulness.
Breathing in connection,
Care,
Love.
Breathing out,
Thank you,
I'm grateful,
I'm enriched by having you in my life.
And finishing by widening the sphere of our gratitude.
We can include ourselves,
You might see yourself sitting with the person that you appreciate.
Breathing in with an awareness that you create an essential part of this connection with the other person.
You might have a sense of the person's reciprocal care and their appreciation for you.
As you breathe in,
Offer both of you care and nurture.
Breathing out,
Offering both of you a sense of thanks and appreciation.
Appreciating yourself for all the time and effort and energy that you pour into caring for yourself and other people.
You might say some words,
Thank you,
I appreciate you.
I see all that you do,
I care for you.
And finally widening our circle to include more of the people around you,
You might focus on your family,
Your community or the wider world.
Breathing in a sense of connection with others,
A sense of being part of something larger,
Something shared.
Breathing out,
Sending gratitude to the people around us,
To the people in our family,
To our community,
To the world.
Sending gratitude to all beings,
However imperfect we are,
For our shared humanity.
