Hi,
This is J.
D.
Larochette over here at Mindful Life Project.
Welcome and thanks for joining.
This practice will be mindful skill number seven,
Gratitude.
And while it's seventh on the number of mindful skills in our order of practice,
It is definitely just as important as any other one of them.
The key is remembering that every mindful skill helps us get back in the present moment through that compassionate lens of awareness,
Paying attention with kindness.
And the more we practice all seven skills,
The more we're able to access and use those skills in different ways.
Today we'll be focusing our mindful practice on building gratitude for the small things and the big things and in between.
And one way to remember our practice of gratitude is to remember our tagline.
So go ahead and repeat after me out loud.
Every moment I show gratitude,
Spreading kindness and peace is my attitude.
So again,
Each moment we can find something we're grateful for.
It could be the breath,
It could be friends,
It could be love,
It can be whatever we're eating if we're having food.
It can be anything that helps us in the moment.
And the more we practice gratitude,
The more gratitude grows.
And the more gratitude grows,
The healthier we become in mind,
Body and heart.
So let's go ahead and get to practice.
Remembering that if we get distracted by anything,
That's not a problem or something to fix.
It's an opportunity to practice that mental muscle,
Gaining that strength and come back to the present moment.
As always,
Let's get into our mindful position.
Go ahead and repeat after me.
I've got my feet on the floor.
I've got my spine in the line.
I've got my hands in my lap.
And my heart to the sky.
And then allowing the eyes to gently softly close or soft gaze below if that feels more comfortable.
We'll start with the sound of the bell to use mindful listening to tune into the present moment.
We stay with as long as we can.
And if we get distracted,
We simply try again.
So as we begin our practice,
Remember to give yourself gratitude for the courage and the strength to be with ourselves through a heartful lens to be present with love and kindness to be in the moment.
As we start focusing on gratitude,
Let's start by just noticing a few breaths.
Just bring into attention your anchor,
Wherever you feel the breath the most,
Belly,
Chest or nose.
Just bring the breath into awareness.
Noticing the inhale,
The pause,
The exhale,
And the next pause between breaths.
Now let's move to sounds for a second.
Just tune into some sounds that are both close by and further away.
And now we're going to focus on gratitude.
So mindful gratitude is really about taking time to cultivate,
To grow these things that really mean something to us in life.
And grow the connection that we are able to be able to have these things.
So it's love and care.
If it's being with friends and family,
Or if it's the things that we need to be fully alive,
Water,
Food.
If it's the things that bring joy,
Games,
People,
Sports,
Or anywhere in between.
For the next minute or so,
Pretend that your mind is like a popcorn machine.
And in your mind,
Think of things you're grateful for.
Each time,
That's like a kernel popping.
Just spend about 45 seconds just cultivating,
Thinking through,
And feeling gratitude for what we have and who we have.
So maybe you're focusing on the bigger things.
You said the world,
You're grateful for the world,
For Mother Earth.
Maybe you had some details in there.
You're grateful for your favorite dessert.
Or then you thought of a family member,
And you're grateful for them.
Whatever it is,
Just remember that whatever you're grateful for is important.
Big,
Small,
And in between.
And the more we focus on gratitude,
The more we'll grow it.
It's like watering a plant.
Maybe you start with a little seed,
And it's kind of hard to see it growing.
Maybe you don't feel a lot of gratitude at first.
That's okay.
The more we water the seed,
The more it will grow.
The more we take care of the Earth,
The more that seed will grow,
The more light it gets,
The more it will grow.
And here,
We're doing the same thing with gratitude.
So give yourself about 20 more seconds of just thinking one-word answers of what you're grateful for.
We'll close practice,
But I want you to hold on to the felt sense,
What it feels like right now after thinking of the things you're grateful for.
Remember that you can always come back with gratitude to the present moment.
And when things might be a little rougher,
Gratitude can help us realize how powerful we are,
How connected we are,
And how supported we are.
And we'll close with the sound of the bell.
As always,
Coming out of your practice,
Maybe stretching or wiggling or squeezing yourself,
Rubbing your hands,
And opening your eyes.
So gratitude can be done like we did it right now.
You could write down a journal of the things you're grateful for.
Spread your gratitude.
So tell people about what you're grateful for.
Ask them what they're grateful for.
Gratitude is so important.
The more we grow it,
The more it will spread.
So thank you,
And I'll see you next time.
