Hi,
Hello and welcome to Take 20.
My name is Julie and I'll be taking you through a relaxation exercise in just a moment.
This week's exercise is a meditation on gratitude.
I don't know how often I say this but we live in strange times and sometimes that makes it hard to place things in perspective,
To look at things that are going well,
To be grateful for our friends,
Family,
Neighbors,
The people behind the register in the supermarket,
Nurses and the people around us who make life easier and more beautiful.
I'm not exactly a spiritual person but I've been studying yoga and its philosophy for a number of years and there's one ethical principle from that tradition called aparigraha which means non-possessiveness or non-craving and that's proven very useful for me lately.
It's easy enough to see why this is an ethical principle being possessive is not very interesting for those around you and it's easy enough not to be possessive over what belongs to somebody else but what about what was supposed to belong to you.
I had big plans for 2020 but instead I find myself having to contend with a smaller life,
A smaller paycheck and lots of limitations like so many of you.
Instead of mourning or grasping for what might have been,
Aparigraha urges me to look around and be grateful for what is there.
I hope you will join me in this exercise today.
Today's meditation will take around 25 minutes and can be practiced both lying and sitting down.
Okay to begin make yourself comfortable.
Get ready to relax.
Find a good position and begin to relax your body.
Take a slow breath in and breathe out slowly.
Keep breathing slowly.
Breathe slowly,
Deeply and comfortably.
In a moment I will count down from 10 to 1.
While I say each number let your body and your mind relax more and more.
Let's begin.
10.
Feel how your muscles start to relax.
9.
Your hands and feet become warm,
Heavy and relaxed.
8.
Your muscles are becoming loose and heavy.
7.
Notice that your attention is drifting and becoming more relaxed.
6.
Relax a bit more,
Totally peaceful.
5.
A tingling feeling of relaxation is spreading through your body,
Pleasant and relaxed.
4.
More and more relaxed and peaceful.
3.
Free of tension.
2.
You're almost completely relaxed.
1.
You're now completely relaxed.
As you're becoming more and more relaxed let's begin to practice gratitude.
We'll start with something simple,
Something you can experience right now in this moment.
Take stock of your experience in this moment and find something to be grateful for.
It could be a sound inside or outside of this room you're in,
The temperature of the space,
The comfort you can find in your position,
Perhaps the feeling of a blanket or your clothes against your skin,
Or the simple fact that we're taking a little break to relax in this moment.
Choose one thing to focus your attention on in this moment and let it come into your experience.
Let appreciation and gratitude flow to the surface.
Let it fill your body and your mind.
Now think of someone who supported you in your day to day,
Someone who contacted you,
Reached out,
Helped you,
Maybe the author of a book you're reading,
Or the creator of an object you've used.
Allow yourself to feel how you can enjoy their work or their efforts.
Allow yourself to feel appreciation and gratitude.
Then think of all the things you've used today that have made your life better or easier.
Books,
Gadgets,
Clothing,
Buildings,
Anything really.
Choose one of these things and consider what was necessary to bring it into your life.
Appreciate and feel grateful that you have access to these things.
Feel gratitude for the people you live and work with.
Bring your attention to somebody you care about.
Make a picture of them in your head.
Think about what this person means to you,
What you appreciate about them,
Who they are,
What you've gone through together,
The part they've played in your life.
And while you bring them before your mind's eye,
Notice what feelings you're experiencing,
What sensations you can feel in your body.
And then let yourself express your gratitude to them.
Thank them just for being who they are and for their presence in your life.
Imagine them receiving your gratitude.
And while you're imagining these things,
Let yourself rest in this experience.
While you're practicing gratitude,
It could even be the case that you discover you can be grateful for difficult or unpleasant experiences.
If you like,
If that's possible for you in this moment,
You can bring an experience to the front of your mind that has been challenging,
That is a bit difficult,
One for which you would like to express your gratitude.
Offer your gratitude and appreciation.
Thank this challenge for what it may bring you in the future.
Gratitude for your body,
Appreciation for our minds,
Gratitude for the simple fact of being alive in this moment.
Appreciate the opportunity to press pause,
To take a break and experience this exercise.
For all the things you've brought into your mind during this practice,
For all the countless things you've received in your life,
Say thank you to all the people,
All the things that are around you and that are part of you,
For all you have experienced in life,
For all these things,
Say thank you.
Let feelings of appreciation and gratitude fill you completely as you breathe in and breathe out.
We'll stay with the breath here for a moment,
Here and now,
Completely alive and present in this moment.
We'll finish with a full deep breath in and a full slow breath out.
And then slowly bring your attention back to this moment,
To this place,
To move your attention back to your body.
