Welcome to the Thanksgiving meditation to begin to offer yourself some gratitude for your efforts in your everyday life.
And offer gratitude to that which is beyond our ability to understand our consciousness,
Our divine light.
Whatever it is that you hold in your mind and your heart that is greater than you,
That you can offer gratitude and appreciation for,
For all that you have in your life.
This is a Thanksgiving meditation that I'm hopeful will support you not just during the holiday time,
But at any time that you might benefit from connecting to that string,
That thread or sutra of gratitude.
So find a spot where you can sit quietly.
If it's in a chair,
Just have your feet touching the ground.
Otherwise sitting maybe in a cross legged position that's comfortable just for the next few minutes.
Let your hands open up onto your thighs.
Pinkies moving in toward each other and thumbs away.
Elbows soft and bent and the spine erect.
Beginning to feel your teeth and lips softly move apart so there's a spacious quality without gripping at the jaw.
Let your eyes close or become very soft and gazing at a spot on the floor.
And then simply feel the touch of your breath at your nostril.
Inhale and let the body expand in all directions.
Exhaling and feeling the body gently soften and consolidate right to the center of the belly.
Expanding and contracting just like the universe.
Inspiring with your inhalation.
And expiring with your exhalation.
And just like the river which brings us nourishment as she flows to us,
The breath will do this on her inhalation.
And like the river that carries away that which is no longer needed,
The breath moves in this manner on exhalation.
Feel the body begin to soften and relax.
Feeling the tension melt from the shoulders down the arms into the ground.
Begin to bring your awareness to your navel.
Inhaling and exhaling and feeling the gentle rhythmic motion of the navel center,
The fire,
The kundha,
Which holds the Agni or the bowl that holds the fire.
And allowing yourself for just a moment to transform whatever distractions you're having in that fire at your navel center.
Maybe it's tension from a meeting you just had or concern or worry about a situation or a person.
Or maybe a sense of unrest within yourself.
But for just a moment see that fire as you breathe,
Transforming those thoughts into warmth,
Using them as fuel to feed the fire within you.
With every breath begin to see that fire grow bright.
Flames licking higher up to the sternum.
Warming you.
Begin to feel the warmth of this beautiful fire at your navel center.
Begin to feel it begin to melt whatever it is that may be around your heart.
Perhaps there are thoughts that you feel bad about,
Shame.
Maybe some self-flagellation for things you have not completed or dreams that may appear to have passed by.
But let that simply soften and melt away.
As you breathe in and out.
Fueling the fire with these thoughts and melting any sense of concern of the heart.
Let forgiveness begin to melt whatever ice or rigidity might be covering the emotional,
The psychological,
The physical heart.
Feel it soften toward yourself.
Once this has happened,
Continue to bring your mind back to it.
Should it try to move away?
Maybe your mind is distracted by an external noise or a sensation in your body.
That's fine.
Just gently call it back to this exercise of inhaling and exhaling and feeling the belly grow bright with that digestive fire.
And let your heart melt any attachments that may be holding it in pain or suffering or numbness.
Just a few more breaths.
And then gently move your awareness to the outer world.
Turn your awareness now to bringing that warmth and that fire and all of the energy that you've gathered from the transformation of the thoughts or feelings,
The energies that had been creating sensations of pain or suffering or discomfort in your heart and your mind.
Let all that effulgence,
That warmth,
That light begin to create an ability to see with clarity into the outer world.
Seeing yourself,
Seeing those you come in contact with,
Seeing nature,
Seeing all that surrounds you with that light,
That compassion.
And feeling the feeling of compassion within yourself as you feel it in the outer world at the same time.
Inhaling and feeling the compassion fill you and exhaling and feel yourself deliver that out into the world.
And as you use this breath of compassion towards yourself and towards all others,
Again allow the mind to become soft,
Quiet,
The body to become at ease.
Feel a sense of consolidation between body,
Mind and consciousness.
Begin to feel the feeling of compassion and gratitude in each and every cell.
Feeling that radiant quality within your physical body just as you feel it in the outer world.
You can continue here for a few more moments on your own or if you'd like to stop,
Just simply bring your eyes down to the ground and open them up.
Perhaps bring your hands to your heart,
Offer yourself a moment of gratitude for taking your practice today.
That is my sincere hope that you find this of great use.
Namaste.
