Hello,
And welcome to today's meditation.
Today's meditation is appreciating things in your life.
I am your host,
Katie Surma.
Let's begin today by finding a place where you feel comfortable,
A place where you relax,
A place without distraction or interruption.
Finding a place that you feel comfort.
Breathing in two,
Three,
Four,
And out two,
Three,
Four.
Breathing in fully and deeply,
Exhaling slowly and softly.
Allowing your body to become one with the mat,
Chair,
Or bed beneath you.
Allowing it to feel both heavy and light all at the same time.
Let's begin by appreciating things in your life.
Starting with something simple.
Something simple that you are experiencing in this moment.
It could be the side of a tree swaying gently in the wind,
Or the warmth of the sunlight on your skin,
Or maybe it's the experience of comfort from the chair that you are sitting in,
Or the simple wander of pausing in the midst of our busy life to engage in a practice right now.
Using one thing to notice and allow it fully into your experience.
Let appreciation and gratitude arise and fill your body and mind.
Now think of someone you don't know,
Someone you don't know well,
But has supported your experience today in some way.
It could be the bus driver,
The person who stacked the fruit at the grocery store,
The author of the book that you are reading right now.
Allow yourself to feel appreciation and gratitude.
Allow yourself to feel how you've benefited from the gift of their work.
Feeling that appreciation and gratitude once more for that individual.
Now let's think about the tools that you use to support your work and your life.
Things like your computer,
Your books,
Your buildings,
Equipment.
Choose one thing and consider all that was needed for its creation.
Appreciate and feel gratitude that you have access to these tools.
Feeling gratitude for people that you work and live with.
Thinking of a particular person whose work or effort directly supports you in your walk of life.
Seeing their contribution,
Their good intention,
Saying in your mind to them,
Thank you.
Now bring to mind someone that you care about.
Picturing them in your mind.
Think about what this person means to you,
What you appreciate about them,
Who they are,
What you've experienced together,
The experience that they've had in your life.
As you imagine them,
Notice what feelings you are experiencing,
What sensations you detect in your body,
Especially those in the area of your heart.
Letting yourself express gratitude towards them,
Thanking them for being who they are and for their presence in your life,
Imagining them receiving your gratitude.
Now bring to mind something in particular that you are grateful for today.
Feel the appreciation and the gratitude for its presence in your life.
As you bring these things to mind,
What are you grateful for?
Allow yourself to rest in this experience.
If you'd like to bring to mind an experience in your life that is challenging,
For one which you'd like to be able to express gratitude,
If you'd like to bring to mind an experience in your life that has made you feel overwhelmed but also grateful for,
And which you'd like to feel and express even more gratitude towards,
Bring to mind.
Offering up your gratitude and your appreciation,
Thanking this challenge for what it may offer you,
Gratitude for our body,
Gratitude for our mind,
Gratitude for the simple fact of being alive in this moment.
And finally appreciating the opportunity to pause and experience this very practice of gratitude in itself for all that you have brought to mind during this meditation.
For all of this,
For all of this thank you.
Allowing the sense of gratitude to fill you completely as you breathe in and you breathe out.
Settling on the breath right here,
Right now.
Fully alive and present in this very moment.
Finishing in with a full deep breath in and a long slow breath out.
I encourage you to gently and slowly open your eyes and return your awareness to the place you are.
You are welcome to extend this practice,
Cultivate a habit of thinking and thinking of something you feel grateful for every morning right when you arise.
If it helps to feel free,
Write it down in a journal.
You might also express the appreciation today to a person for whom you feel grateful for.
Simply saying thank you,
Thank you goes a long way.
Remembering the warrior inside of me sees and honors the warriors inside of you and today I'm fully grateful and I appreciate you.
Thank you for joining.
I am your host and instructor,
Katie Sermon.
Thank you.
