Welcome to this five-minute meditation on noticing the good.
As humans,
We are built with a bias for negativity,
Often focusing on potential threats or what's not working to keep us safe.
It takes focused attention to notice the abundance of good that's all around us.
To begin,
Place one hand on your heart,
The other hand on top.
Take a deep breath in and a slow exhale.
Sit in a way that feels comfortable,
Yet relaxed and alert.
You can let your hands rest in your lap.
Invite your shoulders to melt down and back.
Sensing the length of your spine.
Choosing to close your eyes or just softly focus your gaze on one thing in front of you.
Feel your feet touching the ground.
And just invite your breath to flow in its own unique rhythm.
Now call to mind something good that you saw or experienced this past week or month.
The good can be something as simple as noticing beauty.
Something that made you laugh or smile.
Could be an experience you had in nature.
Or something simple like shelter or access to resources.
Try to bring to your mind as many details as possible when you're remembering that good experience.
It can even help to remember the senses.
So not only what did you see,
If you can remember what did you feel.
Perhaps any scent,
Any sense of smell.
And as you bring in this good experience,
Can you tune into any body sensations that you feel in this moment?
Could be a sense of lightness.
Maybe a buzzing energy.
Warmth.
A particular rhythm of your heartbeat or your breath.
Or anything else.
See your experience of your body in this moment as you bring to mind the good.
And as you think about a good experience,
You might open up the way where other good experiences are starting to come to mind.
So allow those too to be felt and to be remembered.
And as you notice the good,
Sense if there's any particular emotions arising.
It could be things like happiness,
Gratitude,
Joy,
Or any other emotion that you notice unique to your experience.
I encourage you to incorporate this practice of looking for the good into your week.
What you focus on expands.
Seeing the good helps us cultivate good feelings.
Training your mind to see the good can lead to a more healthier and more satisfying life.
So we'll end just as we begin.
Placing your hands over your heart.
Taking in a nice deep inhale.
And a slow exhale.