Hello.
To begin this meditation today,
Go ahead and close your eyes and invite your body to soften.
Relax the face,
The shoulders,
The back.
Even allow your arms and your hands to rest effortlessly and gently.
And now bring to your mind's eye something that you're grateful for.
Perhaps that's a loved one or a pet.
Maybe a favorite activity or a hobby.
Perhaps even a moment from the past.
Now go ahead and picture this in the most vivid detail you can.
Noticing the colors,
The sounds,
The smells,
Even the temperature of the environment.
And now hold this painting,
This image,
Close it gently in your mind's eye.
And as you hold this image,
This memory,
Whatever it is you're grateful for in this moment,
Begin to switch your attention to your body.
And notice where you feel it the most.
Where do you feel this gratitude the most?
Perhaps it's in the chest or the face.
You may even feel like a smile.
Where is that in your body and what does it feel like?
You may notice some warmth,
Energy,
Perhaps even a sense of calm.
Explore this physical sensation of gratitude.
And now we're going to expand this.
Imagine this physical sensation of gratitude.
Wherever it is right now for you and picture it growing,
Slowly spreading out through the entire body.
Maybe if it helps,
Try imagining that you breathe in gratitude and that as you breathe out,
You're breathing out words of thanks to the universe.
Or maybe even words of thanks to anyone or anything that was involved in whatever it is you're thinking about right now.
Breathing in gratitude and breathing out words of thanks.
And breathing out words of thanks.
Gratitude in,
Words of thanks and appreciation out.
And just allow this gratitude to grow and spread throughout your entire body.
All the way into the fingers and the toes,
To the very top of your head.
Every part of your body,
Just allow it to be filled with this sense of gratitude,
Whatever that may feel like for you in this moment.
And take your time allowing this gratitude to spread and grow.
Once you feel as though it's gone pretty much everywhere,
Just hold it here.
Hold it gently and just allow it to permeate you.
Allow it to be here in this moment to cleanse you,
To nourish you.
Rochelle E.
Goodrich once said,
Gratitude doesn't change the scenery.
It merely washes clean the gloom.
Gratitude doesn't change the scenery.
It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.
And I find that to be very true.
Enjoy these colors,
This new scene before you.
And as we draw to a close of this meditation,
Of this practice,
Try to remember how this feels in your body.
Not just a general sense of gratitude,
But what it physically feels like.
The warmth,
The energy,
The calm,
Whatever it is you feel when you are grateful,
When you are thankful,
When you are grateful for something.
Remember that and come back to that.
And you're welcome to come back to this sensation any time you feel the need to do so.
Now as we close this meditation,
Begin to reorient yourself with your space,
Noticing the different sounds,
The different sounds that you're hearing.
Noticing the different sounds of your surrounding environment,
The smells,
Even the feel of this environment right now,
The temperature,
Your clothing against your skin,
The surface beneath that's holding you up.
Just come back to this space.
Allow any movement into the body and allow the eyes to open back up.
And here you are.
Welcome back.
