Gratitude Meditation

In this simple gratitude meditation, I’ll guide you to tune in and uncover what you’re most grateful for. A gratitude practice is the easiest way I know to increase happiness and contentment.

Transcript

Begin this gratitude meditation by finding a comfortable place to sit. It might be on the floor or in a chair. If you're sitting on the floor you want your backside to be raised a little bit so you might like to sit on a cushion or some folded blankets. And if you're sitting on a chair you'd like your feet to be placed firmly on the floor with your hips raised just a little bit higher than your knees. Sitting with your spine relatively straight sitting in its natural curves with your shoulders relaxed your arms resting gently on your lap or wherever is comfortable. Your chin just slightly tucked and then when you're ready gently allowing the eyes to close. Noticing the ground underneath you supporting your body always there always present always supporting you. Noticing the breath moving in and out of the body. As the breath comes in noticing the way the body naturally gently expands and when the breath leaves noticing the way the body naturally gently contracts. Noticing the moves and flows of the breath into and out of the body. We're not trying to change the breath in any way we're just noticing what already is. We're noticing the breath entering the body the very slight pause before the breath exits the body and perhaps another slight pause before it enters again and continues. Noticing the breath as it moves into and out of the body. And continue breathing and while this flow of breath continues asking yourself in this moment what am I grateful for? Just allowing anything to arise being open and listening to what arises. It might be something visual it might be sound or a smell or a taste however the answer to that question comes just noticing. And if nothing arises then that's perfectly fine as well. Sitting and waiting and being open and asking the question in this moment what am I grateful for? Not trying to censor the answer in any way or create any kind of answer just opening creating space allowing for an answer to arise. And if something does arise if something does come up that you're grateful for sitting with that for a moment and each time you breathe out feel like you're breathing that what that you're grateful for lower down into your body. We're breathing in and as we're breathing out we're taking that gratitude down into our body. So it's no longer just something that belongs in the head we're breathing it down into the body to experience it more deeply. And now let's set that aside and ask the question again in this moment what am I grateful for? Continuing to breathe in the background of your awareness just observing the natural flow of the breath and creating the space for an answer to come. If nothing comes that's fine we're open we're alert we're awake and we're ready to receive. And again if something does spontaneously emerge each time we breathe out we're sending it down into the body. We breathe in and each time we breathe out we send it down into the body. Really feeling into the gratitude coming out of the thinking mind and into the body getting a full body sensory experience of gratitude. And let's set that aside again and again let's ask in this moment what am I grateful for? I'm being open for anything to spontaneously emerge. And as we exhale we take the gratitude down into our body sinking down below the thinking mind into the body embodying gratitude. And let's set that aside again and we'll ask the question again in this moment what am I grateful for? Allowing the answer to spontaneously emerge and you're sitting with it for a moment and breathing it down into the body. We're not letting the gratitude remain in the intellectual exercise we're taking it down into the body we're embodying gratitude. We're using the breath to carry the gratitude from the mind all the way down into the body to have a felt sensory experience of gratitude. Let's set it aside again and again we'll ask the question in this moment what am I grateful for? We're sitting with it and we're breathing the gratitude down into the body we're embodying gratitude. And again set it aside and again ask the question in this moment what am I grateful for? Allowing whatever arises to arise we're not censoring this in any way we're not trying to make something come up we're just allowing whatever arises to arise and when it does we sit with it we feel into it and then we breathe it down. We breathe it down into the body and to the abdomen right down to the toes. Embodying gratitude feeling the gratitude in every cell of our body radiating gratitude. And let's set it aside again and again we'll ask the question in this moment what am I grateful for? Again we're just allowing whatever arises to arise we're sitting with it and again breathing it down we're using our breath to guide the gratitude down into our body we're embodying gratitude. And one last time let's set that aside and ask again in this moment what am I grateful for? Allowing whatever arises to arise sitting with it for a moment allowing it to fully blossom and develop and then breathing it down down into the body embodying gratitude feeling the gratitude in every cell of your very being. Inhaling exhaling and embodying gratitude. Full of gratitude spacious aware gratitude itself. And now feeling gratitude towards yourself for taking the time to practice this gratitude meditation for taking the time to nurture yourself and acknowledging that what you're grateful for. Now stay here as long as you like repeat the question as many times as you like and then when you're ready gently begin to open your eyes. You might like to bring your hands to your heart. I'll be grateful for everything that's in your life in this moment. Namaste.

Reviews

Beautiful and so deep. Thank you.

Gratitude to this practice 🌸✨

Wow. That was so perfect. I loved the format. It helped me focus and refocus.

Gratitude so healing this at least once a week I’d (not meaning to be so bold!) recommend. Thanks 🙏

Beautiful, grounding voice giving the listener the opportunity to give space for gratitude🙏☮🦋 Thank you and namaste! Grateful for you