This practice will help you get gratitude flowing in a little over 10 minutes.
Please take a seat on the floor or in a chair and get comfortable,
Allowing your body to breathe naturally and easily.
Whenever we take time to be still,
We create a quiet time for reflection and awareness,
So we can bring more attention to everything that we do during the day.
Remembering we don't meditate to get better at meditating,
We meditate to get better at life.
So bring your attention to the breath as we begin to turn our awareness inward,
Using each breath as an opportunity for letting go and releasing and relaxing.
And just appreciate yourself for showing up here today and taking a moment to do something so supportive.
And now reflecting on something in your life right now that you can be grateful for,
Maybe noticing the breath or your heart beating,
That heartbeat that's been with you since before you were even born.
And then finding another thing to be grateful for,
Maybe a comfortable chair,
A comfortable bed to sleep in at night,
Having running water in your home,
Or the magic of this audio and all the little bits floating into your eardrums.
Or maybe that you took care of yourself and drank enough water today.
Just finding another thing and another to be grateful for.
Take a moment and now appreciate yourself for having nurtured and cared for your baby,
Child or children.
Recalling a specific moment in the last few days when you really cared for your child or felt a close sense of connection.
Did you hug them a little longer?
Take a moment to notice how their smile warmed your heart.
Did you feel a kick in your belly?
Did you let them sleep peacefully on you?
Or maybe you can remember an adorable photo that when you think about it,
It just melts your heart.
Call to mind a specific moment and start to cherish it.
In the beginning,
This might be hard,
But with practice over time,
You'll start to focus on and savor these moments,
Making them easier to recall in the future.
But just bringing one particular moment of connection or care with your child,
How does it feel in your body to recall this event?
Remember,
There's no right or wrong ways to feel.
Just take notice of the sensations in your body and bring in a sense of appreciation for this connection and your kindness and love as you replay the moment in your head.
And visualize the situation completely.
Let this sense of appreciation flood your body as you appreciate yourself and the beauty of the moment.
Now bring to mind something you can appreciate about yourself.
A quality of your essence,
Your compassion or kindness or loyalty.
Really take a moment and savor appreciating yourself for who you are,
Not what you do or what you've accomplished.
You being here,
Breathing and taking a moment to care for yourself is something to celebrate.
Savor this feeling of appreciation.
Notice how it feels in your body.
Notice all the different sensations and perhaps a sense of calm that's come over your body.
Store the memory of this peaceful and calm sensation and let it flow out of your body.
Now repeat the following statement silently to yourself.
Every day,
Every moment,
Every moment of your life,
I want to be able to feel the peace and calm that's coming over me.
I want to be able to feel the peace and calm that's coming over me.
Now repeat the following statement silently to yourself.
Every day,
I'm becoming more and more grateful of all that I have in my life.
I am grateful for my family and friends and the moments of connection we share.
I'm grateful that I can learn and grow from all my experiences.
Even the ones I may not have wanted.
I'm grateful these experiences allow me to open up to greater awareness of myself and my world.
I'm grateful for the love that flows to me and through me.
I see this all as support for the journey that is my life.
Focus on yourself and your sensations again so this feeling of appreciation fills your whole being,
Every cell in your body.
Breathing in peacefully,
Breathing out peacefully,
At peace with yourself and your world.
Then slowly let these feelings ease and bring your attention back to the breath.
And bring your attention back to the breath.
Slowly inhaling and exhaling at your own pace.
Now come back to the sensation of sitting on the floor in a chair and slowly open your eyes and return to the room.
