Meditation for gratitude and connection.
This is a meditation to invoke gratitude and connection.
I use the word invoke because it is more than simply thinking of things we are grateful for in our mind,
But moving into the felt sense of experiencing gratitude within,
The visceral experience of gratitude in our body.
We have probably heard or seen the research around how gratitude changes our brain.
Today we will also use the experience or feeling of gratitude to reduce stress,
Increase vitality and overall balance to our nervous system,
Leaving us feeling more connected to ourself and also to those around us.
While we can practice this meditation at any time,
This may be a lovely way to start our day by setting our intentions on the positive and of course by practicing self-care through our meditation practice.
We may choose to practice this meditation either lying down or seated.
If we choose to be seated,
Please sit with a tall posture either on the floor with legs crossed or seated in a chair.
If we are in a chair,
Sit slightly forward so we can continue to promote a tall spine.
If you are lying down,
Perhaps finding a cushion for behind your head or a blanket to keep you warm.
We can close our eyes or simply lower our gaze down to the floor.
Let's first take a scan through our body and notice if we are holding on to any tension.
With our next exhale,
Let's see if we can begin to let that go,
Perhaps separating our back teeth to release our jaw or even moving a bit side to side with our spine,
Softening the back of our neck and shoulders.
Beginning to follow our breath in and out from our nose,
Let's notice the gentle rise and fall of our chests as we settle into our heart center.
And then let's go into our hearts.
Listen to the sound of your heartbeat.
Listen to the sound of your breath.
Begin the sounds of the room,
The sound of my voice,
The community that surrounds you,
Anyone outside of this room,
Perhaps your family,
People you work with,
Your friends and acquaintances.
And then consider the ripples that extend from there to the connections of their family,
Friends and acquaintances,
And then the ripples from there and so on.
Billions of us out there seeking love,
Seeking community,
Seeking acceptance,
Seeking connection.
Now follow these ripples back in.
These connections are tethered to us.
When someone smiles at us,
We are more likely to share that smile back out.
The love we feel for ourself is reflected out.
The love we feel for others is reflected back to us.
The heart of our meditation practice brings us closer to the space of connection.
When we are not in this space,
We feel isolated and alone.
This is the issue that plagues us when we are chronically stressed,
Anxious or depressed.
But this is an illusion of the mind.
We are never alone.
When we feel connected to ourself,
We feel connected to others.
We feel connected to the world around us.
And we want to love and protect this world in the same way that we love and protect those most dear to us,
Our family and close friends.
When we are able to slow the world down just enough through quietness of mind,
Meditation and reflection,
It is easier to see the world as a loving place.
We have compassion for our neighbors.
We take care of our environment,
Nature and the animals around us.
We've possibly heard of gratitude journals,
Or maybe we keep one ourself.
Today we will build one together through our meditation.
The action of gratitude keeps us in the present moment,
Helping us to focus on what is most important.
It is a reminder to cherish what we have,
To accept or let go of what we don't need.
So let's practice together.
Let's bring to mind someone we are grateful for.
They can be in our lives currently or not.
We may not know them personally.
Someone who you find inspiring.
Someone who makes you feel safe and loved.
Holding their image in our hearts and sending a silent thank you to them now for the support and love.
Is there anyone else that we would like to add to this list?
Family?
Friends?
Colleagues?
Teachers?
Or public figures?
What about our pets?
Let's spend a few moments bringing each person to mind and thanking them for the positive impact they have had in our life.
What about our homes?
Our place of solace and safety?
Let's take a moment now to be grateful for where we live.
Perhaps thinking of the luxuries in our homes that we love,
Maybe comfy couches or artwork.
Let us also think of what our home provides and be grateful for that.
Shelter,
Heating,
Running water,
Plumbing,
A hot shower,
A fridge to store food.
And coming to what might be the most important blessing we have,
Our health.
Let's be grateful now for the health we have.
For our ability for healing.
For the opportunities we have because of our health.
For the opportunity to be here in this room,
To practice this meditation,
And to further improve our health and vitality.
Let's take a few more moments to pause and reflect on all of our blessings,
Including anything else that we may want to add to our list today.
Now pause.
What do you feel right now?
Is it a warmth or coolness?
A softening or even a small surge of energy?
Where in your body do you feel that?
That,
Right there,
That is your visceral or physical experience of gratitude.
Unique to you because you invoked it from within.
You brought it forward in contemplation of what is important to you,
Of what you feel most connected to,
Of what you are most grateful for.
Depending on our practice and meditation today,
I encourage you to continue to bring gratitude into your life by thinking or writing about three things you are grateful for each day before you fall asleep or maybe when you first wake up or even after this meditation.
Even if they are the same three things each day,
They will inspire you to continue to live your best life.
Feel free to take a little more time just enjoying this quiet space of your meditation.
Or when you are ready,
Simply opening your eyes and coming back to your day,
Perhaps with a new perspective and a new felt sense of gratitude and connection.
Thank you for practicing this meditation for gratitude and connection today.
