Welcome to this meditation designed to strengthen your gratitude muscles.
While it's easy and natural to feel gratitude for people that you find pleasing,
It is often much harder to feel gratitude if you dislike a person.
Just like building muscles at the gym,
The more you practice gratitude,
The stronger your gratitude muscles will grow and the easier it will be to feel gratitude for even challenging people.
I recommend doing this meditation daily for a little while to build your capacity to feel gratitude for all that comes your way.
When you are ready,
Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Begin to take some natural breaths.
Each time you breathe,
Breathe in peace and relaxation and on each out breath,
Breathe out any concerns or worries you might have.
Feel your body and mind relax more and more with each breath you take.
That's right.
Now see the face of someone you deeply love in front of you.
Think about all of the reasons you are grateful for them in your life.
Imagine telling them how grateful you are.
Thank them for all they have done for you,
For how they have supported you in your life,
For how your life has been enriched thanks to their presence.
Feel how gratitude grows in your heart as you see their face in your mind's eye.
What does gratitude feel like in your heart?
Now bring to mind someone with whom you have more of a professional type relationship,
Perhaps a co-worker,
Therapist,
Doctor or advisor.
Imagine saying thank you to them.
Tell them how grateful you are for them.
Thank them now for all they have done for you,
For how they have supported you in your life,
For how your life has been enriched thanks to their presence.
Feel how gratitude grows in your heart as you see their face in your mind's eye.
Now that your heart is full of gratitude,
It's time to practice being grateful for those that you might find challenging in your life.
Gratitude has the ability to open the heart and transform negative feelings of hurt,
Anger or sadness into acceptance and peace.
Imagine the face of someone with whom you have a challenging relationship,
Someone who triggers you or simply someone you dislike.
Imagine telling them how grateful you are for them.
It may be difficult at first to feel gratitude for them.
So to start,
Just imagine saying those simple words thank you to them.
Thank them for what they have taught you.
Thank them for the difficulties you have experienced with them.
And see what gifts these challenges may have brought you.
Just see if a sliver of gratitude can begin to emerge.
There are almost always hidden gifts,
Even in challenging relationships.
So just be curious and allow whatever gratitude is there to emerge and grow stronger.
Know that as you practice this meditation,
This feeling of gratitude will grow stronger naturally of its own accord.
Be gentle with yourself.
If at first you do not feel much gratitude,
Continue to practice this meditation knowing that over time this energy will slowly increase as your gratitude muscles grow stronger.
Now it's time to strengthen your gratitude muscles by focusing your gratitude towards yourself.
See an image of your own face looking back at you.
Focus on something you really love about yourself.
Imagine saying thank you to yourself for this aspect of you.
Feel how good this feels to be grateful for this part of you and how you have shown up in your life with regards to this aspect.
Now bring to mind a habit,
Personal issue or something you typically dislike about yourself.
Stretch your gratitude muscle by thanking yourself for this part or aspect of yourself.
While this may be difficult,
Just stay open and imagine gratitude melting the self-judgments you have had,
Allowing acceptance to emerge.
That's right.
Be patient with yourself and feel gratitude washing over you and dissolving any negativity towards yourself.
Now place your hands over your heart and thank yourself for being there for you.
Thank yourself for being willing to do this meditation.
Thank yourself for being willing to do this meditation and for your desire to strengthen your gratitude muscles.
Thank yourself for all that you are and for all that you are not.
Notice how that feels in your heart.
Know that gratitude for yourself and others will continue to grow as you continue to explore consciously building your gratitude muscles.
Take a deep breath into your belly now and come back into the room,
Opening your eyes whenever you are ready.
