Hello friends,
This is Marian.
The intent of the following meditation is to create some space in your life for gratitude.
Not only the obvious things,
But also for the much smaller and often obscure events that are so easy to overlook.
Gratitude is such a powerful tool.
It allows us to turn the dial on our internal weather,
Shifting us from dark and stormy to light and optimistic.
There's so many things that influence our emotional barometer.
Allow me to share two components that can support us leaning into managing our own weather.
The first is agency.
The second is perspective.
Agency refers to our ability to take power over the things in our life that we can control or influence.
It's about who we choose to be and how we choose to be.
Perspective is about recognizing the choices,
Internal and external perspective.
What we see,
What we feel.
Do we feel like the world is happening to us,
Dark cloud?
Or do we feel like we can own,
Make meaning from,
And accept our own circumstances and feelings,
Peaceful presence?
And gratitude might be the ultimate perspective changer.
It frames the world in terms not of what is missing,
But in terms of what is right here.
And this is what we're going to play with today,
With no expectations and no judgment.
As with any meditation practice,
Trust yourself.
If at any time you feel unsafe,
Please stop and get the support you need.
So take your time here and settle in.
There's no rush.
And notice the weight of your body sinking into the surface beneath you.
And allow your body to become still.
And now notice your posture and see if you can arrange your body in such a way that signals dignity and grace.
Square your shoulders and then let them relax.
Tall and elegant.
Confident.
Now gently bring your attention to your face.
Soft in the forehead.
Relax the eyes.
Soft in the cheeks.
And notice your jaw.
Oftentimes we carry a lot of tension here,
So just notice what's here.
Relax this area.
Now down to the throat.
And drop your attention down into the shoulders.
And just pay attention to what's here.
Maybe relax and breathe into the shoulders.
Now notice the back.
Top of the back.
Bottom of the back.
Breathing into the back.
Loosening.
Relaxing.
Round to the front.
Open the chest.
Soft in the belly.
Feel the heaviness of the seat.
Now noticing the knees.
And the calves.
Shins.
The ankles.
Notice the feet.
Perhaps you notice some tingling or sensation.
Now drop your attention all the way down into the toes.
Now see if it's possible to notice the entire body.
From the tips of the toes to the top of the head.
Notice the body breathing.
The natural flow and rhythm of the breath.
Breathing in.
The shoulders rise.
Breathing out.
The shoulders fall.
Breathing in.
The belly expands.
Breathing out.
The navel goes back to the spine.
Breathing in.
The chest rises.
Breathing out.
The chest falls.
The natural flow and rhythm of the breath.
And now we transition to the next phase of our practice.
Very gently.
Bring your attention to the area behind your eyes.
Soften the eyes.
And turn inward.
Very very light touch.
Now bring to mind something,
Someone,
Some experience in your life for which you feel grateful.
What do you see?
What details do you notice?
Colors?
Shapes or textures?
And now shift your attention into the body.
What do you notice?
Breathing here.
Relaxing into what is here.
Gratitude often allows us to slow down.
And to soften.
Less pressure inside.
More relaxed.
And now we'll experiment with focusing just a tiny bit more.
Again bring your attention to the area behind your eyes.
Softening the eyes.
Turning inward.
Gentle gaze looking inside.
And see if you can recall the past 24 hours.
Take your time and remember what you can about the last day.
The start of the day.
The middle of the day.
The end of the day.
And now see if it's possible to parse out 5 little things.
Small and seemingly insignificant things for which you now see are sources of gratitude.
A neighbor pausing to say hello.
A fellow traveler moving aside to give you space.
A soft pillow on which to lay your head.
How many can you recall?
Now bring the attention back inside the body.
And notice your internal barometer.
Barometers measure pressure.
What does the pressure inside the body feel like?
Tight and restrictive.
Maybe it feels cold.
Perhaps it feels more soft.
Loose.
Somehow more space.
What do you notice here inside the body?
Gratitude is a lot like the sun.
Shrouded in the heaviness of our lives sometimes it is hard to see.
And yet it's always there.
Finding 5 tiny things every day.
The more we do this practice the easier it gets.
And the more we see.
I close this practice with gratitude for you.
Thank you for dedicating the time to your practice.
Be well.
