Hello and welcome to this meditation for grounding into gratitude.
To begin,
Come into a comfortable seat or lying down on your back,
Whichever feels most comfortable to you.
A position where you can relax,
Lengthen the spine,
And breathe easily.
To begin,
We'll take three deep breaths in through the nostrils and out through the mouth.
To begin,
Inhale and exhale out through the mouth.
Two more deep breaths in and exhale out through the mouth.
Last one,
Deep breath in and exhale through the mouth.
And now allow your breath to come to its natural rhythm,
Breathing in and out through the nostrils,
Following the air as it enters and exits your lungs.
During our meditation today,
We'll be bringing awareness to the five senses and using this as a tool to ground ourselves and bring to mind all that we have to be grateful for.
Settling in,
Going a little deeper,
We'll begin to even out the duration of the inhale and the exhale.
Inhaling for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for three,
Two,
One.
Exhale for three,
Two,
One.
You can continue counting in your mind,
Taking long,
Smooth inhales and exhales.
And now begin to bring attention to your ears.
Notice any sounds that you can hear around you,
Perhaps sounds in the room that you're in,
The building that you're in,
Sounds outside in the surrounding area.
Just noticing your ability to hear.
And now bringing to mind some of your favorite memories of sounds,
Your favorite song,
The voice of someone you love,
Birds singing at dawn or waves crashing on a beach.
Any of your favorite sounds.
And then give thanks to your ears for their ability to hear and for allowing you to experience all of your favorite sounds.
Bringing attention next to your nose,
Noticing any smells or scents around you.
Maybe the lingering smell of the shampoo that you used or the soap that you washed your hands with.
Just noticing your ability to smell.
And now bring to mind your favorite memories of smells,
Your favorite scents.
Maybe coffee brewing in the morning,
The smoky scent of a campfire,
Your favorite cookies fresh from the oven,
Flowers blooming.
Any of your favorite scents.
And now give thanks to your nose for its ability to smell and for allowing you to experience all of your favorite scents.
Bringing attention next to your tongue,
Perhaps moving your tongue around inside your mouth.
Do you notice any lingering tastes?
Noticing in this moment your ability to taste.
And now bring to mind your favorite tastes,
Your favorite flavors.
Maybe fresh fruit picked from the tree,
That one meal that you always make when you need a bit of comfort,
Your favorite blend of tea,
Hot cocoa with marshmallows on top.
Any of your favorite tastes.
And then give thanks to your tongue for its ability to taste and for allowing you to experience all of your favorite flavors.
Bring attention now to the surface of your skin.
Noticing any sensations on your skin,
The texture of your clothing,
Temperature of the air,
The surface beneath you.
Noticing your ability to feel these sensations.
And now bring to mind your favorite sensations.
Holding hands with a partner or child,
Stepping into a warm bath,
Hugging someone you love,
A fresh crisp breeze on a summer day,
Petting your dog.
Any of your favorite sensations.
And then give thanks to your skin for allowing you to feel and experience your life through touch.
And now keeping them closed,
Bring attention to your eyes.
Bring to mind memories of your favorite sights.
Watching the sunset,
Looking into the eyes of your best friend,
Leaves changing color in the fall,
Your favorite painting.
Any of your favorite sights.
And now give thanks to your eyes for letting you see and experience art,
Nature,
And beauty in all of its forms.
Bringing awareness now back to your breath.
In and out.
On your next inhale,
Take a deep,
Deep breath,
Filling your lungs,
The deepest breath you've taken all day.
And notice how you feel in your heart.
Imagine a feeling of expansion in your chest and in your heart.
Making space for all that you have to be grateful for.
Making space for all the good things still to come.
Taking a moment to give thanks for your circumstances,
Your livelihood,
Your health,
And physical capabilities that make it possible for you to sit in stillness and in quiet.
To take these moments to improve your outlook and your well-being.
Take one last deep breath in and out.
When you feel ready,
You can bring the hands together in front of your chest and slowly rub the palms together back and forth,
Generating a little bit of heat in the hands.
Gradually speeding up the pace as you rub your palms together.
And then release the hands and bring your cupped palms up to your eyes,
Gently covering your eyes,
Noticing the warmth of your hands.
And then slowly opening up the eyes,
Perhaps spreading the fingers to allow a bit of light in.
And then when you feel ready you can release the palms away from the eyes.
Have a beautiful day.
