Welcome.
This practice is something you can do at various points as you go about your day.
I'm going to guide you through the basic technique.
And of course,
You can come back to this recording as often as needed.
But my hope is that it becomes a natural part of your daily existence,
Just like drinking water or eating nourishing foods.
This practice is sustenance for your soul and can be given in big or small doses throughout your day.
By weaving a practice such as this into the fabric of your daily life,
It has the power to keep you centered and grounded,
To enhance your overall well-being,
And to elevate your state of being.
To be grateful for the gifts in your life is to acknowledge what is with you now,
To be awake to what is present,
And to recognize the inherent abundance of this world.
So let's begin.
Make yourself comfortable.
You can sit or lie down in whatever way is best for you,
So that your body feels supported and at ease.
Close your eyes.
Take a few long,
Slow breaths to allow yourself to arrive in this moment with your full presence.
Feel your body relax and become more and more receptive to your breath.
As you settle more deeply into this presence,
Bring to mind something or someone that you're grateful for.
It can be anything,
Big or small,
A person,
An object,
An event,
A circumstance,
Or perhaps several things come to mind.
You don't have to limit yourself to just one.
Get very descriptive in your thoughts about what it is and how you appreciate its presence in your life.
Use your senses.
Visualize,
Taste,
Smell,
Hear,
Or feel what it is you're grateful for.
Holding that here in the forefront of your mind,
Feel a sense of ease wash over you,
A sense of thankfulness that sends signals of assurance through your system,
That in this moment,
You are okay,
You are supported,
And that no matter what else is going on in the outside world,
You have this.
Now allow what you are grateful for to move down from your mind into your heart.
Take your time.
Use the exhale end of your breath to release the object of your gratitude into the space of your heart,
The area in and around your chest,
Letting go from your mind into a felt sense of what you appreciate as it descends into your heart center.
Let it land softly,
Sweetly,
Like drops of honey,
Lightly and gently trickling down,
Arriving here to be welcomed and fully acknowledged.
Feel a soft glow,
Perhaps a warmth,
As your awareness expands into your heart.
Feel the presence of your gratitude here.
Take it in and hold what you are grateful for in the space of your heart in an open and unbound,
Unconditional way so that this felt connection to the gifts in your life can become a part of you,
Can live within you,
Without grasping or clinging,
But rather with openness,
Liberating the objects of your gratitude into pure energy,
A sensation or vibration that emanates through and from your heart,
The frequency of appreciation running from your heart through the pathways of your body.
Be with your gratitude here for a few breaths.
Take in the felt sensation and allow this experience of thankfulness to integrate and assimilate into your body,
To harmonize and balance your system.
Very,
Very slowly open your eyes.
Allow the feeling of gratitude to remain in your heart,
In your body and in your being.
Feel that it is a part of you,
Lives within you and will remain with you.
And I invite you to continue this practice as often as possible throughout your day.
Bring something to mind that you're grateful for.
Drop it into your heart.
Let it live there so that you can live from this place.
And you may find that over time,
The practice happens naturally,
Spontaneously,
And that by the end of the day,
Your heart is full of gratitude,
Overflowing with appreciation,
And that the embodied sensation flavors all that you do and say,
Enhances your actions and interactions and allows you to live in gratitude.
Enjoy and be well.
