Exploration Of Gratitude

This extended guided meditation is meant to bring us into alignment with the richness of our lives. Using our senses and body as a grounding point, enjoy this journey of appreciation and recognition of that we really have when we can be present for it. May be helpful for anyone who is struggling with anxiety, worry or just having an off day.

Transcript

Welcome to this exploration of gratitude.

Let's begin this meditation by sitting comfortably in a chair or on a cushion.

Sitting upright and letting your body relax into a position of alertness.

Keep your eyes open with a soft focus and breathing naturally.

Notice how your chest rises as you inhale and gently exhale any tension or worry that you may be feeling.

Take another breath and this time bring the air into your lungs,

Allowing it to fuel your body,

Opening your heart and sending vital energy to any area of your body that needs it in this moment.

Gently exhale,

Accepting without judgment or stories any physical or emotional pain you may be experiencing so that you can be fully present for all that is about to follow.

Take a third breath and take this one all the way in through your mouth and let it reach down through your body all the way to the bottoms of your feet.

And as you exhale,

Let your eyes softly close,

Taking you into a deep state of calm,

Relaxation,

Allowing you to keep your focus on your breath and trusting that your body will continue to breathe in the way that is most natural and comfortable for you.

You know,

Sometimes in our lives we get so caught up in all the activities,

The projects,

The obligations that we can forget what gratitude really is.

For now,

Let's consider gratitude as a deeper form of appreciation.

And gratitude will be our feeling of connectedness to help us remember that we are not alone,

That we are part of a larger universe with all living things.

And in that knowing,

A consistent practice of gratitude can greatly help us to cultivate the sense of inner peace,

Of increased mindfulness.

And it allows us to be open to receiving more good into our lives.

When we are consciously grateful,

We are also firmly connected to the present.

Our spirits are uplifted,

Our heart is being fed,

And it activates all the positive emotion centers in our brains so that it can actually change the way we're feeling and change the way we're acting.

So you see,

There are many,

Many reasons to begin to develop our gratitude muscle.

So in this moment together,

Let's shift our awareness to the things in our lives that we are thankful for.

With each new breath,

Let's allow ourselves to give gratitude the chance to arise naturally in our minds and in our bodies.

And notice what comes up to embrace this feeling,

Allowing it to flow through every muscle,

Every bone,

Every organ of our bodies,

Feeling,

Surrendering to the miracle that is our body.

Notice how it feels,

How this energy feels and deepens to every cell.

And if it doesn't come up or you don't feel different,

That's okay too.

You don't need to try to make yourself feel it.

Just surrender to your heart and know that it is within you right now,

Coursing through your veins as it always has,

Even when you are not in touch with it.

And as you bath in this vision of yourself,

Let's begin to recall all the aspects of life that we might be grateful for.

Firstly,

Bring your awareness to the fact that you are even alive.

The miracle of this very moment of your life and all that has brought you here right now,

No matter what you may have been through in the past,

What you may have experienced,

Just notice the perfection that is right now enables you to be here,

Breathing and relaxing.

Alright,

Next,

See if you can feel or even sense your blood running through your body,

Through your veins,

Pulsing,

Filling you with love and compassion and peace to every part of your body.

Notice your eyes,

How they allow you to experience color,

To see faces,

Smiles,

Nature,

A brilliant sunrise and a golden sunset,

The majesty of a rainbow,

The glow of the moon and the night sky filled with an endless array of stars.

Now most importantly,

They let you see all the beauty that you possess when you see yourself in the mirror.

Now,

Consider your ears that beam in sounds,

Music and laughter,

The voices that you love,

The beautiful sounds of life.

Bring your awareness now to your nose that smells the ocean breeze,

The aroma of a sweet perfume,

The flowers,

The trees,

Newly cut grass,

The wafting smells that come from the kitchen,

Fresh baked cookies that are hot from the oven.

So many wonderful experiences that we take for granted.

Bring your awareness now to your lips and your mouth that allows you to taste,

To savor,

To receive nourishment,

To kiss,

To communicate through speaking,

To whisper and to sing.

Now direct your attention to the miracle that are your hands,

That they hold and touch and caress and can open and close things at your whim.

They will applaud and they will squeeze.

Think about your arms and your shoulders that enable you to carry and to hug,

To lift,

To stretch.

There are so many amazing parts of ourselves.

How about your feet and your toes?

The gift to wiggle them,

To help you move,

To walk or run,

To dangle or dance,

To kick,

To fold,

To leap or to point.

You can do it all because you have this and even if in some way you may be physically limited,

Just notice and appreciate what you can do.

Now what about your tears,

Your sorrows?

Can you be grateful for the strength that you're able to find to just make it through some days?

You don't just find it,

You possess it and it serves you.

It always has and always will be protecting you since the day you were born and even through some days or some moments when you doubt it's there.

Here you are in all your glorious magnificence,

Perfectly imperfect in every way that you need to be to live and learn and grow and become everything that you could ever dream.

Now consider the abundance that is all around you,

Whether you can see it or even feel it,

It's there,

Available,

Flowing,

Swirling,

Energizing,

Infusing and most importantly always within your reach.

In every moment it is there.

When you just allow yourself to notice it,

To open yourself to the possibilities that emanate from within you and can reach as high as the heavens and even higher than that.

Just imagine that it is all possible,

Not always easy but then again nothing worthwhile is ever too easy,

Is it now?

So feel for just this moment and realize that you uniquely possess the ability to expand your world,

To evolve into your highest self,

To shift your perspective at any time and notice your ability to feel joy and empathy,

Love and light and how you can realize growth and potential in every moment.

All it takes is allowing yourself to wake up and let it in and by seeing it inside yourself,

Acknowledging and welcoming it,

You will be free to manifest that energy in any way that makes sense to you for the benefit of those that you care most about and who care most about you.

Now just breathe with a feeling of grace and ease experiencing the warmth,

Love and compassion that gratitude brings into your heart.

Drift your awareness to nurturing relationships that you've experienced,

The current ones and maybe some memories of ones from the past,

The ones that lay waiting for you and those that have provided your most cherished memories.

Let's appreciate all that we have gained,

All that we have learned,

All that we have given of ourselves,

Acknowledging in the deepest part of our souls that we have always done our best and now with this newfound openness and appreciation for who we truly are and what we really have,

We can sit here basking in the light of gratitude as it radiates from within us to everyone around us.

And yet there is so much more for we can even feel grateful for the material things that have come to us unexpectedly and the things which flow to you with great effort,

Commitment and hard work bring to mind the gratitude for even the opportunity to have these things.

Consider your home and the aspects of your home if you have a home that you are grateful for.

At the base level perhaps simply a roof over your head or protection from the elements.

Maybe it contains some material contents that hold deep meaning to you because they make you feel safe or loved.

Consider the location,

The proximity to friends,

Even shopping.

This is not a time to get distracted by aspects that we wish were different.

This is the time to appreciate all that we have in our living situation,

All that we are grateful for and all that it brings into our lives.

Help us the bicycle or the car or the motorcycle,

Bus or train that helps you get from one place to another.

To the places of importance in your life,

The places that really matter.

Can you appreciate just for a moment all the workers who even make that traffic possible?

Construction crews,

Toll takers,

Traffic police,

Bus drivers,

Without whom which we could not go anywhere.

Some days we might even consider them an annoyance and with the proper perspective we can see that without them life would be very different.

There was a time not so long ago that most people did not travel outside of their own town or their state.

Today you have the freedom and the ability to easily go anywhere in the entire world at any time you want.

So let's take a few moments now to appreciate all of these aspects of our lives that we experience on a daily basis.

Your life is so rich in so many ways.

In fact,

Even those areas where you may struggle,

Those that can appear to be a burden,

A mistake,

Or that may be judged as a punishment of some kind.

Let's for a moment consider the possibility that these are really gifts.

That they are meant to guide us and to teach us something important.

How to be courageous,

How to reinvent ourselves,

How to find strength in the face of adversity,

How to heal,

And how to grieve.

What has happened in your life that has taught you these kinds of lessons that in this moment you can experience gratitude for them.

Finally,

Consider all the love in your life and your connection to those people,

Pets,

Kisses that fill your days and nights with warmth,

Hope,

Hugs,

Smiles,

Joy,

And kisses,

And help.

When you know that you need it most and even in those times when you are not even aware of what you need.

You see,

It's not really that hard when even for a moment we can appreciate and acknowledge all that is present in our lives,

We feel better.

The practice of experiencing gratitude actually releases chemicals in our brains that make us feel happier and more relaxed.

And we can discover a depth of gratitude that is almost overwhelming.

The best part is that the more we acknowledge,

The better it works.

So if you want to use this meditation as a way to connect,

To recall,

And to remember,

Feel free.

Or you may simply want to keep a short list every day of what you really want to appreciate in your life.

For right now,

Just continue to breathe easily and effortlessly and acknowledge anything else that is present in your life in this moment and allow the gratitude to be within you until the music ends.

Administrative

Reviews

Amazing!
Thank you for making me aware of every single thing that I have to be grateful for.
Blessings 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻