Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about gratitude.
And I think gratitude is one of the most misunderstood practices in our personal growth.
Because many people treat gratitude as a mental exercise.
Like,
Think of three things you're grateful for.
And that's helpful,
But in my experience,
The deeper transformation happens when gratitude moves from an idea to a felt experience.
Knowing you're grateful is different from experiencing gratitude in your body.
For example,
You could say,
I'm grateful for this cup of tea.
Okay,
That's a thought.
But if you actually pause and feel the warmth in your hands,
And notice the aroma,
And recognize the taste,
And recognize the chain of people and conditions that brought this tea to you,
And let appreciation spread through your chest and your face.
Gratitude becomes an embodied experience rather than a concept.
And I've noticed that gratitude has several layers.
Gratitude for what is pleasant,
Like family and friendships,
A beautiful sunset,
Your puppy's companionship.
And then there's gratitude for what is ordinary,
Clean water,
Breathing.
A bodily function,
A quiet moment.
And then there's gratitude for what is difficult.
Not gratitude for suffering itself,
But gratitude for what hardship reveals.
Resilience and compassion and wisdom and humanity.
This is often where profound growth occurs.
To me,
Gratitude is less about forcing positivity and more about seeing clearly.
It's the recognition that life is always giving us something.
Even when it isn't giving us what we wanted.
Gratitude isn't a replacement for pain or grief or frustration or disappointment.
It creates a larger container.
The difficult experience remains.
But gratitude reminds us that it was not the whole story.
A metaphor that comes to mind for me,
Obviously,
Is a river.
Will we focus on.
.
.
What's missing or stand on the bank of a river counting the stones.
Gratitude invites us to notice the water itself,
The flow that has been carrying us all along.
The stones are still there,
But they are no longer the entire landscape.
One of the simplest practices I know is this.
Pause for 10 seconds and ask,
What is supporting me in this moment?
Don't answer immediately.
Feel for the answer.
Let your attention rest there for a breath or two.
And often the response isn't dramatic.
Maybe a chair,
Or a breath,
Or the silence,
Or a dog sleeping nearby.
Yet those small moments have a way of opening the heart.
When gratitude arises naturally,
It often seems less like a practice and more like a byproduct of seeing clearly.
Not something we generate,
But something we discover.
Was already present beneath the noise.
Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.
And it doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
You can even be leaning against a wall or standing on your head.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
So be comfortable and alert.
And let's start to scan our body.
Relax your face.
Your face is way too tense.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
That's right.
Now relax your neck.
Common places of tension in today's world,
Because you're hunched over your phone,
Or your tablet,
Or your laptop.
I move mine around.
You can do whatever makes you happy.
Relax your shoulders.
Another place of tension.
Relax your arms and your hands.
I shake mine out,
But again,
You can do what makes you happy.
Look for any tension in your chest or your belly.
And then relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments from beginning to end.
It's there to support us and your breath is one of the few things in your entire life that you can exert some control over and make your life better.
Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
And if you have thoughts,
Just let them go.
They're like waves on a lake,
Or.
.
.
Leave going downstream on a river.
Just acknowledge them and let them pass.
Just allow your body to settle into this moment.
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to accomplish,
And nothing to improve.
For the next little while,
Simply let yourself arrive.
We're just breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
And then the next,
And then the next,
And that is the present moment.
One breath,
One inhale,
One exhale.
With each exhale,
Imagine setting down whatever you've been carrying.
Not forever,
Just for now.
And bring your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breathing.
And there's no need to control it.
Or simply noticing.
The body breathing.
Life breathing itself.
Now imagine that you're standing by a side of a river.
A familiar river,
We've been here before.
It's ancient and steady,
Flowing effortlessly through a beautiful landscape.
We've been to this river many times,
You and I.
You don't need to know where it begins.
You don't need to know where it ends.
You are simply here,
Beside it,
Watching,
Listening.
Notice the sound of the water,
The movement,
The shimmer of sunlight dancing across its surface.
Perhaps there are trees nearby.
And perhaps the air carries the scent of earth and leaves and wildflowers.
Just allow the scene to unfold naturally.
And as you stand beside this river,
Notice something remarkable.
The river doesn't struggle to flow.
It doesn't force itself forward.
It simply follows its nature.
Now here I'm going to pause for a minute so that you can just continue to breathe and think and be here by the river and I'll be back in a minute.
We're standing by the river and I want you to notice something remarkable.
The river doesn't struggle to flow.
It doesn't force itself forward.
It simply follows its nature.
And in the same way,
Gratitude is not something you have to manufacture.
It's already moving within you,
Like this river.
Sometimes hidden.
Sometimes forgotten.
But always present beneath the surface.
And imagine now that each breath brings you closer to the water.
With every exhale,
You step a little nearer.
Until you find yourself sitting comfortably on the riverbank.
Close enough to touch the flowing water.
So reach down with your awareness and dip your hand into the river.
Feel its coolness.
Its freshness,
Its movement.
Feel how the water is always arriving.
Always offering itself and never withholding.
And as you watch the river flow,
Begin to notice all that it's flowed into your life.
Not through effort,
Not through deserving,
Simply as gifts of existence.
Perhaps you become aware of the gift of your breath.
This Breath.
And the next.
And the next.
Thousands upon thousands of breaths given freely each day.
Without needing to earn them.
And allow a feeling of appreciation to rise,
Not forced,
Not searched for,
Simply noticed.
River continues flowing,
And now you notice other guests drifting past.
The gift of sunlight.
The gift of rain.
The gift of warmth.
And the gift of rest.
The gift of learning.
And the gift of growing.
The gift of surviving difficult times.
Perhaps memories begin appearing on the surface of the water.
Moments of kindness,
People who helped you.
Unexpected encouragement.
A smile.
A conversation.
A hand reaching toward you when you needed it most.
Just watch these memories drift gently by.
There's no need to cling to them,
Simply noticing.
Receiving.
And appreciating.
And if difficult memories appear,
Allow them to.
The river carries everything.
The pleasant and the unpleasant alike.
Even challenges may contain gifts.
That could only be seen much later.
Lessons.
Strength.
Compassion,
And understanding,
And there is no need to force gratitude for hardships.
Simply recognize that even the difficult currents have helped shape the river you call your life.
Notice now.
That as gratitude awakens,
Something changes.
The river seems brighter.
More alive.
More vibrant.
Yet the river itself has not changed,
What has changed is the way you are seeing it.
And in the same way,
Gratitude often doesn't change our circumstances.
It changes our relationship to them.
It helps us notice what was already present.
What was already supporting us,
What was already carrying us.
Now imagine stepping gently into the river,
Just enough to feel the water flowing around your feet.
And feel it's constant moving.
It's quiet generosity.
Every moment bringing us something new.
Every moment letting go of what was past.
And now imagine that the river itself is gratitude.
Not a feeling,
Not a practice,
Not a task on a list,
But a living current.
A current that has been carrying you all along.
Through joy,
Through uncertainty,
Through heartbreak,
Through wonder,
Through ordinary days and extraordinary moments.
You may begin to realize you are not standing separate from the river,
You are within it.
And it is within you.
The same flow moving through nature,
Moving through breath,
Moving through awareness,
Moving through this very moment.
Rest here for a few breaths.
Simply feeling held by the current of life.
There's nothing missing.
Nothing needed to be added.
Just this moment.
Flowing.
Breathing,
Living.
As you begin to come to a close,
Bring your awareness to one thing for which you feel grateful.
It may be something profound,
Or wonderfully ordinary.
Maybe a friend,
Or a meal,
Or a beloved pet.
Maybe it's a tree outside your window,
Or maybe just the ability to be here right now.
And allow that gratitude to rest gently in your heart like a small stone warmed by sunlight.
Now imagine placing that feeling into the river and watch as it joins the flow.
Joining countless expressions of gratitude that have flowed before.
Knowing that appreciation shared with life never disappears.
It becomes a part of the current,
Part of the movement,
Part of the river itself.
Take one final deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth let you know a sigh Feel the support beneath you and the room around you.
Notice the steady presence of your body and carry with you this knowing that gratitude is not something you must create.
Like a river it is already flowing.
Your practice is simply to pause long enough to step into it.
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes and come back into the room.
Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is to be alive in this moment.
And all the things that you're grateful for every single day.
Return to your day held by the river,
Carried by gratitude and floating with life.
As always,
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each and every one of you.
I'm so grateful for you to be in my life.
Till next time.
