Are you ready to shift from survival to subtle joy?
There was a time a number of years ago where I really,
Really wanted to experience joy again.
I had to start with something I like to call micro joys.
Today,
We're going to practice micro awareness by paying attention to find joy in these smallest and most ordinary places.
Because this is where gratitude stops being part of a list and starts being a way of living.
Find a comfortable position and close your eyes or lower your gaze softly.
Take one full inhale through the nose and slowly exhale through your mouth.
Let your body settle into this moment.
Don't rush.
You don't have to fix anything.
This is your time to pause.
Notice your breath,
Your heartbeat,
The subtle rhythm of being alive.
Imagine yourself sitting on a wide porch with soft early morning sunlight all around you.
It's quiet here and you have space to listen inwardly.
As you inhale,
Silently say,
I am here.
And as you exhale,
And this is enough.
Bring to mind one small thing from today.
Something real and unpolished.
Maybe it's the smell of coffee,
The warm of sunlight,
The sound of laughter,
Or even a moment of stillness between tasks.
Feel how that simple noticing shifts something subtly inside you,
A softening,
A small smile,
A loosening of your chest.
Let's move to our second breath.
As we breathe in,
We whisper,
I am supported.
And as we exhale,
Even when I forget,
Bring to mind the people,
The places,
Or routines that hold you quietly,
A friend,
A pet,
Your favorite spot to sit,
Or a consistent ritual.
You don't have to feel euphoric,
Just aware that you are not completely alone.
And for our third breath,
We inhale and say,
Something good is unfolding for me.
And exhale,
And I don't have to rush it.
See your future self,
Calm,
Smiling,
Grounded in gratitude.
Let your future self remind you that you are already on your way.
What we've just been practicing is neuroplastic gratitude.
Each time you name something good,
Your brain creates a stronger association between awareness and calm.
This turns gratitude from a performance into a physiological state,
One that your body can recognize even in stressful moments.
Let's take one final deep breath in and hold it gently.
And as you exhale,
Say to yourself,
I can rest inside this moment.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and come back to the room around you.
You just practiced one of the most powerful and simplest resilience skills.
Joy doesn't demand a perfect life.
It only asks for presence.
When you start noticing micro joys,
Stress loses its monopoly on your attention.
This is how gratitude reclaims your inner landscape.
One quiet breath at a time.
