15 Minute Gratitude Meditation

We often only look for the big events in our lives to feel gratitude for, leaving us feeling lacking as the big events are rare. In reality, there are hundreds of small things that happen every day that we can be grateful for. This meditation will guide you to refocus, to find the often overlooked tings in our everyday. Finding joy and satisfaction, every day.

Transcript

So let's begin by just arriving in a moment of stillness,

Take a slow breath in and let it out gently,

And for the next little while all that matters is being here with yourself.

We'll move through the body noticing each part,

Not just as a sensation,

But as a gift,

A part of you that makes today possible.

So let's begin at the top of your head,

Just notice the crown,

The scalp,

The skin stretched lightly over bone,

Just acknowledge how it protects what lies beneath,

Move to your forehead,

Feeling the muscles,

The space behind where your thoughts form.

Today your mind has carried you through decisions,

Memories and imagination,

So just offer it some gratitude,

Even if it has been busy or restless.

Bring attention to your eyes,

Resting now,

They've given you sight today,

Colour and shape and movement,

Even if vision is imperfect,

They still connect you to the world,

Let them rest and silently thank them.

Shifting to your cheeks and jaw,

Just notice how they hold expression,

How they shape your voice,

Perhaps there is tension here and if so just let it soften,

Appreciate this part of you that allows laughter,

Words and nourishment,

Your awareness to your ears,

For the sound they've received today,

Voices and music,

The quiet of your environment,

Just let them rest and be grateful for what they bring you.

Now to your throat and neck,

Passage of your voice and your breath,

This has carried every word you've spoken and every breath that's sustained you,

Just notice if it feels tense or a tease,

Acknowledge it's constant service,

Bring your focus to the shoulders,

So often they carry more than their share,

Drags and burdens,

An invisible weight,

And today they've held you upright,

Supported your posture,

So just let them rest now,

Heavy and grounded,

Slowly down the arms,

Upper arms and elbows,

Forearms and wrists,

That allow you to reach and to hold and to create,

Feel them sink in stillness,

Honouring their usefulness,

Do you notice your hands,

The palms and the fingers and the fingertips,

Today they may have touched,

Written,

Worked or comforted,

Just let them be still and thank them for all they allow you to do,

You shift your awareness to your chest,

The steady rhythm of breath and the tireless heartbeat,

Without asking,

Your chest has kept you alive all day,

So just let it be seen,

Let it be acknowledged with gratitude,

Now the belly,

Rising and falling with breath,

Digesting and transforming,

Sustaining,

Notice the subtle movements and thank your centre for nourishing you,

As you bring your attention to your back,

The spine and the muscles,

The structure that supports you every day,

Feel the contact with the surface beneath you,

And allow your back to relax,

Carrying nothing for now,

Down to the hips and your pelvis,

The place of stability and grounding,

Today they've carried your weight,

Allowed you to move and balance,

Notice them and give thanks,

Down into the thighs,

Strong muscles and powerful supporters,

They've moved you through your day,

Step after step,

Just let them be heavy now and rest,

You notice your knees,

Complex and often overlooked,

They bend and they bear and they endure,

So offer them gentle appreciation,

Down into your calves,

Feel the density,

The quiet work they perform with every moment,

Then the ankles,

Small but steady,

And finally the feet,

Heels,

Arches and toes,

Today they have carried you step by step without complaint,

So let them rest now and thank them,

As you take a long slow inhale,

Feeling the whole body as one,

Head to toe,

This body is giving you the gift of today,

Just hold that awareness gently,

Now that we've grounded our body,

Take a moment to follow our gratitude further for the day,

So often we rush through our days without noticing what is quietly supporting us,

This meditation is a chance to slow down,

To see the overlooked and to recognize the ordinary as sacred,

As you take a breath in and notice that this in itself is something to be grateful for,

Air filling your lungs and the body receiving life,

A gift given freely without asking,

You bring your awareness to the space around you,

The temperature,

The air on your skin,

The sounds in the room,

Ordinary perhaps,

But these details make this moment unique,

And years from now you might look back and remember this exact stillness,

And just let your mind turn to something simple from today,

It might be a small interaction,

A meal,

A brief moment of rest,

And just notice it,

Hold it in your awareness as if you were polishing a stone,

Appreciating its quiet beauty,

And notice how often we search for big moments,

Celebrations,

Milestones and achievements,

And yet life is mostly made of small moments,

The taste of food,

The sound of laughter,

The way sunlight falls across the floor,

These are the threads that weave a good life,

As you rest here now,

Allow your gratitude to spread outwards,

Gratitude for the breath,

Gratitude for the body,

Gratitude for the stillness you are experiencing right now,

Bring to mind someone in your life who is present today,

A family member,

A friend,

Perhaps even someone you rarely think about,

Notice how their presence,

However small,

Shapes your day,

Allow yourself to feel gratitude for them,

Silently offering thanks,

As you bring to mind now something in your environment,

It could be the chair you're sitting on,

The roof over your head,

Or even the technology that allows you to listen to this meditation,

These too are gifts of today,

Feel yourself gathering awareness of what is good,

Allowing gratitude to grow with every breath,

As you feel yourself soften into appreciation,

As you imagine yourself,

Your future self,

Years from now,

Looking back on this day,

Noticing things you may not see right now,

Perhaps the people in your life,

The way you felt on the stage you were in,

Your future self smiles with gratitude,

Wishing you had recognised the value at the time,

And now you do,

Feel that recognition sink in,

This day is already precious,

Not because it's perfect,

But because it is here,

Alive and fleeting,

As you take a moment to scan through your senses once again,

The sounds you can hear,

The feeling of your body against the ground,

The rhythm of your breath,

All of this is part of today's offering,

So just rest in this awareness,

You don't need to wait for later to look back and say those were the good old days,

This right now is one of them,

The ordinary details are already enough,

And as we begin to close,

Just allow the gratitude to fill your whole body,

Gratitude for the breath,

Gratitude for the body that carried you here,

Gratitude for the chance to sit in stillness,

Gratitude for today,

As you take a long slow inhale,

And let it out gently,

And hold this sense of appreciation with you,

As you gently begin to bring your awareness back to your physical body,

Feeling the temperature of the air on your skin,

Inviting gentle movement back into your fingers and your toes,

Softly reawakening your nervous system,

Bringing with you those feelings of gratitude for all that you have,

Remembering that today is already a gift,

Then whenever you feel ready,

You can gently open your eyes.