Hey,
Here we are at day five.
Great to see you again.
For this meditation,
I'd like to share one that helps you to cultivate gratitude.
Practicing gratitude has this whole list of benefits,
Benefits like improved mental and physical health,
Increased happiness,
A greater level of satisfaction with one's life.
And this is according to sources like Harvard and UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins and others in the scientific community.
So settle in for today's meditation on gratitude.
Grab a blanket if you want,
Get comfortable,
And let's get going.
All right,
Sit comfortably in whatever position is best for you,
Sitting on the floor in a chair.
Allow your eyes to gently close or let them soften if you'd like.
Let's begin by first bringing your awareness to your breath using those techniques that you've learned earlier in earlier meditations to help your breath to quiet your mind,
Observing your breath without trying to manipulate it in any way,
Just observing all the different parts and pieces,
Becoming very familiar with it,
Very intimate with your breath.
And I'm going to let you do this for a few moments in silence.
OK.
Now,
As your mind begins to become quiet,
You could turn your awareness to your body.
And for this meditation,
See if you can feel yourself in relation to the room that you're in,
Your sense of self in this space,
What we call proprioception.
So feel your body where it touches the surface you're on.
And if your feet are on the ground,
Feel where they're connected with Earth.
Be aware of gravity holding your body firmly in place so you can let go of any worries,
Any concerns,
And just be open to what this meditation might bring to you today.
Let's take a look at gratitude.
What is gratitude?
We know that gratitude is just a feeling of being thankful.
It's this emotion of connectedness.
And it reminds us that we're all part of this larger universe.
We're all connected to every living thing.
This habit of gratitude can help you with feelings of inner peace.
And it can connect you with the good that is in our lives and attract more good into your life.
When we are grateful,
We're being in the present moment.
And it just uplifts our spirit.
And it feeds our heart.
Gratitude can help you during times of stress or during difficult times.
Just think about all those things you've overcome already and all the good you've already received in your life.
And that could be reassuring to you.
So for this meditation,
I'm going to bring into your awareness the things in your life that you are already thankful for.
And just allow gratitude the chance to come up naturally.
When it comes up,
Let yourself sink into the feeling.
Just let go.
Surrender to it.
Notice how it feels in your body.
Notice how that energy feels.
And if that doesn't come up,
That's OK.
You don't need to try to make yourself feel anything that you don't.
There's no forcing here.
Just remember to surrender to your heart and not your head.
Don't overthink anything.
So let's flash through all those aspects of your life that you might be grateful for.
Let's start with our breath.
As you inhale and as you exhale,
Be reminded of what a gift this is.
Remember that each of these breaths gives you life.
Now be aware of your heart beating,
Your pulse,
Filling you with love and compassion and peace and letting that flow back out again.
Bring your awareness to your eyes,
Your eyes that let you see colors,
Faces of your loved ones,
Smiles,
Everything in nature,
The sunset,
The sunrise,
Flowers and trees and animals,
A rainbow,
The night sky,
All those things that your eyes allow you to see,
All those blessings that come to you through your eyes.
And now bring your awareness to your ears,
Your ears that bring the sound of laughter and beautiful music,
The voices of those you love,
Even silence,
All those beautiful sounds of life.
Now bring your awareness to your nose,
Your nose that smells an ocean breeze,
Flowers,
An apple pie baking in the oven.
And now bring your awareness to your lips and your mouth that tastes and savors the nourishing food you bring to your body,
That kisses and speaks and whispers and sings.
And now become aware of your hands and your arms that hold and that touch and caress,
That open and close and applaud,
The arms and the shoulders that carry and hug and lift and stretch,
All those that your arms and your hands and your shoulders bring to you.
And now our legs and our feet and our toes,
The toes that wiggle and dangle in water,
Your feet for running and walking,
Your legs for moving you forward,
Dancing and kicking and leaping and pointing,
All those things your feet and your legs and toes bring to you.
Now what about your tears,
Your sorrows,
And the strength that you seem to be able to muster just to make it through each day sometimes?
Have gratitude for that.
Now bring your awareness to your abundance,
Your own evolution,
Your perspective shifts,
That affluence and flow and empathy and love and light,
Your ability to see growth within you and others and potential in every moment.
Check in with your breathing and feel more grace and more ease with every breath.
And experience the warmth and the love and compassion that gratitude brings into your heart.
Let your awareness go to nurturing relationships in your life,
Your friends,
Family,
Community,
New relationships and old ones.
Think of love in your life and your connection to those things that are just sweet and loving and honorable and just feel right.
When we no longer take life for granted,
We become grateful for everything that we have.
My wish for you for the coming days is that you let this feeling of gratitude permeate your life and share with others.
When you're ready,
Begin to make that journey from your inner world to the outer world.
Bring some movement to your body,
Wiggling your fingers and toes.
And then allow your eyes to gently bat open.
