Hello,
I'm Anne Sussman,
Founder of Mindfulness Meeting Place and the author of the Bliss Buddy project,
How Sharing Gratitude Increases Joy.
Today we will practice with gratitude for our creativity.
Creativity is often thought of as talent that only some are blessed with.
Maybe an artist or a singer comes to mind.
Actually,
All of us have creativity.
It is a quality of our soul.
So we are all imbued with creativity.
Think about other ways that you are creative.
Maybe you are wonderful in the kitchen and you can whip up a dish with leftovers and create something delicious and different than what you started with.
That's certainly not my talent.
I'm not really talented in the kitchen.
But people don't often think of themselves as creatively talented when it comes to the kitchen.
Maybe you arrange flowers beautifully or you decorate your home to make it warm and inviting.
Perhaps you are an amazing organizer and can rearrange a place from chaos to calm.
Do you write rhymes or prose?
Can you see ways in which you use your creativity to problem solve in unique ways?
Creativity uses our imagination or original ideas.
There is beauty in technology and architecture,
Beauty in man-made objects that we take for granted.
All of this has been gifted to us through someone's creativity.
An article in Psychology Today said,
Research shows that creative thinking involves making new connections between different regions of the brain,
Which is accomplished by cultivating divergent thinking skills and deliberately exposing ourselves to new experiences and learning.
Creativity can be acquired and honed at any age or with any experience level.
When a person learns new information,
Sleeping or enjoying a distraction allows the unconscious mind to process the data in novel and surprising ways,
Thereby laying the groundwork for creative insight or breakthrough.
So it doesn't need to be singing talent or artistic talent.
There are many ways you can realize you are creative.
Maybe change things up,
Walk or drive a different way to a familiar destination,
Get your coffee at a new place or try new things.
Purposefully opening yourself up to new experiences,
New people and ideas can spark creativity in you.
Today we're going to focus on cultivating feelings of gratitude for the creative force in all of us.
So let's bring to mind the essentials for any meditation practice.
Remember it's okay to have thoughts in meditation.
The biggest misconception is that you need to clear your mind,
That will never happen.
Don't try too hard at this.
It's really a gentle shifting of your attention from thought back to breath.
It doesn't matter how many times you return to breath,
That is the practice.
You're doing it just right.
Let go of expectations and be kind to yourself.
Stick with it over days,
Weeks,
Months and years.
The changes that meditation will bring to your life are subtle yet profound.
We'll be meditating for about 20 minutes.
So let's begin,
Come to find a comfortable seat upright if that works for you and relaxed.
Minimize your distractions for our time together.
And when you are ready,
Gently close your eyes and begin by taking a few long,
Slow,
Deep breaths in and out of your nose,
Controlling the breath right now.
Knowing that you're safe,
Grounded and present,
Making this choice to meditate.
And now as you listen to the sound of the bell,
You can let your breath return to its natural depth and rhythm.
You may notice that your breath speeds up or slows down.
Your breath knows exactly how to take care of you,
So let it be easy and gentle.
No need to control it.
Notice the temperature on your skin,
The warmth or coolness of the air.
Notice whatever sounds are around you,
Closer sounds,
Distant sounds outside the room.
Sound need not be a barrier to your meditation.
In this practice we want to welcome everything,
Resist nothing,
Holding everything that arises internally,
Externally in an attitude of kind attention.
Let's bring some relaxation to the body,
Beginning with the top of the head,
Softening the scalp,
Unfurling the brow,
Allowing the face to be soft and easy,
No expression necessary.
Checking in with the jaw,
Seeing if you might need to unclench just a little bit,
Allowing the tongue to rest easily in the mouth,
Inviting the shoulders to soften down the back,
Away from the ears.
Checking in with the spine,
From the base of the spine to the top of the head,
Reaching tall,
Holding the body in a posture that feels like dignity to you,
Relaxed,
Alert,
Softening the front body from the top of the chest on down through the diaphragm,
Just letting the belly be soft and easy,
Like a great big Buddha belly.
Noticing the right arm softening from the shoulder on down through the elbow,
All the way to the fingertips,
And then the left arm,
Letting go of any tension you might be holding there,
From the shoulder on down through the elbow,
All the way to the fingertips,
Just softening,
Letting go.
Checking in with the pelvis,
Seeing if you can notice it sinking a little bit deeper into the cushions,
And then seeing if you can notice the cushions rising up in reciprocity to support you in your practice,
To hold you.
Softening the right leg from the hip on down through the knee,
All the way to the toes,
And then the left leg,
Letting go of any tension you might be holding there,
From the hip down through the knee,
And all the way to the toes.
Now scanning your body,
Seeing if there's any place you might have missed that's calling for some ease or comfort.
Knowing in this practice,
You can always shift or move if you need to,
And sitting as still as you can,
And turning your attention inward to the interior of you,
Coming to notice any tingling,
Pulsing,
Any sensations in the body.
Might notice that most in the fingertips or the toes.
Might not notice anything at all,
That's okay too.
But that sensation is your aliveness.
We're alive in our bodies,
We almost never notice.
And then come to find your breath.
Whatever that's most obvious for you,
That might be at the tip of the nose,
Noticing the cool air coming in through the nostrils,
Leaving a bit warmer above your upper lip.
For you,
You might notice the breath most in the rise and fall of your chest or your belly.
Always resting your attention on the sensations of breath,
Noticing the expansions as you breathe in space.
The contraction as you breathe out,
In the space between the next breath.
And soon you may notice that your attention wanders to thought as it will over and over again.
When you notice that,
Just gently shift back and find the rhythm of your breath.
And I invite you now to open yourself up to the new,
To new possibilities,
To a new day,
To the creative force which flows inside you.
And feel a gratitude with every breath,
With the flow of life swirling in and around you,
For the creative possibilities that are always waiting to be uncovered.
Let go of any limits you may have placed on yourself,
And then open to receive infinite goodness,
Infinite possibilities.
Without judgment,
Be open to the force of creativity flowing through you.
Realize and become grateful for the creative flow of the universe that moves directly through you.
Notice how your eyes,
Your ears,
Your mouth,
And your hands are tools of the universe to create through you.
Becoming aware of the possibility that you can joyfully create a beautiful life for yourself and for those around you.
You can apply innate creativity to everything you do.
Becoming grateful for that possibility.
From the creative spirit to touch the areas you are passionate about in your life.
You are inspired by those around you and in turn,
You can become an inspiration to people whether you know them or not.
Resting in the gratitude of creativity that flows through every cell of your being.
We'll sit mostly silent.
We'll mind the time.
We'll hear a chime at the end.
I'll let you know your next steps.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
Resting in the gratitude for creativity.
And now let any images that might have come to mind fade away,
Returning your attention to this life change.
So sitting in stillness just a little longer,
Keeping your eyes closed,
Listening to the sound of the chime.
It's always very important to come out of meditation slowly,
Taking your time keeping your eyes closed.
You can now begin to deepen your breath.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Slowly start to stretch into the space around you in whatever way feels good to you.
Taking your time,
There's no rush.
And lastly,
When you feel ready,
You can slowly open your eyes and gaze at the floor in front of you,
Letting in a little bit of light before coming fully back to the space.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation on gratitude for creativity.
I want to leave you with a quote from the late Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee was a martial artist,
An actor,
Director,
And a philosopher.
And he said,
To live is to express.
And to express you have to create.
Creation is never merely repetition.
To live is to express oneself freely in creation.
So I invite you to stay open to the creative force in you today.
And feel grateful for that.
I wish you peace.
