Begin by finding a comfortable seated or lying down position.
Wherever you are,
Allow your spine to remain straight.
If seated,
Rest your hands either on your thighs,
Palms facing up or down,
Or allow your hands to lie gently on your lap.
If lying down,
Rest your hands either palms facing up by your sides,
Or allow your palms to rest on your heart or lower abdomen.
Wherever you are,
Find comfort in your physical form.
Once you find a comfortable seated or lying down position,
Invite your eyes to close.
Or if you would prefer,
Invite a soft downward gaze.
In such a way where you are gazing but not seeing,
Or getting distracted by the environment around you.
Now begin to draw your awareness to your breath.
For the next few moments,
Allow your breath to naturally flow in and out.
As you inhale fully and exhale completely.
If and when thoughts or distractions begin to filter into your mind,
No problem.
How can you acknowledge the thought or distraction and let it go with your exhale?
As you draw your awareness back to your breath,
Back to the here and now.
Just as persistent as your thoughts may be,
The continual practice of bringing your awareness back to your breath will strengthen over time.
Begin to bring your awareness to the concept of gratitude.
What are your initial experiences when you first get curious about gratitude?
Without judgment,
Allow whatever sensations to arise in the present moment and then let them go with your exhalations.
No matter how many times your mind wanders,
No problem.
Acknowledge the distraction and let it go.
Bring back to the anchor of your breath in this moment.
Begin by offering gratitude to yourself.
Cultivate gratitude for your physical strength and abilities,
The beat of your heart,
The breath in your lungs,
The pulse in your veins,
The strength of your bones,
The lineage of your blood,
The power of your thoughts,
And the depth of your feelings.
Slowly expand your gratitude to include your family,
Blood relations,
Or chosen family.
Include your parents or the individuals who helped bring you up in this world.
Offer gratitude to your grandparents,
Any siblings,
Aunts or uncles,
Cousins.
Include both immediate and extended family.
The generations of individuals that have contributed to your life in this present moment.
Expand your gratitude further to include the various relationships you've had that have inspired you to become the person you are today.
The friends,
Partners,
Teachers,
Coworkers,
And acquaintances you have known throughout your life.
Take a moment to offer gratitude for all that you have in this world.
Wear in your lungs food that nourishes your body.
Clean water to drink,
A roof over your head,
The love in your heart.
Expand your gratitude now to include the town in which you currently live,
The states or provinces you have previously lived in,
The places you've visited,
The country in which you reside.
Offer gratitude to all of the places in this world that you have yet to explore.
Expand your gratitude to include the planet that sustains us all,
The sun that warms,
The moon that cools,
The seasons that change,
The oceans that ebb and flow,
The mountains that climb,
And the stars that shine.
Draw your gratitude from the edges of the universe and back to your own beating heart.
From this place of gratitude,
Bring your awareness back to your breath,
Back to the here and now.
Become curious about the feelings and sensations that arise as you sit with this practice of gratitude.
When you feel ready,
Begin to invite gentle movement to your fingers and toes.
Allow your head to gently rock from one side to the other.
In your own time,
Gently allow your eyes to blink open as you return to the room.
Take a moment to offer yourself gratitude for taking these few mindful moments.
