Hello and welcome to this guided meditation on cultivating a sense of appreciation to the little things we have in our lives.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Whatever that means to you.
Either seated on a chair,
On a mat,
Cross-legged,
Or lying down on your bed.
Get as comfortable as you can and need.
And when you're ready,
Gently close the eyes to bring our awareness inwards.
Start to settle where you are.
Start to breathe into your body,
Taking slow and deep breaths in and out of your nose.
Make the breath long,
Deep,
And gentle,
Allowing the body to relax,
The mind and the heart to relax.
And keep following the flow of your breath,
Connecting deeper with the physical sensation of your breathing,
Allowing the breath to keep you centered and grounded in the moment.
Start to connect with that sensation that comes with conscious breathing,
With gentle,
Loving breath.
Keep that connection throughout the practice and use the breath as an anchor to bring you back to the present moment,
Whenever your mind wanders off,
As it naturally will.
So accept your wandering mind and just simply take a deeper breath in,
Reconnect with that physical sensation of your breath,
Come back to the body,
Come back to the present moment,
Through the breath,
And continue with the practice.
Allowing the breath to calm you down,
Allowing every cell,
Every muscle to relax a little bit more with every exhale.
Use the breath to bring your awareness more into the present moment,
Let it settle there.
And keep breathing in this manner,
Connecting deeper with your body,
Using the breath,
Gentle,
Slow and soft.
Let that be your approach.
Let that be your relationship with your breath.
And now use that awareness to think of all the little things that is in your everyday life.
Think of little things that used to bring you joy or bring you joy.
Sometimes we lose our connection with the things around us,
Because we're in a state of autopilot,
Disconnected from ourselves and from our environment.
So let's pour some awareness into the little blessings we have in our everyday life.
And let's use the breath to reconnect with that sense of appreciation to these things.
So turn the attention to your heart space in the middle of your chest.
Maybe if you feel like placing your right hand there,
Go ahead and do that.
As you bring to your mind,
Those little things.
And as you do that,
As you visualize them,
Maybe smile a little.
See what that smiling brings to your body,
To your heart.
As you visualize maybe how it feels when you drink a hot cup of coffee,
You laugh with a friend or a dear one.
Connect to that sense of appreciation that comes when we notice the small things in our lives that bring us joy.
Maybe the smell of the morning air and how it makes you feel.
So connect to that sensation.
Bring it to life.
Maybe how you feel when the sunlight touches your skin.
Can you connect to the warmth that comes and to the joy that comes from that sensation?
So take your time now to reconnect with the little blessings you have in your everyday life.
Allowing appreciation to grow within and to help you reconnect on a deeper level to the magic that resides in small moments and things that you may be taking for granted.
Let's stop and connect and appreciate these moments.
And as you continue breathing and reflecting,
Allow this reflection to bring you inner peace and contentment.
Allow this appreciation of the small things you have in your life to open up your heart and enrich your experience.
Help make your life special.
And as you continue doing that and breathing,
Repeat after me in your mind just a few affirmations to anchor a sense of appreciation to all the small things we have in our lives that bring us joy.
So bring your awareness to your heart space,
Middle of your chest as you do that.
Breathe into that space.
Maybe press your hand a little bit harder if you have your hand there.
Feel that contact.
Breathe into your heart.
And repeat in your mind after me.
I am grateful for all the little blessings in my life.
I'm taking my time to appreciate the little things I have around me.
I'm thankful for the opportunities that I have no matter how small.
I am present and connected and aware of the joys that come from these little things I do daily.
I take pleasure in all the moments that enrich my life.
I recognize the beauty and wonder of the world around me.
I am blessed.
I pay attention to the little moments that make up my day.
I'm grateful for the people in my life who make life special and easy.
I am blessed.
I'm grateful for the people in my life who make life special and easy.
I'm grateful for the people in my life who make life special and easy.
I am blessed.
And now allow these to resonate deep within you.
And take some time to notice what's shifting.
Breathe and observe.
What's changing within you.
And now just slowly let go of the visuals or any effort to reflect or connect.
Just allow the next minute or so to be complete stillness and presence.
Allowing integration to happen.
Allowing your heart to receive.
Maybe as we are ending this meditation set the intention now to carry that frequency throughout your day.
Get that connection to appreciation,
To joy.
And now slowly and very mindfully you start bringing your awareness to the body.
And maybe if you're ready to gently move your fingers and your toes or your body in any way that feels good to you.
Gently and softly.
This is what our approach to life and especially meditation should be.
So take your time and when you're ready you can open up your eyes.
