Today our practice is a heart centered gratitude meditation.
So find a comfortable seated position,
Let yourself settle into your space and just take a couple of breaths to signal your arrival in your breathing space practice.
And we'll be focusing on a heart inspiring deep appreciation to flow within and without.
Begin to settle in and disconnect from the space around you.
Feel a sense of warmth and relaxation beginning to flow through you as you take notice of your breaths.
Just allow your out.
3,
2,
1.
Allow your eyes to be soft or closed if that feels comfortable and let your body soften a little further.
Sink more deeply into the space that you're sitting in,
Your chair,
The floor and allow your body to become rested.
Just check in and make sure you're not holding on to anything that's bringing tension or stress into your body.
And take a moment to scan through your body from the crown of your head to the tip of your toes.
Just taking the time to soften any knots,
Any areas of tension.
Taking a breath in and out,
Releasing any tightness.
Breathe in and allow your exhale to be slow,
Taking tension with it.
Take another slow breath in.
This time hold your breath at the top of the inhale just for a moment and then slowly exhale in a contented sigh.
And gently draw your focus to your thoughts.
Perhaps your mind has already become a little calmer as your body becomes more relaxed.
Let's encourage this awareness of going with the flow.
Slow breaths in,
Long breaths out as your thoughts continue to slow and still.
Take a deep breath in.
Release on the exhale any scattered thoughts.
Take another slow breath in.
Slow breath out.
Once again releasing,
Letting go.
Take another breath in.
Hold here at the top of your inhale for three,
Two,
One and slowly let go.
Just bringing deeper stillness to your mind.
And then gently draw your focus to your heart area,
Your chest.
Let your breath be slow and comfortable and easy.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
We often take the heart for granted,
Going about each day without noticing all of the work that it does for us.
If it feels comfortable,
Maybe place one or both hands on your chest if you like,
Feeling each heartbeat,
Hearing each heartbeat.
Simply connecting with this miraculous living,
Moving heart that brings life to every part of your body.
What thoughts or sensations arise as you connect to your heart?
Allow any and every thought or sensation to surface here and then imagine a bright green light beginning to glow beneath the surface of your skin,
Of your chest glowing from the inside of your heart.
See this light in your mind's eye.
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
This is the energy of compassion.
Imagine this green glow flowing through all the channels,
The vessels,
The cells of your heart,
Cleansing and healing,
Offering compassion to everything it touches,
Shining its light on old hurts,
Resolving past grudges,
Clearing away anything that brings heaviness to your heart.
As this light does its healing work,
Bring to mind the beautiful sensations that this green hue inspires in you.
The deep,
Renewing freshness like new buds shooting up through the spring soil.
Breathe in the freshness of this aroma.
Green also brings harmony into our lives,
Balancing,
Giving and receiving and inspiring our hearts to thrive and find fulfilment.
The next few slow breaths hold this colour green deeper into your lungs and your heart,
Grateful for its presence,
Breathing in green,
Breathing in green,
Healing,
Balance,
Rejuvenation.
And now envision a golden light circling your heart,
Swirling through the green colour.
Take a few moments to connect with the gold.
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
Feel the colour gold emanating from your heart,
Glowing in your chest and spreading throughout your body.
This gold carries gratitude from your heart to every part of your body,
Saturating all the cells,
Your mind and your spirit with strength.
Feel the gold working with the green to heal all the shadows of the heart,
Relieving it of any heaviness,
Infusing it with colour and courage and strength.
Imagine the gold becoming more rich and vibrant with each inhale,
Moving more deeply into the heart with each exhale.
Breathe deeply into the chest and exhale,
Feeling the gold flow through the heart and the lungs.
Another inhale,
Deepening the colour,
Another exhale,
Feeling its healing and strengthening qualities.
When your heart is healed and open,
It becomes easier to let gratitude in.
Using breath work and some visualisation,
You've reached a state of open-hearted awareness.
Connect with this awareness,
Just noting how you feel right now in this moment.
Hold your hands to your chest,
Once again noticing your heartbeat.
How does your heart feel now?
Just sit in stillness for the next few moments,
Continuing to allow gratitude to pour into your heart.
Breathing,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Now release the colours,
Letting the green and the gold fade into white and then disappear completely with your next long exhale.
Take a breath in,
Sigh out and let go of these colours.
Really bring your focus,
Your awareness back to the space around you,
Allowing yourself to acknowledge the sounds in your space,
The points of connection between your body and whatever you're sitting on,
The sensation of clothes on your skin.
Wherever you are in your breath cycle,
Empty out your air.
Take one more breath in through your nose,
Inhaling up.
Let your heart and your lungs expand and fill,
Full of gratitude and then exhale,
Sigh out.
Open your eyes when you're ready,
If they were closed.
Give your body a nice big stretch.
Whenever you're ready,
Moving into whatever comes next.
Go gently.
Until next time.
