Start by taking a moment to check in with yourself and to get settled in your seat.
If you feel comfortable letting your eyes close gently or else you can direct a soft gaze to a spot in front of you.
As you close your eyes,
Bringing a sense of relaxation and ease to your hands.
You might rest your hands on your legs with palms facing upward or downward.
Whatever feels best for you today.
Palms upward can give the message of openness and acceptance.
Palms downward can give the message of grounding and stability.
Giving yourself the message that you need today.
Today we will be engaging in a practice of savoring a positive experience.
So often our minds are focused on coping with problems,
Accomplishing tasks,
Worrying about the future,
Or remembering something from our past.
We don't often give ourselves time and space to really savor positive experiences of joy,
Connection,
Excitement,
Or love.
We don't often allow ourselves to really let these experiences sink in.
During this practice you'll likely notice the mind wandering at times.
When this happens,
Gently note where it's gone to and guide it back to the sound of my voice.
No judgment.
Start to bring to mind a recent positive experience.
This could be a meal you enjoyed,
A conversation that was stimulating,
An exciting opportunity you were offered,
Or a moment of rest or calm in your day.
This doesn't have to be any major experience.
Rather it can be something that was small,
A brief moment from your day.
Bring this experience into your mind and try to connect with the details of what was going on.
Imagine what was happening in the situation.
Were you with others or by yourself?
What parts of the experience stick out most strongly?
Were there any smells or tastes you were connected with?
What were you looking at in these moments?
Trying to fully get in touch with your five senses experience of this moment.
Pause this moment in your mind as if you were looking at a picture and could take all the time in the world to attend to each different component of your experience.
Also try to connect with how you were feeling emotionally or the felt sense in your body.
Were there feelings of joy,
Connection,
Calm or love?
Maybe a felt sense of fullness,
A warmth or a brightness,
An ease or a sense of relief?
Feeling energy or feeling motivation or maybe a feeling of safety?
As you engage with this practice,
Your mind might take you away from savoring and it might be difficult to stay immersed in this positive experience.
You might notice worries from coming up.
You may be aware of a sense of missing or longing for this experience.
You might experience boredom.
There could be planning or judging.
If any of these thoughts or feelings come up,
Let them be here.
Simply shift and re-engage with the positive experience.
Bringing back into your mind this picture you created earlier of the experience and diving back into the felt sense of this moment.
Let yourself rest in this place of savoring the positive for a few more moments.
Like letting a piece of decadent chocolate slowly melt on your tongue.
Allow yourself time and space to fully be in contact with this positive experience.
Let this experience and the emotions carried with it infuse every cell of your body.
Let it soak in and let it nurture.
And now think of a short phrase that captures a sense of gratitude for this moment.
Saying silently to yourself,
I am grateful for.
.
.
Maybe repeating this phrase a few times to yourself.
I am grateful for.
.
.
Now leaving this positive experience behind,
Starting to come back to notice your body in this moment.
Bringing your awareness back into your hands.
Checking in with how they feel.
Simply bringing a little bit of movement into your body.
Wiggling your fingers or toes.
Letting your head move from side to side.
And try to allow any reactions that came up for you during this meditation to just be and give yourself credit for engaging in this practice of savoring a positive experience.
Then for just a moment more,
Before returning to your day,
Being still and listening to the sounds of the drum.
