Welcome.
To begin meditating,
I would like to invite you to sit in a comfortable position.
Adjust your posture so that you are sitting in an upright position with your spine straight,
And then allow your eyes to close.
Relax your shoulders,
Soften your jaw and brow,
And let go of any tension in your body.
Next,
Take a couple of deep,
Full inhales and exhale fully,
Releasing all of the stale air from your lungs,
Inhaling fresh oxygen and exhaling fully.
Do that a few more times.
Now focus your awareness on your breath.
Use your breath as an anchor to your awareness,
Pulling your awareness again and again to the experience of breathing.
As you inhale,
Allow your awareness to follow your breath,
Moving into the body.
And as you exhale,
Allow your body to relax.
Inhale awareness and exhale relaxation.
And as you inhale,
Feel the air coming in touch with your nostrils,
Your nose,
Throat,
Chest,
Lungs.
And as you exhale,
Soften your body.
Soften your muscles while maintaining a straight spine.
As you watch your breath,
Continue to concentrate on the sensations in your body.
If you find your mind wandering,
Simply notice that it has wandered.
Let the thoughts go and gently bring your mind back to the breath.
From this state of relaxation,
Allow yourself to ponder the question,
Who or what do I appreciate in my life right now?
Breathe in and out.
And ask yourself again,
Who or what do I appreciate in my life right now?
Notice the first thing that comes to mind and bring your attention to it.
Continue to breathe,
Allowing yourself to focus on that first thing that came into your mind.
There are many things in life that we can be grateful for,
But for this meditation,
Try to focus on one aspect of your life that you appreciate most in this moment.
Continue to breathe and focus on that one thing that came to your mind first.
The person or thing you are grateful for in this moment.
Visualize it clearly or visualize that person clearly and notice the feelings that arise in your body.
Breathing in and out and focus on this feeling of gratitude.
Try not to focus on any thoughts.
If other thoughts arise,
Just let them pass and come back to focusing on how you feel as you visualize someone or something you are grateful for.
Take a deep inhale,
Full exhale,
Continuing to picture this one person or one thing that you appreciate in your life right now and notice how you're feeling.
Scan your body with awareness.
Notice different areas and how they feel.
Notice how you feel in your heart,
How you feel in your mind,
How you feel in your stomach or your core.
Notice the sensations in your body as you focus on gratitude.
Observe these sensations and appreciate them.
Enjoy them.
Breathe in and out,
Feeling gratitude for that person or a thing in your life that you are grateful for right now.
Watching with kindness and acceptance as you experience gratitude.
I invite you now to deepen your breath and bring your awareness to your whole body.
Feel the environment around you,
The sound of my voice,
Your presence,
My presence,
Our presence.
And take as much time as you want and when you are ready you can slowly open your eyes,
Carrying your gratitude with you throughout your day.
Be well.
