Hello,
I'm Xyliss Day and today we will be engaging in a gratitude and meta meditation practice.
Let's start by finding a comfortable position to relax into and practice in,
Whether that's sitting,
Laying,
Standing,
Or sitting in a chair.
Once we find a nice and comfortable position,
Let's allow ourselves to sit back quietly,
At ease,
And relaxed a little.
Allowing our body and mind to be relaxed and open.
Allowing our breath to be as natural as we can,
Not constricting it or constraining it.
Allowing our heart to be open to the chance to feel gratitude,
To receive gratitude,
And to heal.
Begin this practice of gratitude and meta by feeling and knowing how year after year you have cared for your own life.
How each day you have laid down to sleep,
How you have awoken,
How you have eaten,
How you have drank water,
And done everything necessary to take care of your body.
Acknowledge the compassion in this,
And the gratitude towards yourself.
Now,
Let yourself begin to acknowledge all the things in the world that have supported you in this care.
When I say a phrase,
Repeat it back to yourself,
Either internally or out loud.
With gratitude and compassion,
I thank and remember the people.
With gratitude and compassion,
I thank and remember the animals,
The plants,
The insects.
With gratitude and compassion,
I remember and thank the creatures of the sky,
Of the sea,
Of the air,
And of the water.
With gratitude and compassion,
I remember all those whose joyful exertion touches my life every day.
With gratitude and compassion,
I remember the care and the labor of countless generations before me.
I offer my gratitude and my compassion for the safety and well-being I have.
I offer my gratitude and compassion for the chances,
Kindness,
And blessing on this earth I have found.
I offer my gratitude and compassion for this measure of health and this chance at life I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the friends,
For the family,
For the kind individuals that I have encountered.
I offer my gratitude and compassion for the teachings,
The practices,
And the lessons that I have come across.
I offer my gratitude and compassion to be able to practice here and now.
Just as we are grateful and feel compassion and thankfulness for all of these things,
So can we generate the same kind of gratefulness,
The same meta,
This joy,
This compassion,
This well-wishing for others.
While we continue to sit and breathe gently,
Bring to mind someone you care about,
Someone close to you,
Someone it is easy for you to celebrate their victories and easy to rejoice for.
Picture them and feel the natural joy you have for their well-being,
For their happiness,
For their success,
And for the small wisdoms they've offered you.
With each breath,
With each moment,
Offer them your grateful,
Compassionate,
Shared,
And joyful heartfelt wishes.
Again,
Repeat either internally or externally.
May you be joyful.
May your happiness increase.
May you not be separated from great happiness.
May your good fortune and the causes for your joy and happiness increase.
May you be joyful.
May your happiness increase.
May you not be separated from great happiness.
May your good fortune and the causes for your joy and happiness increase.
May you be joyful.
May your happiness increase.
May you not be separated from great happiness.
And may your good fortune and the causes for your joy and happiness increase.
Touch and sense the shared joy and caring in each phrase toward the person you have in mind.
When you feel some degree of natural gratitude for the happiness of this loved one,
You can extend this practice to another person you care about.
Reciting the same simple phrases over and over again,
Shedding the heart of any tenseness,
Any malice.
Gradually opening the meditation to include neutral people,
Difficult people,
And even enemies who have brought many terrible things in your life.
Until you have extended this practice and this genuine feeling of gratitude,
Joy,
And compassion to all beings.
Practice dwelling in joy until the deliberate effort of practice drops away and the intentions blend into the natural joy of your own wisdom,
Heart,
And daily existence.
Thank you for taking a short moment today to feel gratitude,
To feel compassion,
Joy,
And equanimity with me.
Have a wonderful day.
