Hello,
My name is Dar.
Thank you so much for joining me today for this gratitude meditation.
I am honored to be here with you.
Wherever you are,
Adopt a posture of meditation that is appropriate for how you feel in your body today.
The posture of yesterday does not have to be the posture for today.
Simply do the best you can to be alert and reflect a sense of dignity.
You should also be comfortable.
Your meditation should never be painful.
So let's begin by taking a few very deep breaths and just allowing those nice long exhales to aid in letting go of stress and tension.
You might try scanning the body for any tightness or constriction and then breathe into these areas on the inhale and out of them on the exhale.
Relaxing just a little bit more with each slow,
Easy out breath.
And we'll begin easing our way into a gratitude meditation.
So you can just let the breath return to its own natural normal rhythm and pace and just keep breathing.
Keep settling in.
Keep relaxing into this moment.
A gratitude practice is so important because as we become ever more aware and mindful of all the things that we have to be grateful for,
We begin to shift from living from a sense of lack to living from a place of abundance and appreciation.
When we practice gratitude,
We are seeking out the good rather than focusing on the bad.
And so now begin to bring to mind all the things that you have to be grateful for.
And often it can be a little bit difficult to get started,
But once we get going,
We find we have so very much to be grateful for and that list just goes on and on.
So you might start with such things as this precious human life.
You woke up today when so many others did not.
Be grateful.
Be grateful for the breath,
The air that you breathe and the trees and other plants that provide it.
Express gratitude for food,
For water,
Clothing and shelter.
Nothing is too great or too small to be included.
What really matters most is connecting deeply to that place inside you that truly feels appreciation.
So let your heart be light.
Let it be open and let it radiate gratefulness.
In your gratitude list,
Include all those that you love and all those that love you.
Partners,
Parents,
Children,
Extended family and friends.
And don't forget your pets.
Include any moments of kindness.
Maybe a stranger let you go before them in line or let you turn into the flow of traffic on a busy street.
Maybe you received a compliment from someone at school or at work.
Or maybe someone just prepared a meal for you or offered a kind,
Loving word at the end of a long day.
I'll be silent for a few moments now and in that space,
Keep bringing to mind things that you have to be grateful for.
And maybe from time to time,
Notice how you feel in your mind and in your body as you do this.
And now let's deepen the practice.
Take it a step further.
Bring to mind something that you are profoundly grateful for.
When something comes to mind,
I'd like you to begin being grateful not only for that thing,
That experience,
That gesture,
Or that person that you chose,
But also trace back in a chain of gratitude all the things it took to bring that thing into your life.
For example,
If you're being grateful for food to eat,
You would extend your gratitude beyond just the food on your plate to include the soil,
The sunshine,
The rain or irrigation system that it took to water and grow and nourish that fruit or vegetable.
You would include all the worms,
Insects,
Spiders,
And all the other little beings that lost their lives in the tilling of the ground.
You would be grateful for the seed that was planted as well as the plant or tree itself that bore that fruit or vegetable.
Gratitude would extend to the person who tilled the soil,
Who planted the seed,
Who tended to it and harvested it.
Try to include everything it took to get that food to your table.
The farmer,
The grocer who purchased it,
The driver who transported it,
The person who unloaded the truck,
The person who stocked it on the shelf in the store where it was purchased,
And the cashier who rang it up.
If you eat meat,
You might take an extra moment to be grateful for the life that was lost.
Appreciate that your steak,
Ham,
Or chicken dinner was once a living being and as such deserves deeply your gratitude.
So once again,
I'll be silent a few moments to allow you time to reflect on all that it took to bring the gift of the thing you've chosen as the object of this meditation into your life.
Extend your gratitude as far-reaching as you can,
As sincerely as you can.
And now consider how you feel after spending some moments enveloped in gratitude.
Remember we're not judging anything that comes up,
We're just witnessing and allowing.
So I urge you to develop a habit of gratitude so you can move through this life from a place of abundance consciousness rather than poverty consciousness.
And so that you can move through this life seeing the beauty and the kindness that occurs every day that can be so easily overlooked.
You might consider one of the following ways to bring gratitude into your daily experiences.
Before you get out of bed,
List at least three things you're grateful for.
And when you crawl into bed at night before falling asleep,
List three things from your day that you're grateful for.
Or if you're keeping a meditation journal,
You can list three things each day as part of your journaling ritual.
Some people even keep a gratitude journal,
A journal devoted to recording all the things they find to be thankful for,
All the people,
All the gestures,
All the little and big blessings they experience on a daily basis.
You might adopt one of these practices or you might simply pause when you notice you're feeling good and consider offering gratitude to whatever it was that put that smile on your face.
I'll ring the bell in just a moment,
But feel free to sit as long as you wish in a warm glow of gratitude.
And when you feel ready,
Move slowly and gently into the remainder of your day or your evening.
And once again,
Thank you for meditating with me.
It has been an honor and a privilege.
Ok.
