Welcome to this gratitude meditation.
For many of us,
Finding gratitude might be challenging.
But in this practice,
We will do our best to tap into feelings of gratitude.
Gratitude is a habit that can be developed by regularly taking time to notice what is good in our lives.
And by doing this on a regular basis,
We start developing stronger feelings of gratitude.
And it becomes easier to notice what is good in our lives and to be grateful for everyday life.
Now finding a comfortable seat,
Sit with a straight but yet relaxed back and softly place your arms by your side.
Or you can place your hands on your knees or you can have your hands gently cupped on your knees.
And relax your shoulders,
Making sure they're away from your ears.
And gently close your eyes.
And we're going to start this practice by tuning into our bodies and into this moment by taking a three part breath.
And what we will do is when I say so we will inhale for three,
Hold our breath for three,
And exhale for three.
So to begin,
Let's inhale for 123.
Hold the breath for 123 and exhale for 123.
Let's do this one second time.
Inhale for 123.
Hold 123 and release 123.
And we'll do this one last time.
Going for 123,
Hold 123 and exhale 123.
And now returning to the natural breath,
Following your natural breath without the need or the desire to change or force the breath.
Just relax into the flow of your natural breath.
You're out.
Now,
Turning your attention to your body,
Relaxing the forehead,
Relaxing your eyes,
Your jaw and your tongue.
Relax the throat,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your right arm,
Your right hand,
Your right fingers.
Relax your left arm,
Your left hand and your left fingers.
Bringing your attention and relaxing the area of your chest,
Your stomach.
And moving into the area of your back,
Relax your upper back,
Your mid back and your lower back.
Relaxing your buttocks,
Your right thigh,
Your right knee,
Shin,
Calf,
Ankle,
Your right foot and your right toes.
And now bringing your attention to your left thigh and relaxing your left thigh and your left knee,
Your shin,
Calf,
Your left ankle,
Your left foot and your left toes.
And now breathing into the awareness of how it feels to relax your body part by part.
And bringing your attention to your heart space,
Try to generate feelings of gratitude.
Gratitude for this moment,
For your body,
Our body that supports us,
It gives us strength,
It keeps us moving.
Thank you for your immune system that helps you heal and remain healthy.
Showing gratitude for our senses,
Our eyes,
Which allow us to see the beauty of the world,
Our loved ones,
Our ears,
Which allow us to hear the ocean,
The voices of our loved ones,
Music.
And our sense of touch,
Of taste and smell,
Which allow us to enjoy the wonders of this world.
Bringing gratitude to all of that,
To our limbs,
To our heart,
To our organs.
And finding feelings of gratitude for our loved ones and community,
Our family,
Our partners,
Our friends,
Our neighbors,
Our children.
And in this moment,
Bring to mind a person that you are truly grateful for.
Bring this person to your heart center.
And as you breathe in,
Fill yourself with feelings of gratitude and joy.
And as you breathe out,
Send those feelings of gratitude and joy to this special person.
Continue to breathe and develop feelings of gratitude towards anything you enjoy,
Towards your loved ones,
Towards a favorite song,
Towards the beautiful sun that warms your body,
The moon that lights the dark sky,
The ocean,
The roof over your head.
And even find gratitude for those challenging moments in life that have taught us so many wonderful lessons,
That have helped shaped us and made us stronger.
Continue to breathe and fill yourself with the wonderful and healing feelings of gratitude.
Allow yourself to feel gratitude in your mind and body.
And just notice how this feels.
To shield us from negativity,
It makes us happier.
It rewires our brain.
It helps eliminate stress.
It boosts our self esteem and our performance.
It enhances the law of attraction in our lives.
And it helps improve relationships.
Like a quote from Neil Donald Walsh says,
The struggle ends when gratitude begins.
And as the practice comes to an end,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Coming back into your body in the room and slowly open your eyes.
May you carry with you this wonderful feeling of gratitude throughout your day,
Making gratitude a part of your daily practice.
And remember,
The cup is not half empty,
It's half full.
Namaste.
