It is so easy to become swept up in the demands of daily life.
We can lose focus on the present and miss out on life's gifts that are right there in front of us.
Taking time out of our day to focus on gratitude can transform your life in amazing and wonderful ways.
Gratitude is an expansion and fullness of heart that allows you to connect to an energy that is larger than ourselves.
When your mind and heart are focused on gratitude,
Something interesting happens.
Fear dissolves away.
The ego dissolves away.
Stress and anxiety dissolve away because these emotions and feelings cannot live in a state of gratitude.
In the state of gratitude,
Anger,
Judgment,
And hostility will give way to forgiveness.
This is the gateway to feelings of love and creativity,
Which is an expression of your soul.
So gently close your eyes and place both of your hands upon your heart.
And take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Again breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Now allowing your breath just to find its natural rhythm.
And ask for the feeling of gratitude to show up in your body now.
Be patient and observe the feelings in your body.
Perhaps you feel a bit of warmth or a pressure or movement somewhere on your body.
There is no right or wrong.
Whatever the feeling may be,
Don't discount it.
Slowly move your awareness to it.
And now that you have a sense or feeling of gratitude in its presence,
I would like you to ask yourself the question,
What am I grateful for?
Take a moment now to allow any sensations,
Thoughts,
Images,
And feelings to come to you as if they were unfolding in front of you.
And now,
I would like you to ask yourself the question,
What am I grateful for?
Take a moment now to allow any sensations,
Thoughts,
Images,
And feelings to come to you as if they were unfolding in front of you.
And now,
Physically with both arms,
Reach out and embrace what is unfolded in front of you.
Bring your arms back and place these things in your heart.
Feel the love and gratitude welling up inside of you now as you place them into your heart,
One by one or all at once.
Whatever feels right to you.
And you can ask for these feelings of love,
Gratitude,
And joy to amplify and expand.
Five,
Ten,
Twenty times more powerful.
Allow this expansion of your heart to spread outward to the world around you.
And now,
I would like you to ask yourself the question,
What am I grateful for?
And these feelings of love and gratitude will always be available to you.
Sometimes they may seem subtle,
But know that you can always come back to them.
And as you go about your day,
I encourage you to continue to cultivate these feelings even finding the positive and something that seems negative at first.
And we will end this meditation today by taking a deep breath in,
Breathing in love,
And breathing out gratitude and appreciation,
And allowing your eyes to slowly open.
