Thank you for taking the time for this brief gratitude break.
In this practice,
We'll connect with the breath and use a simple,
Personalized mantra to bring us into a state of gratitude,
Focusing the mind,
Calming the body and breath,
And allowing us a sense of relaxation and a chance to recharge.
Take a moment wherever you are and find a posture of stillness and rest,
Perhaps grounding your feet where you are standing,
Perhaps finding a seat,
Or maybe taking some other resting posture.
Once you've found stillness,
Bring your awareness to your breath,
Closing your eyes if it's safe and comfortable for you to do so.
You can simply feel the sensation of breath as it flows in and out,
Or perhaps place your hands on your belly,
Or one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest to feel the breath more tangibly.
Take three deep breaths,
Relaxing your shoulders,
Your neck,
And your jaw,
And feeling the sensations as the breath moves throughout your body.
Find a rhythm of deep inhale and exhale.
We can begin the gratitude practice by inhaling and saying to yourself,
For this moment,
Pausing with the breath full in the body,
And then exhaling and saying to yourself,
I am grateful,
Emptying the belly and feeling the sensation of emptiness before your next breath.
For the rest of this practice,
You will simply inhale and say to yourself,
For this,
Replacing the word this with whatever comes to your mind,
A thing,
A person,
An idea,
A place,
A moment,
Something that you feel a sense of gratitude,
Or something for which you wish to feel a sense of gratitude.
As you inhale,
Say that thing to yourself.
Bring it to your mind's eye.
Picture it.
Connect with it.
And then when you are ready,
Exhale and say,
I am grateful.
Inhale for this.
Exhale,
I am grateful.
In just a few moments,
This guided portion of the practice will end,
But I invite you to continue making this list for as long as you feel called,
For as long as you need,
For as long as the mind continues to create items of personal gratitude.
Come back here whenever you need just a moment to get away,
To quiet yourself,
And to remind yourself that you have so much for which to be grateful.
For you,
Dear,
Special being of love,
I am grateful.
Thank you for your practice.
May this moment be everything that you need and desire,
And may you realize that you created it for yourself.
