Welcoming gratitude right here,
Right now,
For no reason at all.
With your eyes gently open or softly closed,
Welcome the environment and sounds around you,
The touch of air on your skin,
Sensations where your body touches the surfaces that are supporting it,
Your body breathing easily and comfortably,
Sensing the gentle rise and release of the chest and abdomen with each breath.
Inhaling,
Abdomen gently expanding,
Exhaling,
Gently releasing,
Breathing in and out peace and well-being,
Each breath loosening,
Softening,
And releasing tightness and tension throughout the entire body.
And notice thoughts that you may be carrying with you into this moment,
Noting and setting them aside,
Perhaps in an imaginary folder where you can come back to them later,
If helpful,
Settling into this moment,
Feeling yourself as a warm-hearted witnessing presence,
Allowing your attention to freely wander about as you note the various perceptions coming and going within your body and mind.
Now bring to mind an image or memory of yourself or another to whom you feel or would like to feel and express gratitude.
Think of what you or the other has said or done for which you feel grateful,
Noticing the sensations,
Emotions,
And thoughts that spontaneously come as you think of yourself or this person and what you,
She or he did or said in your imagination.
Tell yourself or this person how grateful or thankful you feel,
Sensing how you or the other feels and responds upon hearing how grateful you are.
And as you reflect on the feeling of gratitude,
Notice where and how this feeling is located in your body and the effect feeling gratitude has on your entire body and mind.
And notice and welcome any accompanying feelings that spontaneously arise,
Such as joy,
Love,
Kindness,
Or well-being,
Noticing where and how you feel these in your body,
Taking all the time that you need.
But when it does feel right,
Let go of thinking and the thoughts you have about what you're grateful for.
Instead,
Settle into taking in the feelings of gratitude without attaching this feeling to a particular person,
Activity,
Or action,
Welcoming gratitude now,
Just as it is,
Right here,
Right now,
For no reason at all.
And when it feels right,
Imagine yourself going about your day,
Welcoming and feeling gratitude without associating gratitude to a specific person or activity,
Feeling gratitude just for the sake of feeling grateful while noticing how this affects your entire body,
Mind,
And your day.
Also,
Take time imagining it's nighttime,
Just as you're falling asleep,
Taking the feeling of gratitude with you into your nighttime sleep.
And imagine it's morning time,
Just as you're waking up,
Feeling gratitude for no reason at all,
And taking it then with you into your day.
Before completing this meditation,
Take a few moments and affirm your intention to welcome the feeling of gratitude throughout your daily life,
Wherever you are,
Whomever you're with,
Whatever your circumstance.
Then,
When you're ready,
Gently open and close your eyes several times while continuing to nourish the feeling of gratitude throughout your entire body and into this present moment,
Grateful for taking this time to nourish the feeling of gratitude.
And when it feels right,
Gently stretch and move your body about while remaining with the felt sense of gratitude.
As you come back to your eyes open,
Wide awake,
And alert state of mind and body,
Allow the feeling of gratitude to remain with you as you go about your daily life and activities,
Knowing that gratitude is always here with you,
Wherever you are,
Whomever you're with,
Whatever you're doing,
Helping you feel deeply connected to yourself and the world around you.
