Welcome to this meditation for the heart.
Gratitude is so powerful.
It helps us see the glass of life half full rather than half empty.
It waters the blossoms of our tender,
Joyful hearts.
Gratitude can reawaken dreams and inspiration,
Allow us to feel connected to ourselves and others.
It helps to mend a broken heart.
It even has the ability to help heal the physical body.
Gratitude is a universal language.
A smile,
A bow,
A hug,
A grand gesture,
A kiss on the cheek.
Many countries all around the world even dedicate a day each year for Thanksgiving.
Gratitude is a balm for the soul,
Guiding us home to love.
I invite you to find a comfortable position that allows you to relax the body and at the same time stay mentally alert.
Once you're settled,
Close the eyes or maybe just look downward if that's more comfortable.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
Exhale slowly.
Inhale deeply into the belly,
Exhale.
With each mindful breath,
Feel your body settling.
Maybe you notice your shoulders relaxing down,
A softening in the small muscles around the eyes and mouth,
Unclenching of the jaw,
The hands.
Each breath is an invitation to be just as you are,
Nothing to fix or change.
This is a time for ease,
For kindness,
For healing.
Imagine that there is a part of you inside that is inherently loving,
Free to give and receive love,
Always relaxed in a state of love.
From this loving awareness,
Direct your attention to the sensations in your feet.
Imagine or feel the warmth of love moving into them.
Feel the soles of your feet,
Your heels,
Sense all of your toes.
This warmth of your loving awareness moves up your body as you sense both ankles,
Lower legs,
Your knees and the space behind the knees.
Sense the upper legs.
Loving awareness fills your whole pelvis.
Feel your hips,
Sense buttocks,
Low back,
Mid back,
Upper back and shoulder blades.
Allow this awareness,
Inherently filled with kindness,
To sense the belly.
Fill your belly with this warmth,
Sense your solar plexus,
Chest.
Bring your awareness to both shoulders,
Upper arms.
Feel both elbows and the space inside of the elbows.
This warmth of loving awareness moves down into your forearms,
Both wrists.
Sense the palms of the hands,
Backs of the hands.
Feel all fingers and thumbs.
Sense your throat and neck,
Jaw.
Your loving awareness naturally softens any place inside that is ready to let go and relax.
Feel your lips,
Teeth,
Gums,
Tongue.
Become aware of your nose.
Feel the breath moving in and out of the nostrils or maybe through the mouth if that is easier for you today.
Sense your eyes,
Forehead,
The whole scalp.
Notice both ears.
The whole body is filled with this warmth of your loving awareness.
Allow your attention to slowly move to your heart center,
This home of your energetic or emotional heart,
Which is also part of your physical heart.
Feel the beauty of your heart.
Your physical heart gives so freely,
Day and night it beats,
For you.
Sense your energetic heart and its infinite capacity to keep loving.
Most of our brains are like antique hardware,
Wired to always be on the lookout for threats in an effort to keep us safe.
This is in part why it is so common for us to focus on all of the challenges,
Imperfections,
And things that we feel are missing from our lives.
But when we tune into the power of gratitude,
It's like someone turning on a light in the darkness.
All of a sudden we start to see the beauty that has always been in and around us.
It's easier to see all that is actually working in our favor,
All that is going well.
In every moment,
Whether it feels challenging or full of ease,
Each of us are blessed beyond measure.
I invite you to think about what is going well in your life right now,
And go ahead and start small.
Maybe you finished laundry that needed to be done.
You made it to work on time.
Maybe you had a nice exchange with a friend.
Let your mind expand as you think of other things in your life that are working.
Maybe you got a new job.
You were able to pay your bills.
Maybe you made some progress with a project,
Or took a weekend trip.
Notice how your body feels as you think of all the small and bigger things that are actually working well in your life.
Some days it feels very difficult to access feelings of gratitude,
And that's perfectly okay.
Simply focusing on thoughts of gratitude can help to enliven its benefits.
Let's expand this gratitude even more.
Bring to mind a beautiful moment from your life that you feel genuinely grateful for.
Maybe it was a time you were with one of your favorite people.
Your wedding day.
A beautiful experience in nature.
Some of our memories hold mixed emotions,
For example great joy and great sadness,
So choose a time that only fills you with uplifting feelings.
Remember this moment in detail.
Where were you?
Who were you with?
What were you doing?
What could you see,
Hear,
How did you feel inside,
In this moment?
Beautiful.
Choose another time from your life that you feel truly grateful for.
Maybe it was an adventure in a foreign country.
A time when you received recognition or an award.
A joyful moment of belly laughter with friends.
Remember this moment in detail.
Bring it to life in your mind,
In your heart,
As if you are there again.
Lovely.
Can you feel the gift of gratitude waking up inside?
Bring your awareness back to your heart center.
Take a slow deep breath in,
As if you can breathe into your heart creating more space inside and exhale feel your body letting go.
Now bring to mind someone who you feel deep gratitude for,
And again choose a relationship that doesn't have mixed emotions for you.
One that warms your heart when you think of this person.
It could be your partner,
A child,
A parent or mentor,
A dear friend.
Bring them into your mind's eye.
See their face,
Their care,
Presence or love for you.
What do you appreciate about this person?
Think of all the reasons you feel grateful for them,
Each one like a spark igniting the light of your heart even brighter.
Now think of someone else who you feel truly grateful for.
What do you love about them?
How do they make you feel?
Why do you feel grateful for them?
Remember one or a couple of times you really enjoyed being with them.
What were you doing?
What could you see,
Hear,
Taste,
Feel?
Feel your heart expanding with each thought of gratitude.
If you can,
I invite you to place your hands on your heart and now offer yourself gratitude.
You have experienced so much.
You have persevered.
Without your strength you would not be here.
Your presence has positively impacted the lives of others even if you don't realize it.
Your love has healed.
Be so grateful to yourself for the ways you show up,
For your mind,
Your heart,
Your caring,
For all of the ways you shine.
No matter what you go through in this life,
Your essence is light.
And the purity of your heart is a beacon guiding you home,
Helping you to remember the beauty of this precious,
Bleeding life,
The gift of having moments with people you love,
The tenderness of love,
Birth and death.
This life is the most profound gift.
And gratitude,
Your magnificent heart,
Is the key to experiencing it fully.
Become aware of your body,
Feel the breath flowing in and out,
Sense the relaxed weight of the body and the places inside that feel at ease.
Slowly begin to move fingers and toes,
Take a slow deep breath in and out.
And whenever you're ready,
Slowly open the eyes if they're closed.
We'll complete today with a quote by Meister Eckhart.
It says,
If the only prayer you said was thank you,
That would be enough.
Thank you for joining me for this journey into the heart of gratitude.
All my love.
