A warm welcome to Day 5 of this 10 Day Gratitude Challenge.
As always,
It's my pleasure to spend this time with you.
Today's practice is a celebration of our friends.
So settling in,
Closing down your eyes,
And dropping into the tidal nature of your breath.
Settling in,
Rolling out.
Awareness now landing on your exhale.
And over the next few rounds of breath,
Seeing if you can lengthen your exhale and really focus on this sense of letting go.
With each long,
Smooth exhale,
A letting go of mind,
Body,
And heart.
It feels good to shift gears,
To come home to your breath and the present moment.
Taking a few deep and intentional breaths into the centre of your chest,
Or your heart.
With each breath,
Waking your heart a little more.
And now in your own time,
Allowing one friend to come to mind and heart.
Just whoever emerges,
Even if it surprises you.
And really creating an image of this person in your mind's eye.
Perhaps noticing the clothes they're wearing,
Their posture,
The way they walk.
Maybe picturing them doing something they love or just being themselves.
And bringing to mind a time when you have both really enjoyed each other's company.
Where were you?
What exactly were you doing?
How did it feel to spend this time together?
Really opening up to noticing what you enjoy or even love about this person.
And as you rest in this memory,
A natural sense of gratitude flows within you.
Allowing this sense of gratitude to soften your shoulders,
To open your chest,
To relax your belly.
If you like,
Whispering silently in your mind,
Thank you.
Thank you to this friend,
To these memories,
To this moment of reflection.
Allowing this sense of gratitude you have cultivated to weave its way like morning sunlight to all your friends,
Past and present.
Even to those friends who you haven't seen in years and years.
Opening to this poem by Michael Leunig.
We give thanks for our friends,
Our dear friends.
We anger each other.
We fail each other.
We share this sad earth,
This tender life,
This precious time.
Such richness,
Such wildness.
Together we are blown about.
Together we are dragged along.
All this delight,
All this suffering,
All this forgiving life,
We hold it together.
Offering all your friends who have come into your life a smile.
And maybe there's a bubbling up within you,
An urge to call a friend,
To reconnect,
To let them know how much you care.
Taking a long deep breath,
Opening your eyes when you're ready.
May you move through today feeling more grateful for your friends and the way they nurture and enliven.
You can use this meditation anytime you need a quick dose of feel-good from your friends.
See you tomorrow.
