Cultivating Gratitude

Cultivating a regular gratitude practice allows us to celebrate the present, release toxic emotions that tether us to the past, become more stress-resilient, and strengthen both our social bonds and our sense of self-worth. This meditation is designed to help you recognize the abundance in your life and make the decision to be grateful for it.

Transcript

Hello friends,

I'm Kaya from the Metta Movement and I am so filled with gratitude to be with you here today to share this meditation on gratitude.

So let's get comfortable,

Find a place where you won't be disturbed,

Where you can find the space to recognize what it is that you're grateful to have in your life.

Because gratitude is the key to happiness,

It's what gives purpose to our lives.

Gratitude is the liberation that comes from recognizing the abundance in our lives and not comparing ourselves to others.

Patanjali,

The ancient yogic sage,

Called it a parigraha,

And to practice a parigraha is to release greed,

To no longer covet what others have.

When you do that,

You make space for gratitude.

Gratitude isn't just an attitude,

It's a scientifically proven way to improve your mental health.

It helps us release toxic emotions and find compassion and forgiveness,

Not just for others,

But for ourselves.

And gratitude comes from within.

It's about being present to the moment and experiencing the abundance of life.

But most of all,

Gratitude is a conscious choice.

So let's choose to feel some gratitude right now.

If you haven't found a space where you won't be disturbed,

Do that now.

You can sit,

It doesn't matter where,

On a chair,

The sofa,

Maybe you're sitting up in bed or on a cushion on the floor.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in,

Let it cleanse you,

And release it.

Let's do that again.

Take another deep,

Cleansing breath,

And let your eyes slowly close as you release it.

If you're not comfortable closing your eyes,

That's okay.

Just turn your gaze downwards.

Let's begin by witnessing your breath as it moves through your body,

As you breathe in through your nose,

As it moves down your throat into your lungs.

Don't try to force it,

Just witness it,

Witness your breath and keep witnessing it.

How it makes your chest rise,

Your belly rise,

How it feels as it moves back up your throat and out your nose,

Just witness your breath.

And if you find a thought popping into your head,

That's okay.

Just gently move back to witnessing your breath.

Your body should be nice and relaxed now.

So let's bring your attention to the sounds around you.

Just witness them and notice how your ears allow you to hear them.

Give thanks to your ears.

Thank them for letting you hear the birds singing outside,

For letting you hear a child's laughter.

Thank your ears for letting you hear your favorite song or the voices of the people you love.

Send gratitude to your ears.

Let's move to your nose,

To your sense of smell.

Notice the sense around you now,

Just witness.

And offer gratitude to your nose and to your olfactory system for bringing you those smells,

For letting you experience the aroma of fresh baked cookies and lemons,

Your lover's cologne,

The salty ocean breeze.

And let's give thanks to your mouth,

To your tongue and your taste buds for letting you taste all the food that nourishes you and your favorite coffee or tea,

Chocolate,

All the flavors of the world.

Give thanks to your lips for allowing you to kiss your partner,

Your children,

Your pets.

Now offer gratitude to your eyes,

Keeping your eyes closed or your gaze down.

Send waves of gratitude to these magical orbs that let you witness the world around you,

That make it possible to gaze into the eyes of your soulmate,

To see your friends,

To look upon magnificent works of art and nature,

Your favorite movies and television shows,

Gardens,

The stars in the night sky.

Now take a deep breath and witness your heart.

Notice how it beats and gives life to you.

Thank it for not just keeping you tethered to your body,

But for also being the repository of your love.

Feel that love expand within you.

Feel your heart swell with gratitude for your heart.

Now think of someone in your life who you love so very much,

Someone who makes it so easy for you to love them.

See this person smiling at you and through your heart space,

Send them waves of gratitude just for being in your life.

Send it like you know they'll feel it wherever they are.

Just shower them with love and gratitude.

Now move on to another person in your life,

Someone who's made your life easier.

It doesn't have to be someone you love or even someone you know very well.

This person has simply made your life a little bit easier,

So send them some gratitude for doing just that.

Think of a teacher in your life.

Maybe it was an actual teacher from your school days or a professor.

Maybe it's someone who taught you to play the piano or how to use a camera or even someone who taught you something without intending to do so.

Send gratitude to that person for being a teacher to you on your journey through this life.

Now bring your attention to someone who maybe you have a difficult relationship with,

Someone who's made you angry or sad in the past.

Picture that person in your mind and send them all of your gratitude for the lessons that they have taught you,

For helping you grow or even for just one thing they've said or done that did make you feel good.

Take a deep breath and turn your attention to the home where you live,

Your house,

Your apartment,

A room.

Give thanks to this space and feel gratitude for its protection,

For the roof over your head,

The bed where you sleep,

The kitchen where you keep and prepare the food that nourishes you,

The plumbing that provides water and that removes waste,

The windows that open to let air in and close to keep the cold outside.

Give thanks to all of the possessions that hold special meaning to you,

The photographs of friends and loved ones,

The jewelry gifted to you or passed down to you through the generations.

Offer gratitude for the family mementos or the keepsakes that marked milestones in your own life and give appreciation for the memories they hold.

Remove your attention to your clothing,

To the shoes and handbags and wallets and to all the things you've had the means to purchase for need or for pleasure,

The tools and gadgets that keep you connected to others like your mobile phone or your computer.

Know the gratitude of having the money that lets you surround yourself with pretty things,

With books and music,

For having money coming into you from whatever source,

A job,

Savings,

Investments,

The government and feel gratitude for the abundance that you do have in your life,

Releasing any sense of shame or guilt about having them or being grateful for them and feel grateful that you can truly appreciate them.

And taking another deep cleansing breath,

Connect to this moment and feel gratitude for it.

Feel your gratitude for everything outside and within yourself that makes the space for you to be sitting here right now.

The circumstances and the livelihood and the technology that give you the opportunity to sit in stillness and gratitude to your health and physical capabilities,

To the silence and the calm,

To the love,

The tears,

The joy and everything in between in your life.

Feel the gratitude for it all because it's brought you right here,

Right now and this is where you're meant to be.

Just take a long slow deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Radiate gratitude into the world and into the universe.

Take another deep breath in and as you release it,

Send a wave of gratitude to yourself just for being here.

And sit in silence for a few minutes of meditation using the mantra Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

I am gratitude.

Kritajna Hum.

Keep repeating it silently in your mind.

Kritajna Hum.

Remind me drift away to thoughts and that's perfectly normal.

Just gently drift back to the mantra Kritajna Hum.

I'll mind the time while the music fades into the ether.

Just keep repeating Kritajna Hum until I sound the bell.

Are you ready?

Let's begin.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

Kritajna Hum.

I am grateful.

Continue to sit in silence with your eyes closed,

Letting gratitude for this moment settle and vibrate through your body.

You can return to a state of gratitude anytime you want,

Simply by being aware of what you do have,

Instead of lamenting what you don't have.

Remember,

Gratitude is a choice.

Let's take a deep breath in.

And release it.

Let's do that again.

A deep breath in.

And release.

When you're ready,

Open your eyes,

Look around,

And send some gratitude to all the people who've been meditating with you.

So until the next time,

I'm Kaya Donohue of the Meta Movement,

And I am so grateful that you've spent this time with me.

Namaste.

Reviews

Lovely practice.Thank you 🙏sending love and gratitude 💕🙏

Lovely practice❣️♾️☮️☯️⚛️⚘️☄️
Thank you so kindly❣️⚛️⚘️☄️
Namaste 🙏🏼✨️ 🌸

Thank you!

Beautiful practice, thank you thank you thank you