This meditation is a practice in gratitude.
It is all too easy for all of us to get lost in the things that don't go well in our lives,
The things that go wrong,
The things that annoy us or make us sad.
Gratitude is a nice antidote to that and it's one of the most important capabilities to do something for our own happiness in life.
And it's very easy to do.
With a little bit of suggestion and some guidance,
It is simple for us to activate this positive force within us.
And that is exactly what I'm going to do in this practice.
So let's begin.
Please make yourself comfortable either sitting up right or lying down.
You can close your eyes to focus your senses all on yourself.
And if this is more comfortable for you,
Then you can keep your eyes open a little bit and keep a soft gaze in front of you.
And let your body settle down.
Let it come to rest.
Maybe you want to focus on your breath for a couple of breaths.
Because that's good in calming down.
Nothing to do,
Just focusing on your breath.
And feel the calm that is coming to you.
And then I invite you to let one thing emerge in your mind that happened today that you're grateful for.
No matter how long your day has been so far,
If it's early in the morning or in the evening,
Just one thing that you're happy it happened.
And take your time to think of the situation.
And now to yourself,
Say thank you.
Thank you that this happened.
And connect to this sensation of gratitude.
Connect your breath with this emotion.
Let it flow.
And if you have something specific to do,
Just observe.
And then let your attention wander over the last days of your week.
Let something emerge that you're grateful for.
Let the situation become present for you.
What exactly it is that you're grateful for.
It could be something that happened to you.
It could be meeting a certain person.
It could be a conversation.
Whatever it is,
To yourself,
Say thank you.
And let this feeling of gratitude rise up in you.
And also pay some attention to where you feel it in your body and how.
Maybe you feel some sensations of warmth,
Some tingling.
Something like an expanse.
Or maybe nothing at all.
Just keep your attention and your awareness open to the gratitude that is growing up in your mind and in your body.
Now please think back of a time when you were not so happy,
When you were not so satisfied with what happened.
Don't get caught up in the memory.
Just a light touch of remembering is fine.
You can either be at work or in your personal life.
And open up your awareness for the learning that emerged out of this situation.
Something that developed out of it.
Or realization that was helpful for you.
No matter how big or small.
And out of this realization let a feeling of gratitude emerge.
Say thank you to yourself for what you learned or what you realized or what good came out of that.
Really connect to this sensation of gratitude.
Feel it in your heart and in your body.
And now I invite you to think of a person that you're grateful for.
Maybe it's because of something that this person did for you.
Or maybe it is because this person inspires you,
As a role model for you.
Or maybe it's just that this person is there.
Let a feeling of gratitude come up when you think of this person.
To yourself say thank you for being here.
Thank you for being who you are.
Maybe all by yourself you begin imagining that you speak to this person and say thank you.
And connect to this emotion in yourself that is gratitude.
And follow the sensation in your body where it is,
Where it sits.
Maybe chose a little bit differently than it did previously.
Maybe it is exactly the same.
Whatever it is,
It is your feeling of gratitude.
And open up to how nice this feels for you.
Now open up your awareness for the fact that you are here for yourself in this very moment right now.
And that you gave yourself the possibility to experience exactly this what you're experiencing right now.
And thank yourself that you took the time and the calm.
And also extend some thanks to the part of yourself that had the impulse to do this meditation today.
Knowing it would be good for you.
And sense this feeling of gratefulness for yourself.
And I invite you to let your awareness rest on this feeling of gratitude that is flowing through you right now.
And what comes with it.
Maybe you're feeling a sense of ease.
Maybe you're experiencing joy.
Just breathe with it and let it flow.
These positive emotions,
They are always there within you.
But often they're covered up or hidden.
With your awareness you can activate them and keep present what is good for you.
So enjoy this special emotion in this moment and how pleasant it is for you.
And then slowly bring your attention back to the here and now,
To the room in which you are right now.
And to your world with all its possibilities.
And when you're ready at your own pace,
Please take a last breath in this meditation.
Exhale deeply.
And open your eyes.
Thank you very much for meditating with me today and having this great experience.
