Hello and welcome to the Travel with Meditation podcast.
My name is Pam and I am honored to accompany you on this journey today.
Please only listen to this podcast if you are in a situation where it is safe for you to potentially fall asleep.
Feeling fully in the present moment is a precious gift that we can give ourselves.
I invite you to accept this gift along our journey today.
Practicing gratitude can be utilized to encourage a positive mood,
Hope and resilience.
When we experience positive emotions such as gratitude and compassion,
We increase our self-esteem,
Empathy and our overall contentment in life.
Gratitude is a path to a healthier,
Happier life.
To begin,
Find a safe,
Comfortable and quiet place.
Sit upright in a comfortable,
Stable position where you feel fully supported or lie down on your back in a comfortable place.
Take a slow,
Deep breath to center yourself in the present moment and begin the process of feeling more peaceful and relaxed.
Breathe into your belly so that it expands as you breathe in and gets smaller as you breathe out.
When you are ready,
You can close your eyes.
Take a moment to mentally scan your body for any areas where there is tension or soreness and breathe your comforting breath into that area.
As you breathe out,
Let the tension release.
Feel it dissolve and leave your body.
Now notice any negative emotions,
Worries,
Anger,
Fear or judgment.
Breathe into those emotions and allow them to leave you as you breathe out.
Now notice any preoccupations,
Anything other than just being here in the present.
Breathe into those thoughts and as you breathe out,
Allow the thoughts to flow out with the breath.
Now that we are a bit more clear in our body and emotions,
We can focus on the events,
Experiences,
People,
Pets or possessions for which we feel grateful.
Before we focus on what makes us grateful,
We will take a visit to a place full of laughs and a place that is always home to wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations.
Before we focus on what makes us grateful,
We will take a visit to a place full of laughs and a place that is always home to wonderful Thanksgiving celebrations.
You look around in your mind's eye and notice that you are sitting on an orange couch.
In front of you is a big mug full of your favorite warm beverage.
You turn around and see a window next to a brick accent wall.
You recognize this place,
Its central perk.
This place has been the center stage for many laughs and sentimental moments.
And best of all,
The best location for a rendition of Smelly Cat.
As much as you love this place,
You would like to continue on your journey.
As you leave central perk,
You stroll along the busy streets of New York City.
There is a chill in the air,
But you feel warm in your outfit.
You pass a park.
In it is a familiar and grand circular fountain.
In the middle the water is flowing out.
The only thing missing is the friends dancing in it.
You continue along the sidewalks of New York.
You find your way to the six-story building with the blue and red awning on the first floor.
You are at the Friends Apartment Building.
You make your way inside.
Whatever is more comfortable for you,
You take an elevator or stairs to the third floor.
You make your way down the yellow hallway and past all the green doors.
You find door number 20 and head in.
You close the purple door with the yellow frame behind you.
The apartment is empty,
But as you walk through Monica's turquoise kitchen you can smell a turkey in the oven.
Everyone must be over at Joey and Chandler's playing foosball.
You walk through the purple living room.
So many good times have happened here.
Holidays,
Trivia contests,
Chandler in a Box,
The girls in wedding dresses,
The room filled with candles and so many more special moments.
You sit on the couch and while you wait for the meal to start,
You begin to reflect on what makes you feel grateful.
We will now practice a gratitude mantra.
The mantra is,
I am grateful for and you fill in the blank with something that you are grateful for.
We will repeat this mantra eight times.
Each time you repeat the mantra,
Try to come up with something different that you are thankful for.
If you're having trouble coming up with things,
Try to focus on your immediate environment and start small.
You could be grateful for the comfortable couch that you are sitting on or the warm sweater that you are wearing.
Now we will begin.
I am grateful for.
I am grateful for.
I am grateful for.
I am grateful for.
I am grateful for.
I am grateful for.
When we put effort into looking,
We can always find something to be thankful for.
Gratitude fills our hearts and minds with positivity and it uplifts our spirits.
With regular practice,
It becomes easier to feel grateful.
This gratitude will give you strength.
You can stay in this place of thanksgiving as long as you wish.
If you would like to fall asleep,
Gently doze off now.
When you are ready to return to a state of awakeness,
Slowly become more aware of your surroundings.
Notice the sounds around you and feel yourself sitting or laying on the surface that you are on.
When you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Feeling grateful,
Content,
At peace,
Refreshed,
Relaxed and ready for the rest of the day.
When you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
