Please take a seat on the floor or in a chair and get comfortable,
Allowing your body to breathe naturally and easily.
Whenever we take this time to be still,
We create a quiet time for reflection and awareness so we can bring more attention to everything that we do throughout the day.
And make sure that you'll be warm enough.
You might want to get a sweater or blanket if the room is cool.
Loosen any restrictive clothing that would prevent you from breathing comfortably.
Make yourself all situated.
And then when you do,
Allow your eyes to gently close and take a few deep breaths as you begin to turn your attention inward.
Inhale calm,
Peaceful energy.
And use each exhale as an opportunity for relaxing even further.
As you take a slow,
Deep breath,
Bring yourself to the present moment and begin the process of feeling more peaceful and centered,
Connecting with yourself in this moment.
And breathing into the belly so it expands as you breathe in and gets smaller as you breathe out.
Doing this in a relaxed way.
Feeling how the breath breathes you.
Today we'll be practicing gratitude.
So first,
Recall that if you are listening to this meditation,
You already have several marvelous gifts.
You have the gift of life itself,
The most precious gift of all.
Someone gave birth to you,
Has fed you,
Clothed you,
Bathed you,
Taught you to speak and to understand.
You can take a moment and be grateful that you're here right now,
That you're alive.
You also have the gift of hearing if you're listening to this right now.
Whether it's listening to music or the sounds of nature,
The sound of your own breath flowing in and out,
The sound of my voice.
Take a moment and just be grateful that you have this ability to hear.
You also have the gift of a beautiful,
Healthy heart,
The gift of a heartbeat.
Your heart is pumping blood throughout your body right now in this very moment.
It's steady,
Regular,
Working every day to give you life force energy.
So take a moment and just be grateful for the gift of your heart.
Now think about all the things we have today that make our lives easier and more comfortable than they have been in the past for our ancestors.
We can turn a tap and have clean,
Drinkable water that flows right out.
We can flip a switch and light appears.
We have a roof over our heads to protect us and keep us dry when it rains.
Keep the cold wind or the snow out,
Windows that let in the light.
We can enter a vehicle and it takes us where we want to go.
Now take a moment to reflect on all the thousands of people who have worked hard,
Some without knowing you at all,
To make your life easier or more pleasant.
There are people who plant,
Grow,
And harvest your food.
Some who transport that food to market.
There's a team of people who make the roads and railways easier to transport the food and to transport people.
There's those who take the time to design the store and the shelves,
The packaging that keeps the food safe and allows you to find what you need.
There's the people who work at the grocery store or perhaps who deliver groceries to your home.
The postal service,
There's someone who sorts the mail and others who deliver it.
There are those who maintain the server so you can get and send email and access the internet.
There are those who take care of gathering,
Sorting,
And disposing of trash and recycling.
There are all those who play sports,
Create art or music or plays or poems or films to entertain and uplift you.
Most of these people you've never met or barely know.
Take a moment and be grateful for all of them,
Perhaps imagining a few of them specifically.
Now consider the people and pets you know so dearly who enrich your life.
Those who smile at you and cheer you on,
Those family members,
Friends,
Acquaintances,
Colleagues,
Or ancestors who worked so you could live well.
Those friends who support you and you need a shoulder to cry on or a hug or some words of encouragement.
Take a moment and imagine some of those people or animals right now.
Think of how grateful you are that they're in your life.
Now take a moment to reflect on your own reasons for feeling grateful in this moment.
And as you do,
See if you can be as specific as possible.
So rather than saying to yourself,
I'm grateful for my family,
You might say something like,
I'm grateful for how my daughter walked around the car to give me a kiss goodbye this morning.
Or I'm grateful for how my son's little hand covered in marker clutched at my shoulder this morning when he climbed onto my back.
Being specific creates a deeper sensation of gratitude than just general listing does.
So reflect on at least one thing in your life that you're grateful for right now and be as specific as possible.
There is so much to feel grateful for in this moment right now.
Gratitude fills your heart and your mind and uplifts your spirit.
And as you finish this meditation,
You can notice the feeling of your body and breath in this place.
You may begin to gently stretch your hands and arms,
Feet and legs.
And with practice,
You may find yourself feeling grateful easily wherever you are.
You may choose to keep a journal,
Noting three to five things each day for which you feel particularly grateful.
You can draw on the strength of this meditation,
Practicing gratitude whenever you wish.
Thank you for practicing this guided,
Heart-centered meditation to promote a sense of gratitude.
I'm so grateful that you're here with me right now.
