We'll be exploring the practice of gratitude in this meditation,
And we'll do so because of the simple fact that we don't always appreciate,
Take the time to stop and appreciate all the good things that exist within our lives.
That's the nature of the mind to,
Without any effort on our part,
To witness energy going to solving problems,
Stressors that we're facing.
And so what we can do in meditation is to reallocate or rebalance our attention and focus to more accurately capture the fullness that's in our lives,
Both the negative areas and also these deep sources of appreciation,
Of reward,
Of benefit.
And we'll do this today through the lens of looking at an important relationship in our lives.
And so starting this meditation by choosing what feels like the right posture for you,
And that might be sitting with a comfortable and alert posture.
Could be lying down if you can stay awake for that.
Any posture will do.
And as you ease into your chosen posture,
You might explore just taking a few deep breaths.
If it's accessible today,
Maybe the breath comes in through the nose.
And then an exhale,
Maybe through the nose,
Slightly elongating that exhale.
Maybe taking one or two more breaths just like this,
Connecting with the sense of softness,
Gentleness,
And the in-breath,
And then slightly elongating the out-breath.
And then letting the breath breathe itself and finding a sense of stillness,
A sense of grounded presence in your posture.
And so maybe that's just feeling the weight of the body in areas where it's making contact with the ground,
With the earth,
The feet,
Feeling the connection and weight of the feet and the floor.
Maybe feeling the sitting bones and buttocks and the sensations of gravity and connection with the surface beneath of you.
Simply feeling into this sense of groundedness,
Stability,
Connection.
And then taking a moment to think about an important friend,
A partner,
Or a loved one in your life right now.
Someone whose path crossed yours,
Someone you're not related with,
But someone you're very closely connected with,
And now there's this deep well of love,
Shared history,
And starting to bring this person to mind as richly,
As vividly,
As you're able.
Maybe that's imagining them here,
Sitting in front of you with a smile on their face.
Or maybe it's just feeling their presence,
Feeling their energy,
Their sense of goodness,
Their open-heartedness,
And just connecting your heart with the goodness that you feel that you know exists in their heart and letting that energy start to connect you in a very visceral way,
That warmth.
You might imagine if you're seeing them here,
Seeing them with a smile on their face,
A sense of ease and presence,
And then bringing to mind where and how you first met this loved one.
So if it's a romantic partner,
You might remember the first conversation you had,
The setting,
The circumstances surrounding you,
Or if you first met at school or in your neighborhood,
Maybe thinking of that place where you first formed a bond,
Your very first memories of this person.
Now coming back and considering a few specific ways in which you might have never met this beloved being,
Thinking about the specific causes and conditions,
All of the stars that aligned in a very specific way to allow this meeting to happen.
And so maybe those were decisions you made and maybe decisions that they made.
First bringing to mind the few circumstances,
Small,
Maybe not so small,
That could have gone differently and prevented this loved one from being in your life.
And now imagining just for a moment what your life might be like if things had worked out differently and you'd never met this person.
And so remembering these joys,
These sweet moments,
These connections you've enjoyed with them,
What might it be like if these were denied to you?
Just noticing what this feels like in the heart,
In the body.
And shifting your focus now,
Fortunately you did actually meet this person and taking a moment to sense the rewards that this relationship has brought you in your life.
So now that you've considered how it might have turned out differently,
Knowing that these rewards were not inevitable in your life,
What benefits,
What joys do you get out of this relationship?
Why does this matter to you?
And as you think about these qualities,
You might allow yourself the gratitude,
Maybe even the relief that things happened exactly as they did.
And then just as we started,
You can slowly invite this loved one to become as vivid as they want to be,
In your heart,
In your mind's eye.
So once again,
Really feeling into their presence,
Seeing their smile,
Maybe noticing the color of their eyes as they look at you,
Fondness.
Sensing their goodness,
Sensing the warmth within them,
And maybe thinking of these qualities,
These characteristics,
These aspects of this being that you've really come to admire,
Just sensing those.
It's what you love about them.
And whatever way feels natural,
Inwardly thanking them,
Thanking them for the gift of being in your life.
And maybe,
Maybe even imagining looking into their eyes and saying very softly,
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And in your own time,
Perhaps allowing the image or the felt sense of this loved one to fade a bit,
And then coming back to this awareness of the body,
Feet at rest,
Hands at rest,
The sitting bones,
Maybe the sensations of the breath in the torso,
The abdomen.
Just allowing this awareness,
This attention to flow back into whatever physical sensations are most accessible.
And if there are any emotions present right now,
Any energetic qualities,
Perhaps of peace,
Groundedness,
Warmth,
Maybe a sense of connection,
Just noticing what's present.
And even if there's a neutral or even an unpleasant quality,
Just simply allowing that to be included in your awareness right now.
Being a sense of tenderness,
Sense of connection,
Allowing what's here to be here.
And resting in this awareness,
You could either slowly invite the eyes to open,
Open wider,
Coming back into awareness of your physical surroundings.
Or if you'd like to stay in this state of quiet connection,
Feeling free to stay there,
Sit here as long as you like.
