This is a gratitude meditation to bring us into more inner peace,
Inner appreciation,
And the awareness that no matter whatever arises in our life,
That choosing gratitude,
Choosing a hopeful and optimistic outlook can give us the neurofeedback we need to move through the most challenging times.
In this meditation,
We're going to begin to take three deep breaths together.
In,
And exhale out through your mouth.
In,
And exhale out through your mouth again.
And one more.
In,
And out,
And really empty your lungs as much as you can.
And when we take these three deep breaths,
We're offering ourselves a pause to cultivate more mind states of calmness.
But as we fill our lungs with oxygen,
We're actually providing more oxygen to all of our organs,
Including our hearts and our brains.
And when we do this,
And we take these three deep breaths,
We activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
And in the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system,
We get a nice release of positive neurochemicals like oxytocin and vasopressin,
Which are these neurochemicals that help us with more intuitive calmness.
And they offer us more trust in each and every one of our interactions,
So we have more natural trust and inner peace,
And it reduces the fear centers in our brain,
And we're allowed to take a pause and make more mindful decisions.
So I'm going to ask you now to allow your body to release 10% more of any tension that's arising.
Just maybe squeeze your hands,
And then release.
Squeeze again,
And release.
And finally,
One last tight fist squeeze,
And release.
And as you settle into your body,
And as you're doing this,
Transition your attention where you're able to be here now,
Be in the presence of this very moment with your breath and your body.
And I'd like you to focus your awareness and your attention to begin to visualize your future.
And in this visualization,
You're actually waking up five years from now,
And you are excited to start your day.
Your purpose of life fills your body and your mind,
And you are all that and you're all that you can imagine.
You begin to get ready for your workday.
You shower.
You eat breakfast.
You dress in your favorite clothing.
You're filled with joy and gratitude as you begin your day.
You say thank you.
And now you're imagining yourself going to work.
As you go to work,
Are you riding a bicycle,
A train?
Are you in a car or a bus?
Or are you walking to work?
And as you arrive to work,
You look around and you begin to see what is around you.
What do you see?
Who do you see?
How is the noise level?
Is it bustling or is it quiet?
Focus on your five senses.
Are there any smells?
What is the light like?
The furniture and the different textures of the environment?
Now begin to imagine your ideal day.
What does it look like?
Review your work schedule,
Your activities on your calendar,
And now you see a stack of thank you cards sent from people sent from people.
Take a moment to read the cards.
Imagine what they say.
What are people thanking you for?
Next,
The phone rings and it's somebody calling to thank you for a moment.
You ponder the contribution you make to others' lives and you soak in the gratitude.
All of these people that you uplift in daily life,
That letter you keep posted and you read it as you take it into your heart,
How you shape and we shape one another's lives.
And now transition your attention back to the present moment.
Begin to breathe lightly.
Tap your fingers together.
Softly blink your eyes open.
Now take a moment to think about your visualizations of your future.
What emotions did you feel in addition to gratitude?
Did you feel a sense of purpose?
Where did you feel the sense of purpose in these strong emotions of joy,
Inner peace,
Inner gratitude in your body?
Now begin to write your impressions.
See how in each and every moment you could shape your future to be where you live full of gratitude and others around you live in the presence of gratitude with you as you share your natural gifts and you share your passions and each and every moment of your life.
Each and every day.
May you have a day full of gratitude,
Peace,
And happiness.
Namaste.
