Creating Pockets Of Gratitude

Hello,

And welcome to today's meditation.

Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways we can improve our well-being,

Increase our sense of inner peace,

And be more content in our lives.

A common suggestion for cultivating feelings of gratitude is to write out a gratitude list in the morning or in the evening to help remind us of all that we have to be thankful for.

This is a powerful practice,

And I've been writing a gratitude list as part of my morning meditation routine for some time.

But I have found that while this can help me feel grateful briefly in the morning,

Sometimes as the day goes on,

I find myself falling back into scarcity or an otherwise negative mindset.

So I started taking time to create little gratitude pockets throughout my day,

And I've found it to be very powerful as it combines both gratitude and mindfulness.

For example,

If I'm waiting at a red light,

I can be grateful that I have a running car.

For the air conditioning,

For the flowers I see blooming in my neighbor's yard,

I can be grateful that I have a job to go to,

And grateful that I'm safe in my travels.

Let's create a little pocket of gratitude right now.

Take a comfortable seated position.

Let's take three deep breaths together,

In and out.

Now,

I want you to take some time and think of five things that you are grateful for right in this present moment.

It can be the chair or cushion you're sitting on,

Maybe the tea you're drinking,

Or the fact that you have time to take a meditation break.

I'm going to give you a couple minutes for this practice.

Great job.

Now as we finish this meditation,

I want you to commit to incorporating this practice at spontaneous moments over the next several days.

Quick break at work,

Taking the trash to the curb,

Waiting for water to boil.

The opportunities to practice a quick moment of gratitude are endless.

Thank you for joining me today.

Have a beautiful day.