Let's begin today's meditation on gratitude by finding a posture that feels relaxed and alert.
So just feel your body touch the ground or the chair or the bed.
Sensing the points of contact with whatever it is that is underneath you,
Supporting you.
Just feeling the weight of your whole body.
As you breathe,
Just notice the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe.
With each in-breath,
Just drop your shoulders and soften your hands.
Just loosen your jaw and relax the muscles of your face with every breath you take.
As you ease into the meditation,
You can either look downward a few feet in front of you or close your eyes.
Let's sense into our whole bodies.
Let's do this by taking a couple of deep breaths.
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Once again,
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Now as our breathing returns to normal,
I'd like you to consider your experience with gratitude in terms of your health.
Have you been grateful for the health of your body?
Just remembering that as long as we are breathing,
There is more right with our health than what there is wrong.
Ask yourself,
What is your experience with gratitude in terms of physical health?
So our ability to move around,
To digest food and water,
Your ability to breathe without actually trying.
Just tune into the fact that you can taste,
Feel,
That you may be able to see or listen.
Just notice without judgment your experience with gratitude around your physical health.
And just express gratitude for being alive,
For being here,
For breathing.
Now we'll shift our awareness to reflecting on the experience of gratitude around relationships with others.
Where has gratitude been present with relationships in your life?
Where has gratitude been maybe unrecognized or forgotten within your relationships?
Who have you been most grateful for in your life?
Is there anyone that you could feel more grateful towards if you chose to?
How would you express this gratitude?
Now let's consider your experience with gratitude in terms of finance and money.
Where has gratitude been present for you on this topic?
The value that you put on money or income or savings.
Just noticing any gratitude towards any of those.
Now consider your experience with gratitude in terms of security and protection.
Feelings of safety.
Feelings of someone looking out for you.
Perhaps there's a sense of community or connection that you value in terms of protection.
Where has gratitude been present in terms of security and protection?
Has gratitude for protection been unrecognized or forgotten about?
Just ask yourself,
How might you feel more gratitude for a sense of protection?
As we look to close this practice,
Let's take a deep breath,
Breathing in through the nose.
And out through the mouth.
Just taking a sense of gratitude for the time that we have to focus on our well-being.
To focus on this present moment where we're able to express gratitude for the things that mean a lot to us within our lives.
So when you're ready,
Just open your eyes and just take a look around you.
Just notice a few things that you are incredibly grateful for.
And just focus on them for a moment.
And as you continue with your day,
Just reflect upon how you might take this practice of gratitude out into other areas of your life and other experiences.
