Hey there.
Thank you so much for being here.
Gratitude is a big part of personal growth though.
More often than not,
We find ourselves getting caught up in being grateful for big things like accomplishments,
Grand luxuries and the brilliant people in our lives.
Why not?
They are all amazing.
Though how often do we take the time to acknowledge,
With gratitude,
The small things that,
When added up,
Keep our lives together and our souls filled?
Psychologists call it hedonic adaptation,
Which is the tendency to stop noticing the comforts and blessings that subtly support us every day.
Bringing them back into awareness can genuinely shift our perspective.
In the words of writer Robert Brault.
Enjoy the little things for one day.
You might look back and realise they were the big things.
So with this meditation,
Let's take a few moments to connect with the small things that so subtly enrich our lives.
Find yourself seated comfortably with your back upright.
And gently close your eyes.
Let's together take a deep breath in through the nose,
As deep as you can.
Slowly breathe out,
Relaxing your muscles as you gently exhale.
Feeling the peace and the comfort of the present moment,
Knowing that you are safe in this moment.
And Begin to notice how your body feels right now.
Any sensations that may be running through your body.
Narasimhi.
Emotions you may be feeling.
Urges.
Instincts.
To become aware of.
What is happening?
In your body.
And now become aware of your breath.
Notice how it feels when you breathe into your body and out of your body.
The very raw sensations of the breath.
Feeling the air flow in through your nostrils.
And out of your nostrils.
Noticing how your chest expands when you breathe into it.
And noticing how it feels in your chest.
Contracts.
The rise and fall of your belly.
As you breathe in and out.
Becoming aware of how the breath feels in your body.
As this process happens naturally.
Relax your forehead.
Relax your jaw.
Relax both your shoulders and your arms.
Relax your chest.
Relax your shoulder blades.
Relax your belly.
Your pelvic region,
Your bum.
Relax both your legs.
And bite your ankles.
Relax both sets of toes and ensure that your whole body is now.
Fully relaxed.
Now let's take a few moments to appreciate some of those often overlooked things that many of us benefit from but you know,
Forget to acknowledge on a daily basis.
Things that can change our lives.
I'm gonna go through some things and.
.
.
I'd just like you to acknowledge.
These things being in your life.
And the benefits that they bring to you.
Let's begin with a roof over your head.
You can say to yourself,
I am grateful for having a roof over my head.
How do you benefit from that?
Keeps you safe.
From the elements.
The rain.
Keeps you warm.
Also a comfortable bed.
Notice how it feels to be grateful for having a bed that you feel comfortable in.
A bed that makes you feel like you are safe.
At home.
Allows you to sleep better.
Wake up feeling refreshed.
And it gives you an ankle.
For night times.
How about clean running water?
Access to whatever you may use to wash your vegetables.
Or even drink from the tap.
As a privilege many people don't have.
So let's be grateful for having access to this.
Electricity.
Something that has been around for so long.
That has given us so much.
That has enabled us to live life more freely.
And pursue what we love.
How would life have been for you if you had not had electricity in your life?
Fridge that allows you to store your food.
For long periods of time.
Keep it fresh.
And live a life that is of high quality.
How about even a vacuum cleaner?
Something so simple but it just so effectively.
Helps us clean the house.
It wasn't long ago that people didn't even have vacuum cleaners.
It took them a lot longer.
To get the job done.
A lock that keeps you safe.
That ensures that you can.
Enjoy privacy to its fullest.
Let's move now to the body.
What about your heartbeat?
Your heart works tirelessly to keep you alive 24-7.
Working non-stop.
Pumping blood through your body.
It is the ultimate source of life for us.
It is the reason we breathe.
We think.
We function.
Yet we very rarely acknowledge.
How grateful we should be for our heartbeats.
This incredible muscle that works so hard for us.
Just take a moment to express gratitude for your heartbeat.
How about your immune system?
Your immune system.
Fighting off things you never even notice.
Working quietly in the background.
Take a moment to be grateful for having.
An immune system to keep you alive.
Help you function.
How about technology?
You know,
Having access to basically all of human knowledge.
In your pockets.
We are living in the age of information and.
.
.
You can look up anything these days by clicking a few buttons.
So let's just be grateful for that for a few moments.
Must be grateful for zippers.
Velcro buttons.
You know,
Small mechanical conveniences.
Just make our lives that little bit easier.
Or how about the world being smaller than ever?
Being able to call or text someone across the world instantly and keep in touch with people.
Within seconds.
Let's be grateful for weather forecasts.
Knowing.
Sometimes even weeks in advance,
What the weather is going to look like.
In some cities like myself it is more appreciated.
Than others I can imagine,
But imagine not knowing.
If rain.
Is coming.
Over the next few days or not.
So having access to a weather forecast is so advantageous.
And amazing.
Let's be grateful for having someone in your life who.
.
.
Has it remembered your birthday,
Either in the past or recently?
Or frequently.
How nice is it to know that someone.
.
.
Cares about you enough to remember your birthday.
Let's be grateful for the person who collected your rubbish this week.
And keeps your neighborhood clean so that you can ensure that you always have an empty bin.
Or even the farmers who grew your food.
Let's give them thanks.
And the truck drivers who delivered your food.
How about nature?
Fresh air sunshine on your face.
This feeling of experiencing the sun shining in your face is a great feeling that we can most definitely be grateful for.
How about rain?
That fills reservoirs.
Birds singing in the morning.
Making your morning so much nicer.
Let's be grateful for tiny moments like a warm towel after a shower.
The smell of fresh bread.
Or even.
Finishing a difficult task.
And lastly,
Let's be grateful for overall having.
Good health.
And as we are here now,
Take a moment to.
.
.
Reflect on one of these that may have stood out for you and once you've captured it,
You can just reflect on it a little more.
And meditate on it,
Feeling and acknowledging the gratitude that this particular thing brings to your life.
You are very fortunate,
My friend,
Not only to be alive and to live in such an incredible world at such an incredible time.
You're lucky.
That you are an amazing person.
Who has the perspective and the willingness to go out there and try new things such as this meditation and be a part of this community.
And I want to wish you so many more years and lifetimes of gratitude.
Love.
And positivity.
Have an amazing rest of the day or night.
From my heart to yours.
Thank you.
