My name is Amanda Huston and this short meditation is to help evoke feelings and sensations of gratitude.
Let's prepare ourselves by coming into a comfortable seat.
Sit nice and tall,
Resting the hand softly on the lap.
Allow the face to soften.
Relaxing the temples,
The jaw.
Relaxing the shoulders.
When you feel ready,
Gently close the eyes and take a nice deep conscious breath through the nose and a big exhale out of the mouth.
Inhale nice and deeply and then softly releasing on the exhale.
One more time.
Now let the breath flow naturally in and out of the nostrils.
Notice in the air and flow of the breath,
Feeling a sense of calm,
Feeling safe,
Feeling supported.
Maybe here you feel a sense of gratitude for the breath.
If you do,
Maybe you could say to yourself,
I am grateful for this breath.
No matter how short,
How deep,
I am alive.
I am breathing.
I am grateful.
Now sensing into the body,
Notice the curves and the shapes it creates,
The heaviness or lightness,
Just accepting it as it is.
Maybe this time you say to yourself,
I am grateful for my body,
However it looks,
However it feels,
I am grateful.
I am grateful.
Now become aware of the mind.
Notice as it moves from thought to thought,
Notice how clever it is,
All the memories that it stores.
Maybe this time you silently say to yourself,
I am grateful for my mind,
A mind that allows me to observe thoughts,
Whether they are uneasy or peaceful,
I am grateful.
Now I invite you to think of a few things that you are grateful for,
A hot cup of tea,
An unexpected phone call or a smile,
Anything you can think of.
Just bring something to mind and then say to yourself,
I am grateful for,
And name it.
And then do the same again.
Notice what else comes up and then name it.
Are there any more things that you can think of?
Don't worry if nothing else springs to mind,
That's okay,
This is something we can continue to practice.
Maybe you can allow yourself to feel a sense of gratitude for just being you,
Just as you are.
Now when you are ready,
Bring your attention back to the body,
To the face.
I'd like you to invite the biggest,
Cheesiest smile to your face.
Feel the little creases around the mouth,
Really feel it,
Then hold that smile for a moment before you gently open the eyes,
Ready to embrace the rest of your day.
