The Power Of Appreciation - Live Talk & Practice 04/22/22

Joss says appreciation.

I think I should appreciate things in life more than I do now.

That's why I joined today Thank you Joss for sharing that.

That's really really frank and I think a lot of people relate to that You know because we know generally we know how gratefulness or appreciation Feels yeah,

Let's just start talking all right.

I will come back to it a few more of the Comments in this so let's start with that.

Let's start with the difference between thankfulness gratefulness and appreciation basically they these words are synonyms right they look a lot like alike and Basically they touch upon that feeling that you can have when you are thankful for something grateful when you appreciate things The core difference for me is that there is a difference in being grateful or thankful and Appreciating things because in a notion of being grateful Lies the idea that first something needs to happen for you to be able to feel Grateful to have those feelings and there is a problem So you know if you open any magazine or you listen here on insight time or you hear how Important gratefulness can be for us there is a lot of research that shows when people start to Focus on feelings of gratefulness feelings of appreciation that they will improve their wealth their perception of well-being They will improve how they feel so the recommendation is to to have a journal and write every day At least three things you're grateful for every day something else and then also experience those feelings But if you have tried that and you have this like you said I know I should be more appreciative of the things in my life But I don't always feel it Then then there is that that element that I always call the idea that you first have to deserve it And it might not even be so aware You know or so conscious that you actually think you need to deserve something but on a more core level of your being We hold so many beliefs that we are not even aware of what we believe that we that we that is sometimes really hard for ourselves To allow those feelings,

But as I will show you today with the meditation.

It's actually pretty easy to Focus on those feelings of appreciation and to start to acknowledge and to start to ignite them to cultivate them to let them grow and experience them and then also Experience how good it can feel and if you do this on a regular basis and really you know for for a period of time Maybe every day or really on a frequent basis You will start to feel a shift because it helps you to shift your perspective and most important You feel that you can self empower You know to empower yourself to connect to these feelings of appreciation Because they feel good everyone who has ever felt grateful knows how good it feels.

You know it's this Yeah,

It's depending on you how it feels but for me it feels like this this rush of beautiful energy like a flow Going through my body as if everything is open as if you know everything is possible that feeling So wouldn't it be great to be able to Connect to those feelings more often So for me,

That's why I use the word the title of today is the power of appreciation And that's why I use the word appreciation because you can appreciate things Without having the need first to deserve them So we can start with things that are actually just around us in our So I had not anymore now,

But I had a beautiful old tree in my front yard Unfortunately it had to be cut because it was ill but it was a tree of 90 years old we counted you know how old it was after it was cut and this tree was always there and When I whenever I wanted to feel appreciative or actually I still do it even though the tree is gone I would start with a tree.

I would just think of the tree how it's always standing there How the leaves are rustling how I could just rely on the fact that it would be there And even now though the tree is gone And I really had you know I was grieving and I'm still grieving sometimes a little bit about that tree I still can feel that That appreciative feeling about the tree and from there on I jump to other topics that are also really close to me So if you use the word gratefulness or thankfulness We generally want to first see that something happens that there is something that someone else does so we can say Thank you or that something beautiful happens to us so we can say wow Thank you life or god or universe or you know faith or whatever created this But we don't have to wait for things to happen to us We don't have to wait for other people to be there for us and give something to us We can ignite itself and for me the big difference lies in using the word appreciation Over the word gratefulness or thankfulness although I love those words and I use them I have a gratefulness meditation on Inside Timer here and it's called gratefulness But the core idea is if you feel that you are you know sometimes tripping over that notion that believe Then use the word appreciation just for some time and it will help you to To take it more home to bring it more close to you So let's just sit for a moment and be aware of how we are sitting Are you comfortable?

Are you feeling comfortable?

And if not then see if you can shift yourself See if you can sit a little bit different or maybe lean a little bit more against the back of your chair Or sofa wherever you're sitting or maybe if you feel better by just sitting straight up Then see if you can make it more comfortable for you here Are your legs comfortable?

They don't have to be folded they can But if not you can also just put your feet on the ground Connect with the earth below you Feel the power of the earth carrying you And how beautifully your feet are connecting There's so many different touch points on your feet Maybe when you close your eyes you can feel it better So you feel that your feet have different touch points and each different point has a Different connection with the earth Some of those points are leaning more heavily on the ground and some are more light and some are Barely touching the ground And while you bring your attention to your feet There comes this grounding quality over you and that's just by simply thinking of your feet on the ground And even if your legs are folded then the sides of your feet are on the ground but that are also touch points And that goes exactly the same you're touching the earth And that's the same with your feet Touching the earth And just this practice in itself could be a meditation you know During the day when you feel that you're a little bit in a rush or something Just bring your attention for a moment to your feet feeling that they are touching the ground Let that grounding quality come over you That awareness that you are here right now And the same goes for bringing your attention to your buttocks Because you're sitting or maybe you're lying down but still your buttocks are connected with The seat under you,

This chair,

The cushion,

The floor Also a lot of touch points,

Some of them leaning more heavy into the seat And if you feel any tension then just shift And settle,

See if you can relax a little bit more in the way you are sitting And actually here I could feel already some appreciation for the fact that I am now taking A few minutes for myself to just be aware of how I am sitting Nothing special going on just me and you guys sitting together Being aware of how we are sitting And immediately my body starts to relax with that thought Can you notice that?

That you suddenly feel that you want to have an out breath that is a little bit longer than your in breath?

Or that you just like to sigh it out?

And that's a beautiful natural reaction from your body that it responds to you taking a little bit time to become aware of how you're sitting,

Becoming aware of how you are supported by the earth,

Feeling some appreciation maybe for yourself taking this moment And how your body starts to relax And if you notice that your body isn't then that's okay,

It takes a little bit more time maybe Maybe you have some more tension,

Maybe you had a really busy day Maybe you're just a person who needs some more time,

It's all okay You cannot do it wrong,

You're doing it exactly right If you want to help yourself you could always make sure that your out breath is longer than your in breath because that's a really simple breathing technique that will help you to make your body feel more relaxed.

But keep it easy,

You don't have to breathe in deep,

Just breathe in really natural normal,

Just make sure that you take a longer time to breathe out Now bring your attention for a moment to your hands in your lap,

Just resting in your lap Lying on your thighs,

Maybe your hands are touching each other So bring your attention to the way your hands touch or fold together These beautiful hands,

If you just bring your attention to your hands and knowing how much your hands can do,

And just to think of the possible thumbs,

Thanks to our thumbs we are able to grab things,

To grab food and bring it to our mouth,

And to think of the things that we can do to hold on to things that are important to us.

These beautiful hands that are working so hard for us,

When you become aware of what your hands are doing every day the moment you wake up and you push out your alarm clock or you turn it to you so you can see what is the time,

Or you use your hands to take the covers from you,

Really simple things but just imagine that those hands wouldn't be there,

How much more difficult life would be,

Just that mere thought gives me this small rush of appreciation for my hands.

Oh while we're at it,

I know we were just at our feet but when I think of my feet how much my feet are doing for me,

Carrying me,

Supporting me,

Walking me through life every morning I make a walk with my dog,

One half hour sometimes and without my feet I couldn't do that.

These beautiful walks that I'm so enjoying,

Even when it's raining I'm enjoying these walks,

Just being me and my dog outside and especially these days with the sun coming up and the pleasant atmosphere and then my feet that are taking me,

Climbing me on a hill making me descend the hill again,

If I want to run I can run,

Oh my beautiful feet all the little bones in it that are working together so my feet are not just stiff but they can move and make me walk and jump and run and stand on my toes and stand on my heels and do whatever I like.

I don't know about you but when you think of your feet can you feel that little feeling of appreciation just for your feet being there for you every day?

Oh and when I think of my eyes,

I have them closed now just like you and keep them closed but aren't you happy that you can see?

I mean I have glasses,

I really have a terrible sight but I'm still so grateful,

So appreciative of my eyes even without glasses I might not see things sharp but I see colours and I see shapes and I see movements and I'm also really really appreciative of my glasses because when I put those then I can see actually the details of whatever I'm wearing.

Actually the details of whatever I'm looking at,

The details of faces,

The details of a tree,

The details of the street.

Think to my eyes I can look at people that I love,

Observe the people in my surroundings and appreciate them for being here.

What about our ears?

The things we can hear with our ears.

Our ears can pick up the smallest sounds.

Let's just try that for a moment.

Can you hear the most gentle sound in your environment?

Yeah that one and can you listen for something even more gentle?

Can you hear your own breathing or heartbeat?

And even when your ears are not like they used to be then still you can hear beautiful music.

You can hear the sounds of people approaching,

The sounds of traffic around you which is necessary to know if you're safe or not.

You can hear what others are telling you and you can listen to whatever you like to hear.

What is it that you love to hear?

Is there a particular song or maybe the laughter of your kids or grandkids?

Maybe it's the voice of the love of your life.

Maybe it's that beautiful belly laugh of your mother.

Whatever that sound is that you love,

Think a moment of it.

Can you feel the appreciation that you are able to hear this with your ears?

Even more when you think about it,

It's almost as if you can hear it right now.

Now when you bring your attention to your mouth,

The things that you can taste and feel with your mouth.

I mean when you eat something it's not just a taste which can be so delicious but it's also the structure of food and drinks that you put in your mouth.

Is there something that when you eat it you so greatly appreciate the taste and the structure if you do then just imagine use your imagination for a moment and imagine that you are now eating or drinking this.

Tasting,

Experiencing the structure in your mouth.

I'm so appreciative of my mouth.

I'm so appreciative of my mouth and all the sensory information that it's giving me,

The sensory information that I can enjoy,

That I can be appreciative of.

I can be so appreciative of the fact that I have a mouth that can taste and feel and speak.

The tongue in your mouth together with your lips and teeth are shaping the words that you're saying.

That all those thoughts in your head when they get some clarity that you want to express yourself,

That you can use your mouth to express whatever you want to say,

Whatever you want to shout,

Whatever you want to whisper,

Whatever you want to sing and whatever you choose not to say because that's also an option.

And I notice now that I am smiling.

Can you feel your own smile?

How good does it feel to just smile?

To feel how this inner happiness,

And it doesn't have to be big happiness,

It can just be a small spark of contentment that it creates a smile on your face and how good does it feel to have this smile?

Even if we don't really feel like smiling right now,

Then by just lifting the outer parts of our mouth up a little bit can change our inner feeling.

Oh,

I'm so appreciative of every little muscle in my mouth for being able to say what I want,

For being able to smile,

Being able to scream if needed or sing when I want to.

Till now we're just stuck with our body parts.

They're so inherent to us.

We don't need someone else actually to feel appreciation for these body parts,

But maybe for you it's a little bit hard to feel this appreciation which can happen.

That's okay.

You're not doing anything wrong.

Let's expand our awareness a little bit outside of us.

Is there anything in your direct environment that you know that you appreciate?

Like I gave the example of the tree in front of my house.

For me that's a really strong point.

It's something that is always there.

It doesn't have to do anything to make me feel appreciative.

When I just walked by the tree I wasn't feeling appreciative just like that,

But when I made myself aware of its presence I did ignite a feeling of appreciation.

So is there anything in your life,

In your direct environment?

Don't pick a person now.

Just pick a thing.

It could be your favourite coffee mug,

It could be your sofa,

It could be your TV,

Your iPad,

It could be specific shoes,

It could be a dress,

It could be the way the carpet feels under your feet,

It could be a light,

It could be your house,

It could be the flowers on the table that are standing there right now.

Just think of something and don't overthink it.

Just pick the first thing that bubbles up in your mind because that's the one your subconscious wants to work with.

Alright,

Now use your imagination to become aware of the presence of this thing in your environment.

So if you're very visually visual then you could imagine seeing it,

But if you're not so much a visual imaginer then use the fantasy that you normally use by knowing it or seeing the words or having a feeling of the presence or you know how you fantasise best.

So become aware of the presence of this thing that you're glad it's there.

It might be a really small thing,

Yes that one.

Alright so imagine it's there,

Imagine that it is in front of you.

Now absorb the details of this thing.

What of it do you appreciate?

Is it the shape?

Is it the colour?

Is it the smell?

Feel it out for yourself,

What it is that triggers that feeling of appreciation within you.

You don't have to look for a big feeling,

Maybe it is big,

That's also okay,

But it can be really really gentle,

Gentle feeling like just being satisfied,

Just being content with its presence.

Now when you feel this feeling,

Where is it in your body?

Can you detect it?

Is it maybe just in your head because you're realising this or is it in your heart area because there is where it resonates or maybe there's a different spot in your body and there is no right or wrong answer because everyone is unique and everyone has a unique feeling.

So you can see that it's not because everyone is unique and everyone has a unique place to feel the spot of appreciation.

Maybe you feel it through your whole body.

When I feel appreciation,

Like I said,

I feel it like a rush going through my body.

That is as if my skin becomes really sensitive in a really pleasant way and that is how appreciation feels for me.

So when you're feeling this,

Becoming aware of this feeling Just allow yourself to enjoy how this feels.

And while you are keeping your heart and mind and body open for this feeling,

Just rushing through you wherever it is,

Can you bring something else to mind that you are appreciative of?

Maybe another thing,

Maybe a person in your life,

A person that with no doubt is someone you are always appreciative of.

Maybe your pet.

Our pets are such bringers of appreciation,

The unconditional love that our pets have for us,

And us connecting with them can give such a rush of appreciation.

So whatever it is or whoever it is,

Just bring them to mind,

Bring their presence here.

And again,

Let your awareness of this person or this thing,

Ignite the feeling of appreciation.

Really observe in your own way,

With your own fantasy,

What it is in them.

Is it their smile?

Is it the way they look?

Is it their kindness?

Is it the way they fart?

You know,

Whatever it is that makes you appreciate them,

It's okay.

It doesn't all have to be like rosy and sunshine,

It can be anything.

And again,

Where do you feel it in your body?

Is it the same place?

Is it a different place?

It's all okay.

There's no right or wrong answer.

Just detect where it is and see if you can expand this feeling a little bit more.

As if you're opening the tap and opening these feelings of appreciation,

Flowing to these spots,

Expanding,

Growing,

Filling you.

I would love for you now to imagine that you are standing in front of a mirror.

And in this mirror,

Of course,

You see you.

And again,

If you're not a visual imaginer,

Not a visual fantasizer,

Then use your fantasy in your way that you just know it.

But I really would love to see you in your own way.

And I would love to see you in your own way.

Use your fantasy in your way that you just know it,

But I really would love for you to take a look at yourself.

Take a look at yourself with the gratefulness,

The appreciation that you feel now in your body,

And I would love for you to pick out something about yourself that you appreciate.

Don't overthink it.

Just,

You know,

It could be really,

Really small.

Maybe it's just a little fraggle on your forehead that you love so much.

Maybe it's your beautiful eyes.

Maybe it's your smile.

Maybe it's just you being there,

The color of your hair,

The way a necklace fits you.

Whatever it is,

Don't have any doubt that you should not feel appreciative of yourself because you can.

And I would love for you to just focus on that element of you that you can feel appreciation of and with the flow that is already there.

Just let it ignite,

Let it grow,

Let it expand,

Let it fill your body.

You could imagine that this feeling is like a light,

Liquid light filling you up from the spot where it starts.

For instance,

It might be in your heart area.

It doesn't have to be with what if it's there,

Then you just let it grow bigger into your chest,

Into your shoulders,

Your arms,

Your belly,

Your buttocks,

Your thighs,

Your knees,

Your calves,

Shins,

Feet,

Out,

Shooting out of your hands,

Shooting out of your feet,

Shooting out of the crown of your head.

Everything is filling you with appreciation.

Appreciation for your body,

Appreciation for your environment,

Appreciation for people in your life,

And most importantly,

Appreciation for you because you are unique,

You are special,

You are lovable,

You are worthy.

You don't have to do anything to deserve it because you always deserve everything.

I really would like you to offer your appreciation to yourself.

If you still have that mirror there,

Express it to yourself in a way that feels comfortable.

You could just say it.

You could say,

I appreciate you or I'm thankful for you.

Use the words that feel good right now.

Or you could just look at yourself or you could just send yourself some love.

Give yourself a flower,

Whatever it is.

Show your appreciation to yourself.

I will shut up for a moment.

Go ahead.

And don't be shy about it.

It's just your imagination.

You can give yourself everything because you deserve it.

Always,

You don't have to do anything.

All right.

Now bring your attention for a moment to the area in your heart.

Middle of your chest,

You can put your hands there if you like.

And let's bring,

You know,

All those feelings of appreciation that we have detected in our body,

Maybe in the same spots,

Maybe in different spots.

Let's bring,

Let us bring all those feelings now to our heart.

And if you have a hard time imagining it,

Then just imagine it's like pulling the light back to your heart,

Seeing beautiful light sparkles,

Bring them back to your heart.

Maybe it's just a color.

Maybe you see it as lemonade.

Whatever your fantasy brings you,

It's A,

Okay.

Now it's in your heart.

Can you feel how gentle that feels,

How loving that feels?

How good it feels to feel appreciation in your heart.

It might be just a small feeling and that's okay.

Whatever it is,

Embrace it,

Treasure it and take the time every day to ignite it.

You could do so by just going to this place and remembering that you felt here appreciation.

And then you could think of something,

Someone,

And then make it easy,

Someone easy,

Something easy,

Something easy to feel appreciation of and then use this to ignite it,

To let it be there for some time.

And you will notice a difference when you do this on a regular basis because it will become more and more easy to have this feeling with you all the time,

To become aware of things in your environment that you were never appreciative of and how suddenly you see their value,

You see their contribution to your wellbeing.

And that's my friend,

Is where self-empowerment begins.

All right.

You can let your attention go.

You can put your hands in your lap and let's take the time now to get out of the meditation.

Keep your eyes still closed for some time.

Really take it easy.

First bring your attention back really in your body.

You can wiggle your fingers and toes,

Shift a little bit on your buttocks,

Stretch your spine and then take the time to open your eyes.

Really take your time.

You can take a minute or so and I'll be waiting here for you to see if there are any comments or questions.

Thank you.