Welcome.
My name is Jen Knox and today we will spend a little time practicing gratitude.
Gratitude truly is a practice.
It's something that we can sometimes forego or forget or even phone in.
And today we're going to dive deep.
I personally am grateful for my own journey of meditation and mindfulness training because it has completely transformed my life.
I am also grateful for you,
Your presence today as we practice together.
So begin by finding a comfortable meditative position.
Ideally you are seated either on the ground or in a chair.
Your legs are not crossed.
Your feet are flat on the ground.
Now from this position,
Gently begin to sway your spine from the base to the top slowly,
Right to left.
This is a very subtle movement.
Now gently rock forward and back,
Very small,
Slow movements.
And then sit up tall,
Finding stillness,
Tucking your chin slightly.
We'll begin with a three-part breath.
Inhale to the count of three,
Through the nose,
One,
Two,
Three.
And exhale slowly,
Nose or mouth,
Three,
Two,
One.
Continuing on like this.
I invite you to breathe into the space just below the belly button and exhale from this space slowly,
Intentionally.
Counting to three as you inhale,
Counting to three as you exhale.
And if you haven't already,
Allow your eyes to gently close on the next exhale.
We'll do one more full three-count breath and then allow your breath to go natural and just begin to observe.
Make the miracle of each breath.
We'll begin our gratitude practice by sending this energy to each part of our body.
And as you send gratitude to each part of your body,
I invite you to allow a gentle smile to cross your face.
We'll begin at the very top of the head,
The crown.
Feel this energy here.
Feel a sense of gratitude.
Wash down your entire head,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your wrists and your hands.
Send gratitude to your heart space.
Allow a gentle smile to cross your face as you feel this grateful energy moving down to the soft belly,
Down the spine,
Through the pelvic area,
The hips,
The legs,
The knees,
The ankles and the feet.
Feel your body awash with gratitude.
Now send gratitude to the entire body,
The harmony that this extraordinary body offers you every day.
From this embodied place of gratitude,
I invite you to bring to mind where you are.
Send thanks to the very ground that supports you,
To Mother Earth,
To your home or the space that you have here and now to practice.
Feel the space surrounding you filling with grateful positive energy,
A soft yet strong energy that allows you to continue to receive and enjoy and become present in this space.
Now bring your attention to the people in your life who support you,
Who love you,
Who inspire you.
Bring to mind people you both know and do not know,
Sending them gratitude for the influence they've had in your life.
Seeing that smile cross your face,
Send each of the people who come to mind a smile as well.
Thinking now about the people who came before you,
Your ancestors,
The teachers,
All of those who brought us these practices.
Now think about all the small things that you enjoy in your day.
Send gratitude for the tiny rituals,
The coffee or tea you drink in the morning,
The bird song you hear,
The time you spend with loved ones or pets.
Try to come up with as many images as you can.
Imagine yourself walking through your day and sending gratitude to all the small opportunities,
All the joys.
As you walk through your day,
Smile at these opportunities,
Smile at these joys,
These rituals,
The things that bring you happiness,
Fulfillment.
Now come to this practice here and now.
Send this smile,
This grateful energy to yourself,
Thanking yourself for taking the time to practice and reorient in this high vibrational energy.
I invite you to notice today all of the tiny offerings that exist in your world.
Notice them,
Smile at them,
Enjoy them.
You may want to spend the next 10 minutes or so journaling about what came up for you today.
This is an excellent way to solidify and expand the process.
And please repeat this meditation anytime you feel a sense of lack or repeat it daily for 30 days if you'd like to establish a more grateful presence in your day-to-day life.
Thank you for practicing with me,
Wishing you all good things.
