Welcome to the second meditation in this series,
Five steps to taking action with compassion.
Today we will be doing a practice about gratitude.
Gratitude has been a long time habit of mine and informs a lot of my actions on a daily basis.
Gratitude has been shown in research to improve mood and increase happiness and wellbeing.
I want to share today a meditation that will get you connected to what is already going well and what brings you alive.
Close your eyes and take three deep breaths.
And then take a deep breath.
Bring attention to your breath and how easily your body automatically does this task.
Focus on how wonderful it is that your body brings in life-giving oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.
Notice any gratitude you feel for your breath.
Next,
Bring to mind all the basic needs that are met in your life.
Do you have enough to eat?
Somewhere safe to live?
Clean running water?
Notice any gratitude you feel for these basic needs being met.
Now ask yourself if your next level of needs are met.
Do you have friends and family around you that love and support you?
Are you able to experience some simple luxuries like soft blankets,
Access to beauty and nature?
Just bring to mind all the ways that you experience more than just what you need to survive on a day-to-day basis.
Notice any gratitude you feel for these things.
Now take a moment to think of someone or something in your life that you automatically and deeply feel grateful for.
Bring this someone or something fully into your mind and heart and feel the level of gratitude that you experience having this in your life.
Take a snapshot of this body that you experience and take a snapshot of this bodily experience of gratitude.
What does gratitude feel like in your body?
Warm,
Open,
Tingly,
Calm?
Breathe into this experience and enjoy how it feels to be grateful.
Take a few breaths and just soak in the goodness that already exists in your life in this moment.
Thank you for taking a moment to enjoy all the goodness already present in your life.
I hope you feel more positive about where you are and what you already have.
My belief is that we most easily bring forth what we already experience.
And the easiest way to make more of what we want is,
As in one of my favorite movie titles,
To say,
Yes,
Thank you,
More please.
I can't wait to connect with you on my next meditation,
Visualizing your future dream life.
