Gratitude Taking time each week consciously to feel gratitude can increase our sense of perspective and our capacity for empathy.
It affects our overall happiness.
And this mind-time practice now is about consciously developing gratitude.
It doesn't have to be very much gratitude,
But even just a bit more is always good.
So taking the time now to get upright and settled,
Finding the posture that works for you,
Letting the eyes close or,
If you prefer,
Leaving them open with the gaze softened,
And perhaps just taking a few deeper breaths,
Deeper in-breaths,
Deeper up-breaths.
Letting yourself really arrive here in this moment.
And what's here now?
Noticing sensations in the body.
Noticing any feelings or emotions.
Noticing thoughts.
For now,
Not trying to change anything,
Just allowing thoughts and feelings to be as they are,
Observing them,
Curious about them.
And bringing attention low down in the body,
Maybe feeling the contact between body and floor or body and seat.
What's here now?
Curious,
Inquiring,
Noticing the complex pattern of sensations where the body meets the seat or the seat.
And coming to the breath now,
Letting the attention rest with this breath and this breath and this breath.
Noticing the sensations that come with each in-breath,
The sensations of each out-breath,
Really feeling the breath.
And when the mind wanders,
Just noticing where it goes and gently,
Kindly bringing attention back to the sensations of breathing.
Each breath.
And always coming back to aim,
Back to allowing,
Inquiring,
To matter awareness.
Now,
Bringing to mind something you feel grateful for.
Could be anything.
Could be the fact that you're alive,
You're breathing,
You can move,
You can eat and drink,
You can think and feel.
Could be that there are people in your life to whatever extent and there are people in your life to whatever extent.
Or it could be something in your material circumstances,
Whatever they are.
It could also be just some event that happened today or yesterday or last week.
And however easy,
However tough life is right now,
There will be some simple things to be grateful for.
Some really simple experiences.
So finding one simple thing to be grateful for,
Really calling that to mind and allowing yourself to appreciate it.
Just letting yourself feel whatever feelings of gratitude may emerge as you call this thing,
This experience,
This person or this capacity to mind right now.
And noticing what emerges,
The thoughts,
The feelings,
Emotions,
Body sensations that come along with this.
Just noticing.
And remember that there's no particularly right way to do this practice.
All we're doing is bringing something we're grateful for to mind and we're savouring that.
Staying with it just for a few moments.
Inquiring.
Curious.
Staying with present moment experience.
And when the mind wanders,
Just noticing and coming back to the thing you're grateful for right now.
Then letting go of that and calling something else to mind.
Another thing to be grateful for,
Whatever it is.
Noticing thoughts,
Feelings,
Emotions,
Sensations.
Allowing,
Enquiring,
Matter aware.
And letting go of that and bringing a final thing to mind.
And what might you be grateful for now?
Sitting with that.
Noticing thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations.
Savouring.
Allowing.
Enquiring.
Matter aware.
Being with this.
And beginning to bring this practice to a close now and coming back to the breath once more.
Settling with the breath.
And maybe giving yourself a few moments to think or feel how you want to move into whatever comes next in your day.
So when it's right for you,
Opening your eyes and coming to move hour gateway into SO disappointment and releasing the prepared for this entire day.
