Gratitude For The Little Things

Hello,

I'm Anne Sussman,

Founder of Mindfulness Meeting Place and the author of The Bliss Buddy Project,

How Sharing Gratitude Increases Joy.

Today we will practice gratitude for the little things.

So often we get caught up in the busyness of life and in all the little things that go wrong each day.

We spend time complaining about the milk that went bad,

That someone left the car without gas in it,

Extra work we didn't expect piled on top of an already large workload,

Potholes in the road we didn't see,

And on and on.

You get the picture.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in a group conversation with friends about all the things we notice that are going wrong daily.

But when was the last time you spoke about the little things that were going right?

We naturally notice the negative.

It's because of our fight or flight response.

Our fear center,

The part of the brain that is the amygdala,

Is primed to be on the lookout for threat.

Of course this was meant as a survival mechanism and helped us to evolve.

But let's face it,

We live in a very comfortable time and major threats have virtually been eliminated.

However,

Our brains don't know the difference between an actual threat and a perceived threat,

Hence our tendency to notice the negative.

What do I mean by that?

Have you noticed that when you go to the movies and someone hiding behind a door jumps out and everyone in the theater screams?

You know it's not real.

You paid your money to watch it on the screen,

But your brain perceives what is happening on the screen as a stressful event and the fight or flight response kicks in regardless of knowing it is not really happening.

Your brain and your body react as if the threat was real.

Positive things don't threaten our existence,

So we don't notice them as much.

They're not essential for our survival.

So in order to cultivate gratitude for all the little things,

We need to bring our attention to noticing them as they arise each day.

Being mindful,

Focusing on the present,

Becoming aware of all that is happening around you rather than being distracted by your to-do list in your head or worrying about the next thing on your agenda helps you to notice what is right in front of you.

The difference between mindfulness and mindlessness is being aware of what's happening in the present moment,

Paying attention without judging it,

Noticing the beautiful cloud formations,

The smell of fresh-cut grass,

The warmth of the sun on your face or your body.

These are the small things you can learn to be grateful for.

Stringing together small moments of gratitude will inevitably bring more joy to your life.

So let's begin to notice what is already here.

Before we begin our seated formal practice,

Let's keep in mind these essentials for any meditation.

Remember it's okay to have thoughts.

The biggest misconception is that you need to clear your mind in meditation.

That will never happen.

Don't try too hard at this.

It's really just a gentle shifting of your attention from thought back to breath,

From thought back to breath.

It doesn't matter how many times you return to the breath.

That is the practice.

You're doing it just right.

Let go of expectations and be kind to yourself.

Stick with the practice.

Over days,

Weeks,

Months and years,

The changes that meditation will bring to your life are subtle,

Yet profound.

We'll be meditating for about 20 minutes.

Let's begin.

Come to find a comfortable seat,

Upright if that works for you,

And relaxed.

Minimize your distractions for our time together.

When you are ready,

Gently close your eyes and begin by taking a few long,

Slow deep breaths in and out of your nose.

Following the breath right now,

Knowing that you're safe,

Grounded and present,

Making this choice to meditate.

As you listen to the sound of the chime,

You can now let your breath return to its natural depth and rhythm.

You may notice your breath speeds up or slows down,

But your breath knows just how to take care of you,

So let it be soft and easy.

Notice the temperature on your skin,

The warmth or coolness of the air.

Notice sounds around you in your environment,

Maybe distant sounds outside the room.

Sounds need not be a barrier to your meditation.

In this practice,

We want to welcome everything,

Resist nothing.

This brings some relaxation to the body,

Beginning at the top of the head,

Softening the scalp,

Then unfurling the brow,

Allowing the face to be soft and easy,

No expression necessary.

Checking in with the jaw,

Seeing if you might need to unclench just a little bit,

Allowing the tongue to rest comfortably in the mouth,

Inviting the shoulders to soften down the back away from the ears.

Checking in with the spine,

The base of the spine to the top of the head,

Holding the body tall in a posture that feels like dignity to you,

Relaxed,

Alert.

Softening the front body from the top of the chest on down through the diaphragm and just letting the belly be soft and easy,

Like a great big Buddha belly.

Softening the right arm and the shoulder on down through the elbow all the way to the fingertips.

And then the left arm letting go of any tension you may be holding there,

From the shoulder on down through the elbow all the way to the fingertips.

Checking in with the pelvis,

Noticing it sinking a little bit deeper into the cushion beneath you.

And then seeing if you can notice the cushions rising up in reciprocity to support you in your practice,

To hold you.

Noticing the right leg softening from the hip on down through the knee all the way to the toes.

And then the left leg letting go of any tension you might be holding there,

From hip to toes.

Scanning your body,

Seeing if there's any place we might have missed that's calling for some ease or comfort.

Knowing in this practice you can always move or shift if you need to and trying to sit as still as you can.

And then turning your attention inward to the interior of you,

Coming to notice any tingling,

Pulsing,

Any sensations in the body.

Might notice that most in your fingertips or your toes.

You might not notice anything at all,

That's okay too.

That sensation is your aliveness.

We're alive in our bodies,

We almost never notice.

And then come to find your breath,

Wherever it's most obvious for you.

That might be at the tip of the nose or in the rise and fall of your chest or your belly.

Just resting your attention on the sensations of breath.

And the in breath,

The expansion as you breathe in.

And the out breath,

The contraction as you breathe out.

And soon you'll notice your attention wanders to thought as it will over and over again,

Gently shifting back,

Finding the rhythm of your breath.

And imagine now that you could drop your breath into the space of your heart as if you could breathe in and out of the center of your chest.

Finding a beautiful cup overflowing with light and gratitude in the space of your heart.

My cup runneth over,

Noticing that this cup will never run out,

That gratitude is ever present within you.

And begin to bring to mind small moments that occur each day that you can be grateful for.

Maybe it's electricity when you walk into a room,

You flip a switch and there you have it.

As you notice the room illuminate,

Feel the gratitude move through you.

When you walk into the bathroom or the kitchen,

Anywhere really there is a sink.

You can be sure there is a choice of hot and cold running water.

Imagine it feels like when you wash your body in a warm and luxurious bath or a shower.

Notice the gratitude washing over you as the water covers your body.

You can wash your clothing easily in a machine that does the work for you.

And when you are thirsty,

Imagine the joy and the gratitude moving through you as you take a drink of water that flows freely,

Knowing that this water is safe to drink.

When you are hungry,

You have a choice of healthy food in your home refrigerator or at your local market.

The market is brimming with fresh produce,

Meat and cheese,

Prepared foods as well as all you need to prepare it at home.

Imagine yourself walking into the market and feeling the gratitude overflowing in your heart.

Imagine yourself getting into your car and feeling grateful that you can drive yourself to and from work or play.

Maybe being grateful for the ability to take public transportation or even walk safely to your destination.

At the end of your day,

Even if it was the worst day ever,

Can you imagine being grateful for a soft pillow and a warm bed and a roof over your head?

Notice the feeling of gratefulness for all the little things that you might have taken for granted.

Now let these images fade away and come back to the image of the overflowing cup in your heart.

Notice that overflowing light and gratitude that will never run dry.

Spend some time here.

We'll sit silently until you hear the sound of the chime.

I'll let you know your next steps.

You're welcome.

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