All right,
Welcome to our first session on gratitude.
Gratitude for all the different people in our lives.
So let's go ahead and get right into it.
So please find a comfortable posture that is both alert and relaxed.
And you might gently close your eyes if you'd like or keep them slightly open with a gaze towards the floor.
Letting the shoulders drop and the belly softened.
Just a couple of nice deep breaths in through the nose.
And now through the mouth.
And now just letting the breath be natural,
Rhythmic,
Nothing to change.
So inviting you to soften any tension you might have right now and in your face.
So just relaxing the forehead,
The eyes,
The jaw.
And you might even bring a little smile now to the corner of your mouth and a smile in the eyes.
And really shifting from the the busyness of our lives to taking a few moments of appreciation for all those people in our lives.
And you can start by just bringing to mind one person.
One person who supported you this year.
It could have been in a really obvious or big way or maybe more subtle.
A friend,
A partner,
Colleague,
Family member,
Teacher.
Could have been someone who helped in a smaller way like a neighbor.
Maybe even a barista or a doctor,
A stranger.
And you might just choose one person.
There may be several,
But for now just choose one.
And you might just imagine them sitting right here in front of you.
You might imagine their face,
What it's like to be in their presence.
And as you do that,
You might notice what happens in your body and mind as you simply remember this person.
And if there's not much that happens,
That's totally fine.
It's okay to just keep them in mind,
Just holding them gently in your awareness.
Kind of like maybe holding a candle.
And if it feels okay,
I want to invite you to even bring a little bit of contact to your body.
So you might bring a hand to your heart.
And just place it gently there,
Inviting a little bit of warmth.
And appreciation.
And as you imagine this person,
You might just either silently or in a whisper,
Offer the words,
Thank you.
Thank you.
You can say it as many times as you want.
Or more specifically,
Thank you for being there.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for your presence.
Or whatever words seem genuine to you.
Just really notice what's going on in your body.
And maybe there's a little bit of softening,
A little bit of warmth in the chest or shoulders are relaxing a little bit.
Maybe the smile is getting bigger.
And just really let yourself soak that in.
Just feeling whatever is true,
Beautiful,
And good about appreciating this person.
About this moment.
And you might gently let that image of that person fade.
And just notice if there's anyone else in your life who's supported you.
Whether in an obvious way or a more subtle way.
Staying connected to this feeling in your heart.
The hand on the chest.
Just imagining this person sitting in front of you or next to you.
Their smile,
Their presence.
And just in your own way,
You might say the words that feel the most true.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And if you're having a hard time,
For whatever reason,
Feeling this gratitude or maybe it doesn't feel genuine.
Or maybe some other more difficult emotions are coming up.
You don't need to force anything.
You don't need to force gratitude.
You might just simply bring awareness to whatever it is that's present.
Without any intention or desire to change it or fix it.
Can you just allow for your experience to be just as it is?
Ah yes,
It's like this right now.
Letting go of any resistance to whatever is appearing right now.
If at any point there is a little spark of gratitude,
A little spark of appreciation,
You might just really cherish that.
And now simply letting any images of that person fade,
Letting any attention drop.
Just for the last minute or so,
Just sitting here.
Just being here and noticing perhaps how appreciation and gratitude is showing up right now in the body and in the mind and the heart.
Noticing what effect this practice has had on your body and mind.
And lastly,
Just thanking yourself for doing something kind.
For taking the time to pay attention in a different way.
To really slow down and appreciate the people in your life.
You might feel the ground beneath you.
Bring a little bit of movement into your fingers and toes.
And gently at your own pace,
Blinking open your eyes.
And inviting you to carry this thread of appreciation into the rest of your day.
Thank you.
