The end of this year I invite you to look back with me.
Look back on the past 12 months.
The past year was for most of us filled with challenges,
Uncertainties,
Goodbyes,
Losses,
But also new experiences,
Possibly beautiful events.
And of all the things that psychology has in store to deal with uncertainty and challenges,
Gratitude and self-compassion,
Being kind and loving with yourself are very important.
Therefore I invite you today to look back on the past year through the glasses of gratitude.
And I will again and again invite you to take on a special form of perception,
What is called acknowledging attentive perception.
What do I mean by that?
From moment to moment to acknowledge.
Yes,
This is what is coming up right now.
Memories,
Emotions and always perceive in a non-judgmental way.
Attentive,
Being curious from moment to moment and be surprised what comes up.
Especially when emotionally charged memories come up,
We tend to be drawn in.
So it's really important to have a good balance between the perceptions in the present moment and the focus on the situations from our memories.
And for this balance,
Acknowledging attentive perception helps.
And this is also the start for today's meditation.
So please take on a stable sitting position so that your breath can flow freely.
And notice where can you feel your breath especially well,
Be it in the belly area,
Your chest or at your nostrils.
And for the next moments just observe your breath without changing it.
And let your breath be like a magnet for your attention.
And at the same time widen your perception that you can feel what there is to be felt in your body,
Acknowledging and attentive from moment to moment.
And if your thoughts wander,
If you are distracted,
Notice it and always come back in a loving way to the observation of your breath.
And I invite you to widen the circle of your attention and also notice all the things that you can hear at this moment.
The center of your attention still stays on your breath.
But you can notice what you can hear and what you can feel at the same time.
Curious,
Attentive from moment to moment.
And maybe this way of perceiving creates an inner space,
A feeling of spaciousness and vastness.
So if we look to your memories of the past 12 months,
These perceptions in the present moment can be your anchor to balance out your focus between your emotions that are coming up at the sensory impressions of the present moment.
To look at everything that happened but not losing yourself in those memories.
So remember 12 months ago,
How did you look at the coming year?
What did you look forward to?
Which goals did you have?
Which things worried you?
And what did you expect with joy?
And think back 12 months ago,
What person,
What kind of human being have you been?
Now let a second image come up before your mind's eye.
The person that you are today.
From an acknowledging,
Attentive mode,
Look at the questions.
Where have you changed over the past 12 months?
And in what way did you stay the same?
And which challenges did you master during the past 12 months?
Now think back to the first months of the past year.
Which fears,
Uncertainties did you face?
And which habits did you let go or were forced to let go?
And which additional challenges came up during the year?
And how did you deal with them?
Now I imagine you would tell a very good friend a story.
A story of your challenges during the past 12 months and how you dealt with them from the beginning of the year,
Springtime,
Summer,
Autumn and the present time.
Now for one moment imagine to switch roles and imagine a good friend would tell you this story.
At which episodes would you comfort him or her?
Or which episodes would you give your friend admiration and encouragement?
Oh wow,
That really was hard.
But you mastered it.
Or for which parts would you just hold the person because there are no words that could be helpful?
And always come back to acknowledging attentive perception,
Staying wide,
Open from moment to moment.
And from this inner space I invite you again to go back 12 months and look at this year through the glasses of gratitude.
What are you grateful for when you think back 12 months?
Beautiful moments,
Moments of success,
Surprising moments,
Friends,
Moments of happiness.
If you move on to springtime,
What are you grateful for?
And keep your inner widths and the acknowledging attentive perception under question,
What am I grateful for?
Big things,
Little events,
Moments of awe,
Successes.
What are you grateful for if you turn now your attention towards summer?
Encounters,
Thoughts,
Breakthroughs,
Moments of serenity,
Or whatever memory comes up when you ask yourself the question,
What am I grateful for?
Now turn your focus towards autumn.
What are you grateful for when you think back of autumn?
And move on toward the present time from an acknowledging attentive perspective.
What are you grateful in these days and weeks?
When you now widen your search on the whole year for which friends and human beings am I grateful for that walk this path together with me this year?
Now from these people,
Choose one that brings a smile to your face when you think of him or her.
And imagine how you're feeling in the presence of this person.
And your awareness stays open and wide.
And notice when your body can you feel this well-being in the presence of the other person.
And I invite you to think together with me the following wishes for this person.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live long.
May you live with ease.
Now think of you two together and widen the circle of loving compassion around you both.
And imagine how you're feeling when you think the following wishes.
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we live long.
May we live with ease.
And allow yourselves to widen the sphere of compassion once again.
And include all human beings on this earth when you think,
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we live long.
May we live with ease.
Now imagine 12 more months have passed.
12 months full of experiences.
And you look at yourself how you are at the end of the coming year.
From an attitude of loving compassion.
What do you wish that will happen to this person in the coming 12 months?
And what will this person have experienced?
And maybe you want to write down the three most important wishes for this person after the end of this exercise.
And maybe you also want to say this person that is so dear to you and that you thought of today a special thank you.
I wish you all the best for the coming year and may you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live long.
And may you live with ease.
Thank you for joining me today.
