For this morning gratitude meditation,
We're going to connect to the light of sunflowers.
So as you sit comfortably,
I want you to imagine that the stem of a sunflower is growing up from the base of your tailbone up through your spine,
Lifting up and up,
Stretching toward the light,
Stretching toward the sun,
Reaching up with joy and gratitude for this new day.
And as you breathe in,
I want you to pull all of the nutrients,
All of the positive energy from the earth up your spine,
Up and up and up,
All the way to the crown of your head.
There you might imagine a beautiful yellow sunflower is blooming at the crown of your head,
Reaching toward the light,
Its petals unfurling to the sun.
And you may have seen how sunflowers through the day,
Their heads will tilt toward the sun.
You can imagine yourself having that capacity to be oriented toward the light,
Orienting toward goodness in your day,
In your life.
And being with this beautiful energy of the sunflower,
We'll take some moments to invite gratitude into our hearts.
Giving some space right now to think of any people you feel grateful for.
You might even imagine giving this person a bundle of sunflowers or any other flowers that you find beautiful.
Imagine making a beautiful gift of sunflowers to someone who you love,
Allowing this gratitude to fill your whole being.
Now I want you to think of some situation in your life that you can feel grateful for.
Maybe you can feel grateful for your employment,
For earning income.
Maybe you feel grateful for your living situation,
For your home,
For the location in which you live.
Maybe you feel grateful for the nature that surrounds you.
Maybe you're grateful for your health.
Just taking some moments now to be grateful for a situation that you find yourself in right now.
Allowing this gratitude to rise up the stem of your sunflower,
Allowing the flower to bloom in its fullness and its beauty.
Knowing that we might encounter hardships during our day,
We might face challenges,
There might be difficulties,
Frustrations,
Annoyances,
And we can have peace and acceptance around those,
Not disregard them,
Not circumvent them,
But hold space,
Knowing that we can always connect to the internal sunflower that grows up our spine,
The flower that blooms from the crown of our head,
Connecting us to the light and goodness of this world.
May you carry this light with you today.
