Find a tall and comfortable seat.
Something that feels sustainable and easy for you to remain alert and relaxed.
Begin just by taking a few calm breaths in and out of the nose.
If it feels comfortable for you here,
You can keep your eyes softly open or close them gently from top to bottom.
And continuing to breathe in and out of the nose,
Easy and relaxed.
And in this calm,
Easy state,
Noticing how the muscles soften around the bones.
And perhaps even the organs,
The heart softens along with it.
Everything easy,
Soft and moving fluidly with a breath.
Notice how the inhale and the exhale can move easily in and out of the nose without force.
Into the ease of the body,
The lungs,
The muscles,
Even as deep as yourselves.
Whatever that looks like or feels like to you today.
And on the inhalation,
Now noticing how the breath might feel like it could even touch within you.
Let the exhale release freely,
Openly.
The inhale moves easily within you,
Touching perhaps even your heart.
And is released easily on the exhalation.
Inhaling,
Exhaling freely.
Letting your attention rest on that cycle for a few more breaths here.
The inhale touching within you,
The exhale releasing easily.
If the attention wanders,
Gently invite it back with kindness,
With openness to your inhale,
Your exhale.
Maintaining this simple cycle of breath.
And now on the inhalation,
Inviting gratitude to touch within your heart.
On your inhalation and exhaling,
Gently releasing easily,
Freely.
Inhaling,
Gratitude.
Exhaling openly without trying to hold on to that gratitude,
Just recognizing that it can remain there.
It's not something we have to force.
It simply lives within us.
And the breath might help us recognize that.
And so on the inhale,
Feeling as though gratitude can touch something within you,
Whether it's your heart or just a general area in the center of your body.
Exhaling openly,
As if that gratitude could be easily assimilated and expressed outwardly.
Beginning with yourself on the inhale,
Letting gratitude touch within you first.
Releasing easily on the exhale.
Allowing that gratitude to freely spread as far as you'd like it to today.
It might just be in your general area for you and yourself today.
You might like this gratitude to extend to someone in particular or a group of people,
Whether you know them or not.
Inhaling,
Receiving the gratitude fully.
And similarly,
Exhale,
Releasing it fully.
Recognizing that gratitude is available,
Not only for yourself,
In your body,
In your life,
But for all beings.
Whether it's a general sense of gratitude or something or someone in particular you feel thankful for in this moment.
Allowing it to touch within your heart on the inhalation.
Release easily on the exhalation.
Inhaling,
Exhaling freely,
Allowing the gratitude to disperse however you see fit today,
However serves you best in this moment.
And if the attention wanders,
Invite it back calmly,
Easily to rest again in your definition of gratitude today.
Or just even more simply on your breath.
Or perhaps how it feels to receive gratitude so openly,
So easily,
Just by inhaling.
Or how it feels to extend and release gratitude so easily,
Openly,
Freely,
Just by exhaling.
And let your attention rest on this for a few more cycles of breath here.
As you bring your attention back to your breath,
You might take an exhalation softly out of the mouth if that feels appropriate for you.
To let your awareness settle back into your body in this moment.
Not by releasing this gratitude practice completely,
But just by letting it be there.
And letting your attention rest now on your breath naturally flowing.
Perhaps on the sounds around you to bring your attention back to this place,
Just as it is and just as you are here today.
And recognizing the gratitude within you.
It's easily resting and living within your heart at all times,
Always available for you to access.
And our ability to extend that gratitude easily outward,
Whether it's to another person,
Another group of people,
Or perhaps just the general energy of being thankful for ourselves and for each other.
If it feels comfortable for you to complete your meditation here,
You can bring your hands together at the center of your chest and bow your chin down towards your chest to signify the mind and the heart meeting together.
And thank yourself just for taking time for yourself today.
Namaste.
