Gratitude Meditation

Welcome,

Beloved ones.

I invite you to close the eyes.

Relax the shoulders down and feel the space across your chest,

Your beautiful heart more open,

More expansive.

And continue to deepen the breath.

Slow the breath down.

Place one or both of your palms over your heart.

And as you breathe,

Really feel your heart,

Sense your heart,

Your physical heart,

Emotional heart.

This beautiful heart that keeps us alive.

Even if the brain is barely functioning,

We remain alive because of this exquisite heart.

So let us be grateful to this beautiful heart.

So grateful.

When the brain is trained to always notice what's missing,

What's wrong,

What we don't like,

What isn't working,

We often miss all of the things that are working,

That are going well.

It's easier to take them for granted.

So let's take a breath together.

And I invite you to start to think of everything in your life that is working right now.

What is going well in your life right now?

With your job,

Your finances,

Your relationships,

Your physical health,

Your spiritual relationship.

Think of everything that is going well,

Even if it seems very small or insignificant.

Think of everything big or small that is working right now in your life experience.

And remember to breathe deeply.

Relax the jaw and face.

What is going well in your world?

Maybe you're in a period where your relationship is really sweet or juicy.

Maybe things are going really well at work right now.

Maybe you made a new friend.

Maybe you've been eating a little better for your body or taking better care of your body.

Maybe you've been spending time to meditate or maybe you're just becoming more aware.

Maybe your mind is expanding.

What is going well in your world right now?

Many of us live in this experience of always striving for something.

Even when we reach a goal or create something we want in our lives.

It's rare that we spend a lot of time really enjoying that before we're on to the next thing.

So let's also reflect on where we can acknowledge ourselves.

Where we can really appreciate where we are in our lives.

Think back one month ago,

One year,

Five years ago,

Ten years ago.

How many things are you living in your life right now that a year,

Five,

Ten years ago were just a dream?

What do you have in your life right now that in the past was just some thought or fantasy?

Can you start to feel this gratitude coming to the surface welling up from inside?

What goals have you reached?

Have you accomplished?

Even if they seem small,

Again,

They are something to be acknowledged,

To be celebrated.

Let's take a deep breath.

Feel like you're creating more space inside with your breath.

Your body relaxes even more.

Can you feel this gratitude awakening,

Becoming aware of all that you do have and all of the ways that you have grown or excelled or created things in your world that you wanted?

Can you appreciate and acknowledge yourself right now with this gratitude for where you are,

For who you are?

And I invite you to allow a smile on your face,

Even if you don't feel like smiling.

When we smile,

We send messages to the brain to release these good feeling hormones that allow the heart to soften,

That allow us to become a little more receptive,

A little more grateful.

Who is someone in your life that you feel truly grateful for?

Someone that just lights up your life?

Maybe they allow you to feel greater peace when you're around them or safety or love,

Affection,

Tenderness,

Joy.

Think of someone you feel really grateful for.

And feel your heart relaxing with this gratitude.

Think of someone else you feel truly grateful for.

Someone who brings wonderful qualities to your life experience.

Imagine how good it feels to be in their presence and all of the ways that you feel grateful for them.

Why do you love having them in your life?

Feel this tenderness,

This opening,

This expansion in your heart.

Imagine how fortunate you are to have this person,

These people in your life.

And now allow your mind to expand and just grab every grateful thought that you have.

And imagine that you're just bringing it into your heart.

You can physically use your hand and imagine that you're pulling this gratitude into your heart.

Or you can just imagine with each grateful thought,

Your heart is becoming more and more full.

So just think of everything,

Everyone that you feel grateful for in this world.

For the beautiful fragrant flowers,

For your pet,

For your family,

For your beautiful body,

For your resilience,

For your beautiful mind,

Your heart.

And just start to pull in grateful thought after grateful thought.

This beautiful planet,

Your job,

Having food,

Clean water,

Just every grateful thought,

One after the next.

And smile,

Open your heart,

Open yourself to this gratitude.

I'm so grateful for my life.

I'm so grateful for the rain.

I'm so grateful for the starry night sky.

I'm so grateful for love in my heart.

Keep going.

Maybe you're grateful for your favorite food or a beautiful memory.

Just pull them in one after the next.

And feel this gratitude building within you.

Breathe deeply.

Use your breath to create even more space inside.

And I invite you to sit tall,

Open your chest,

Even open your arms if you wish.

Allow your body to reflect this practice of awakening gratitude,

This tenderness,

This preciousness of life.

Slowly bring your palms to your heart center.

Breathe deeply into your heart.

Exhale through the mouth.

And for these last few moments of our practice,

Offer yourself gratitude.

All my beloved self,

I'm so grateful for you.

I'm so grateful for your strength.

I'm so grateful for your courage to try new things.

I'm so grateful for your beautiful heart.

Just give yourself every thought of gratitude you can,

Even if it's the same thought again and again.

And smile.

Breathe.

Open.

Welcome this gratitude from your own precious self.

Feel this fullness of life awakening within you.

And now in completion of our practice,

Let us offer ourselves any kind thoughts that we feel we're needing to hear right now.

Maybe it's a thought of encouragement.

You've got this.

I believe in you.

Or maybe it's a loving thought that says it's okay to have difficult days.

It's okay to have rough days.

I'm right here.

It's okay.

Offer yourself kindness,

Love for these next few breaths.

Let's take a deep full breath in and out together.

You can give your heart a little gentle rub if you wish.

Maybe even give yourself a hug.

Just a grateful hug for you,

For your beautiful life.

Slowly begin to move the body.

And when you feel ready to,

Slowly open the eyes and take in the world around you through these eyes of gratitude.

What do you notice in your space with this gratitude awakened in your heart?

What are you aware of in your mind,

In your body,

In your heart,

In your life when you see through the eyes of gratitude?

I'll read this quote by Melody Beatty.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

Chaos to order,

Confusion to clarity.

It turns a meal into a feast,

A house into a home,

A stranger into a friend.

I deeply love them.