Welcome to the gratitude meditation.
This is Travis Elliott.
Enlightened masters and modern day researchers have a spouse.
Gratitude is one of the greatest contributing factors to happiness and joy.
In fact,
Researcher Robert Emmons discovered participants who kept a gratitude journal were 25% more happy than others.
In this meditation,
We will awaken the benevolent quality of gratitude.
Because when gratitude appears,
Negativity disappears.
An old proverb says,
Two men looking through gel bars,
One sees the mud,
The other sees the stars.
Let's stop dwelling in the mud of misery and focus on the magnificent blessings of life.
Find a comfortable seat.
Allow the eyes to close.
Begin to touch into your heart as you make a deeper connection there.
You might ask your intuition or inner guidance to invite the energy of gratitude to appear.
With gratitude,
Begin to reflect upon the roof over your head,
The clothes in your closet,
The food in your cupboard,
Your pantry,
The food that you have access to.
I'll never forget once teaching inside of a prison,
And during lunchtime we had a special catered event.
And one of the inmates picked up a blueberry and said he hadn't had a blueberry in over five years.
And an older Indian gentleman who picked up mango and he said he hadn't had mango in over 12 years.
We take so much for granted.
And half the world's population lives on less than $2.
50 a day.
So feel that gratitude.
Gratitude to these things we so often take for granted.
With gratitude,
Reflect upon the people in your life who have supported you and loved you.
At the end of your life,
It's not about how much money you have in the bank,
What kind of car you drive.
It's about your relationships.
And did you love well?
And did you receive love well?
Start giving gratitude to all the people who have shaped you into who you are today.
Who would you be without these people?
Your family members,
Friends,
Ancestors,
Coworkers,
And even the people who challenge you.
Very often the people who challenge you the most grow you the most.
And what about your teachers?
All those guiding forces in your life that have motivated you,
Inspired you,
And so generously share their knowledge and their wisdom with you.
Offer your gratitude to your pets and your animals.
And if you're like me,
This can be a real tear-jerker.
As Zen Master Ajahn Chah says,
If you haven't wept deeply,
You haven't begun to meditate.
But should these tears of gratitude begin to appear,
These are the tears of transformation,
Sometimes known as the tears of the way,
The way to freedom,
Spaciousness,
And joy.
Thank those pets for being the perfect demonstration of unconditional love.
Gratitude to nature,
The mountains,
Trees,
Plants,
Flowers,
Streams,
Rivers,
Lakes,
Oceans,
Waterfalls,
The sky.
This entire magnificent planet Earth,
The moon,
The sun,
The stars,
Galaxies,
And the whole entire universe that we're so intricately connected to.
And now give gratitude to you.
Very often we are our own worst enemy,
Abusing ourselves with an onslaught of judgment,
Comparison,
Negativity.
But learning to deeply love yourself is one of the most important life missions.
Give gratitude to your breath,
Your entire body,
Even those perceived imperfections.
Just give gratitude to all of you.
Offer thanks to your ability to create,
To learn,
To play,
To adventure,
To travel,
To discover,
To awaken,
To grow,
To give,
And to serve.
Feel the reverence in this moment of being alive.
What a gift.
Give gratitude to your higher power,
Bringing its infinite strength,
Fulfillment,
And meaning to your life.
And then lastly,
Just repeat those two simple words,
Thank you,
Over and over and over again.
If the only prayer you ever say your entire life is thank you,
This would be enough,
Says Meister Eckhart.
So just keep repeating,
Thank you,
Thank you.
You may notice images just appearing in the movie screen of your mind.
You may notice emotions getting stirred up within your heart.
Just keep repeating,
Thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you.
And allow that gratitude to swell,
Allow it to surge,
Allow it to grow,
Allow it to animate.
Keep repeating,
Thank you,
Thank you,
On your own.
Beautiful.
Let it go.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open up your eyes.
And as you transition through the day,
I invite you to stay aware of all these infinite blessings that are happening every single moment of your life.
Thank you for your practice.
