A Meditation for Gratitude

A simple meditation to leave your heart warm and smiling with gratitude.

This practice is good for any time of the day but is best practiced first thing in the morning to start of the day with a grateful heart. Sometimes we forget to realize how much we appreciate the simple things in life: our hands, the rain, a table to eat on… This focus practice is a simple way to remind us of all those little things, with each breath thinking of a new thing that holds your gratitude; whether that gratitude has been long forgotten or you are reminded of it everyday. See how far your gratitude can take you.

Prepare: Find a place where you will have the least distractions: maybe a cozy corner, quiet room, or outside if the weather is nice. If you have a time limit, set a timer so that you are able to solely focus on your meditation and not on how much time has gone by (it is recommended to set a timer for at least 10 minutes). Allow yourself to sit with your most erect spine, either on a chair or onto the floor. If you choose to sit cross legged in easy pose, sit upon a cushion or folded blanket to give a little elevation to you hips (you will notice it becomes more comfortable to sit with a straight spine and that you become less fidgety than when sitting straight onto the floor). Allow your palms to rest upon your knees and guide yourself through simple postural cueing (sit bones root deep to the earth, tailbone reaches long beneath you, the belly below the belly button pulls in gently towards the spine and up towards the heart, the heart remains open possibly circling your shoulders up, back, and down, the energy reaches up through your neck and through the crown of the head, pulling the spine long, gently tuck the chin, and bring the gaze to the third eye). Find your breath, and begin to deepen each inhale and each exhale. In through the nose and out through the nose.

The practice: As you have deepened your breath, begin to think of all the things/ideas you are thankful for. Of course, there are no limits here, it can be anything. With each exhale, think in your mind (or say out-loud) one thing/idea that you are thankful for, take in your inhale and with the next exhale think or say another thing you have gratitude for. Continue thinking of one thing or idea that gives you gratitude on each breathe you take and saying the word/words on your exhale either out-loud or in your mind. If you ever feel stuck, it is okay to repeat. Continue until your timer goes off. If you do not set a timer for this one, allow yourself to see how far you will go. Continue until you feel yourself radiating with gratitude and light. And then maybe go a few breaths longer…

Coming out of it: Allow yourself to take three to five steady long deep breathes in silence and stillness. Press your palms into each other, thumbs close to the heart centering your gratitude. Allow yourself to smile. Rub your palms together to create some warmth, then press your palms over your eyelids gently massaging into the eye sockets. Slowly begin to blink the light of the day back into your grateful eyes. Smile.

This practice is something that can also be practiced in a group setting as a bonding exercise, either sitting into a circle or around a table. Allow everyone to find their comfortable place and close their eyes. Find a pace of breath that everyone can keep together, breathing together as a group. And going around the group, one-by-one, each person can mention their one thing/idea and on the next exhale the person to their side says their thing/idea. Continue around the circle for at least 10 minutes or for a certain number of rounds. Come out of it slowly, together.