Dear %%FIRST_NAME%%,
Welcome to Day 21!
Can you believe that we’re already three weeks into this journey?
How are you getting on?
Which shifts have you been noticing?
Which techniques have you found easy? And which have you found more challenging?
Here’s a reminder where you can share your thoughts over at the Week Three Discussion Thread.
Today seems like a good point to ask the question: “What on earth is ‘gratitude’?”
It might seem like a strange thing to ask, three weeks into this project. But it’s actually a useful point to pause and reflect.
The meaning of words and concepts changes over time, heavily influenced by our experiences, values and beliefs as well as our behaviour.
What ‘gratitude’ meant to you 3 weeks ago may be subtly different to what it means – or how it feels to you – today. And that is likely to change again, before the end of this 100 day project.
What Is ‘Gratitude’?
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Pause for a moment and take 3 deep breaths – breathing in from your belly area, and breathing out with a long ‘ahhh’ sighing sound – releasing tension.
You can do this exercise in your head, or you could grab a pen and paper (tends to work better than a computer keyboard).
Allow your focus – your breathing and awareness – to rest in your heart centre – in the middle of your chest. Breathe in and out, gently, allowing any physical tension in the area to soften and release.
When you’re ready, allow your responses to the following statement to bubble up:
For me, gratitude is…
Allow it to be a stream of consciousness – unedited, without judgement, without filtering.
For me, in this moment, gratitude is…
Accept whatever comes up. There’s no right or wrong. Let go of your assumptions. This isn’t about a dictionary definition. It’s about your heart’s meaning.
Right here, right now, gratitude is…
Thank your heart for sharing this ‘snapshot’ with you. You might want to note down any insights.
When you have done this exercise, how about going to the forum and sharing some of your insights? Or perhaps you have some questions? What is ‘gratitude’?
And tomorrow we move on to your week four project. I hope you have enjoyed this week’s mindful breathing gratitude meditation.
Köszönöm!
Namaste,
Week 3 Gratitude Project & Useful Links
Mindful Breathing – With Gratitude
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Here’s a transcript of the meditation:
The Gratitude Breath Meditation
Start by sitting with your back fairly straight. Imagine a thread pulling through the crown of your head, gently lengthening your spine, allowing a space to form between each vetebra. You’re not looking for ramrod straight; you’re looking for gentle, natural curves, with a relaxed stretch. And as that thread draws up through the crown of your head, gently lengthening the lumbar spine, all the way up to the thoracic spine, and the neck… tucking the chin under slightly, to elongate the back of the neck and release any tension… Then we’ll start with three deep sighing breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, with an ‘ahh’ sound.
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3 sighing breaths.
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Feeling the tension melting away…
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For the next few moments, I’d like you just to let your awareness – focus – your attention – rest on your breathing; accepting your breathing and not trying to change it in any way…
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And if your mind wanders, how about giving it a job? Bringing your awareness back to your breath… and this time, as you breathe in, consciously choosing to think: Thank you for my life-giving breath; and as you breathe out: Thank you for my life-giving breath…
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And for the next few moments, I invite you to really connect with the organs and the muscles and other bits and bobs in the body that allow you to breathe; and as you breathe in and out, saying a silent ‘thank you’ to your diaphragm… to your lungs… all of the muscles and the tendons… and everything else that allows you to breathe… whether breathing is effortless for you… or whether sometimes it’s more of a challenge… Thank you diaphragm… Thank you lungs… Thank you body… Thank you breath…
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And allow that sense of gratitude to grow… as your breath fills your body with life-giving energy… and the out-breath carries away the old by-products and toxins… allow that thank you to flow through every oxygenated cell in your body…
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And when you’re ready… it’s time to release today’s practice… making sure your feet are flat on the ground, imagine you’re growing roots from the soles of your feet, deep into the earth… and these roots are connecting you with the earth beneath you… breathing in from the earth… breathing out into the earth… and you might see those roots; you might feel them physically; you might even hear them as they grow… and when you have a strong sense of those roots, anchoring you into the earth, take a deep sighing breath… a little stretch, keeping your eyes gently closed… rubbing the palms of your hands together, creating some warmth… and when you can feel that warmth, cupping that warmth over your gently closed eyes… opening your eyes behind those hands and gently spreading your fingers, to let the light in, bit by bit… rubbing your face… a good stretch and a good yawn! Thank you… That’s your “Thank you breath” meditation. I wish you a wonderful day!
When you have had a chance to play with the week three Gratitude Project, please remember to pop by the forum and share your experiences: Week 3 Discussion Thread