 Hello and welcome to this sharing gratitude meditation this is recorded on November 25th, 2021 thanksgiving in America and during this session we're going to be practicing a heart warming technique to foster gratitude and connection first of all I'd like you to get as comfortable as you can get and just relax and close your eyes relaxing putting down anything that requires your full attention turning off your phone whatever you need to do to get into the moment just become as comfortable as you possibly can be just settling in and letting go and when you feel yourself comfortable either laying down or sitting in the chair just take a deep breath in and just hold it for a second and then let it go and as we let go we let go of anything that no longer serves us anything that is any residual energy that no longer we need and when you take another deep breath in you breathing relaxation you hold it and you breathe out anything that is causing you any forms of stress or anxiousness and then I just want you to start to relax your head just allow your neck and your shoulders and your back just to soften relax your arms relax your legs just allow yourself to sink into the chair or the bed where you're lying and importantly now just connect with your breath simply just follow the inhalation and the exhalation listening to the breath feeling the breath just nice and easy nice and slow you can slow the breath even more but I just want you to find your own natural breathing rhythm and then on your next exhale I want you to begin to disconnect from all of the outside sensations just release with the intention of bringing your focus within deep within and just feel this wonderful space that just gets built around you feel the calm the serenity the peace the relaxation and if anything disturbs you or any thoughts come into your mind outside of this you can just accept them let them go just lean back into the seat of your soul and allow them just to pass by and every breath you breathe you're breathing in calm and relaxation every time you breathe out you're letting go of anything that no longer serves you and I want you now to bring to mind in this lovely space in your mind's eye in your imagination whatever it is bring to mind the most important people in your life your closest family members your friends the people who you love and just imagine each person just appearing before you just notice each and every one in fact just look them in the eye and feel their presence feel their energy here and just imagine yourself seeing yourself reaching out to all of your loved ones holding their hand in yours make it feel real bring it to fruition feel your fingers entwined with theirs and the warmth and the softness of theirs skin and allow thee and imagine the bright glow of gratitude emanating from your heart as you bring to mind all of the ways this person makes you feel loved what gifts does this person bring into your life in what way does this love support you how does this friend support you and just feel the gratitude growing and growing becoming brighter and brighter with each beat of your heart and now feel this light moving from your chest all the way down to your arms to your fingertips and then flowing from your hand to the hand of your loved one moving all the way up their arm and to their beating heart filling it with gratitude and love and just see and imagine the look of joy on your loved ones face as they accept this gift of gratitude see the warm glow shining brightly within them their heart now just beating in sync with your own and just stay in the stillness for a few moments enjoying this heart to heart connection now with your free hand i'd like you to reach out to a treasured friend once again bring that person forward feeling their energy as they come close feeling their hand in yours as you hold their hand feeling the light of gratitude shining brightly within your heart as you think of all the happiness the lessons the experience the love the laughter the joy that this person has brought into your life and just in your mind you know what is it that you appreciate most about this person be specific as you bring these precious memories and values to mind and once more encourage the glow to flow from your heart to theirs moving in and around you both envelope in you with appreciation and continue to enjoy this divine moment of true connection now you've called upon many loved ones and many friends to be with you here and just imagine in your mind that all of these people who are present will join hands form in a circle and just watch the light spread from their hearts of all the loved ones by your side to the next heart and to the next and to the next forming a a ring of gratitude and just once again notice everyone who is present here the people who you hold dearly the ones who you may or may not take the time to appreciate as often as you'd like to because you see this is a moment this is the time to offer your thanks and gratitude and if any distracting thoughts or memories come into this experience that's okay just acknowledge them simply take a few deep and cleanse in breaths feeling the grow of gratitude becoming stronger and brighter burning away anything that does not serve us in this experience remember that there is no room for judgment there is no room for grudges there is no room for holding on to the past here there is only an acceptance you are here now so embrace this moment breathe deeply allowing the light within your heart to glow and grow spreading through the circle once more feeling each heart beating as one each breath taken as one allowing into this circle only unconditional love and appreciation feel the love and the gratitude from everybody who has a peace or a part to play in your life and you in this an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude for all of our friends and family all of our loved ones past present or potentially in the future I like you now just in your mind to see everybody letting go of their hands and seeing everyone in circle raise their hands as well hold your hands up to your heart in gratitude for everything that we have in our lives everything that we've been given everything that we've been blessed for and as we thank the divine for giving us these experiences these gifts these blessings we too thank each person in this circle for being present here today now take a deep breath in and allow this scene to fade and bring yourself back into your body take a few deep breaths in and as you inhale you can slowly open your eyes and give your body a really nice stretch hands above your head your chest open just return to your day feeling loved feeling appreciated and feeling deeply grateful for everything we have and every connection we have in this life thank you for listening to this meditation I hope you enjoyed it be love and give love see you soon