Gratitude: A Guided Meditation Script

What we pay attention to grows, and what we say after “I am” is what we become. So, today and every day, let’s choose to focus on the many things—the many big and small things—that we have to be grateful for.  Let’s say, “I am grateful, I am grateful, I am grateful” by meditating together and deepening the gratitude we feel for some of the blessings we have in our lives.  Really feeling grateful will raise our vibration and attract even more good into our lives.     

Before we begin our gratitude meditation, take a minute or two to settle in to your preferred meditation posture. Whether you choose to sit in a chair with your back straight or to lie down on a bed or floor, getting comfortable is the most important thing.  Once you’ve settled in, feather your nest, as davidji says, and then, if you feel comfortable doing so, close your eyes or simply assume a soft gaze.  Take a few deep, grounding breaths in and out, in and out. 

Now bring to mind something you’ve seen today that made you feel grateful.  It could be a beautiful sunrise or a fancy sports car, a child’s smile or a stranger’s nod in passing.  I am grateful for the ability to see the flowers in bloom, the shape of an unusual tree trunk, the sparkle in the eye of someone who loves me.  Think about some of the things you’ve seen that make you feel grateful to have experienced them in your life.    

Now think about something you’ve smelled today for which you feel gratitude.  Perhaps you wish to acknowledge that first hot cup of coffee this morning and the way its steam wafted into your nose or how your shampoo, soap, or body wash lingers on your skin.  Maybe you want to bring to mind the scent of clean laundry spinning around in the dryer, its exhaust making the neighborhood smell like fresh linens.  I am grateful to be able to smell the honeysuckle bushes in bloom, the sharpness of a freshly sliced lemon, the sweetness of my grandchild’s hair, and the signature perfume my daughter wears every day.  Bring to mind some of the smells for which you feel gratitude and linger there a moment. 

What have you enjoyed tasting today?  Perhaps you feel grateful for the minty tanginess of your toothpaste, the way a glass of lemon water puckers your lips, or the sharp bitterness left in your mouth from that shot of expresso—or of whiskey.  I am grateful to have tasted fresh, ripe berries, bitter and sweet herbal teas, and the pure non-taste of good, clean water.  Focus for a few minutes on the gratitude you feel for what you’ve been able to taste. 

Bring to mind something you’re grateful for hearing today: a belly laugh, a birdsong, your favorite song playing on the car radio.  Maybe you’ve heard your cat purring in pleasure under your hands or someone saying they love you.  I am grateful for hearing the wind blowing through tree branches, for the tree frogs playing their nightly symphony in my back yard, for the sound of water cascading over rocks and the murmur of late-night conversations.  Acknowledge and appreciate some of the sounds that add richness and depth to your life.

What kind of things have you touched today? What can you feel gratitude for feeling? Is it the comfort of your bed, the cool spot on your pillow, the warmth of the shower water running over your skin, or the sense of well-being that comes from being loved?  Maybe it’s feeling the dirt from your garden or the lather from your soap.  I am grateful for feeling the work-roughened hands of my husband, the silky softness of my favorite blanket, and the growing grass beneath my bare feet.  Take some time now to notice and feel grateful for all that you’ve touched and all that’s touched you. 

Now, bring to the front of your mind some of the places you’ve been and for which you feel gratitude.  Perhaps you want to acknowledge having a job to go to each morning and a home to return to each evening, or maybe you feel grateful for the places you’ve been able to visit, each with its own unique sights and sounds, scents and tastes.  Can you feel grateful for the city or town in which you live, the places where you vacation?  Where have you been that’s touched your soul and made you grateful to be alive on this wonderful planet we inhabit together?  Notice and appreciate.    

Finally, let’s express our gratitude for the people in our world. Recognize and acknowledge the important roles our family and friends play in our lives, how much they enrich it just by their presence.  Think about the colleagues who support you at work and even those who challenge you, for all of them add value and depth to our days.  Most importantly, be grateful for yourself, for your health and wellness, for your unique personality and the qualities that make you who you are and who you are becoming.  I am grateful for my values, my hobbies and interests, my spiritual practices, my faults, and my accomplishments.  What unique qualities do you possess that deserve your gratitude? What do you appreciate about yourself?  

Now, as we bring this meditation to a close, notice and appreciate all that we have to be grateful for, all the things big and small, all the people great and simple, all the places, the sights, the sounds, the scents that enrich our worlds.  Say aloud with me: 

For all of this and more, I am grateful, I am grateful, I am grateful, I am grateful.  And so it is.    

Author: Terry Shamblin