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[00:00:00] Welcome to wholehearted coaching the podcast. If you're looking for more purpose, more passion, more joy in your life than you have come to the right place. Let's create your dream life while living your dream life. Okay. Love.

[00:00:21] Hi love. Welcome to a special guided meditation this week in the podcast we are talking about. Episode seven, why we need a joy more than ever in difficult times. It's easy for us to become disconnected with our joy. We are trying our hardest to survive, to get through day by day that it can seem very trivial and frivolous to focus on our joy.

[00:00:50] But as we talked about in that podcast episode, we realized that joy is an incredible source of strength. And resilience for us. Today's meditation is going to be a gratitude meditation. Now let's talk a little bit about gratitude because I feel like gratitude has become like the kale of self care.

[00:01:14] Right? We like hear about it all the time. You know, it's, it's in everything and you can't help, but just roll your eyes when someone says the word gratitude. I get it, but gratitude truly is the most effective, the most powerful, the quickest way to bring us back to our joy. It reminds us of what is actually working in our lives.

[00:01:44] Right? If fear, fixates on what isn't gratitude, shines a light on what is. When it comes to gratitude, there are two things that we all need to really be aware of. Two things that actually make gratitude work. The first thing is acknowledging, right. We can be living our lives and know that we have good lives, right.

[00:02:12] Even with the current circumstances as they are. I think a lot of us can know. That. Yeah. There's a lot of things I can be grateful for, but we really have to acknowledge those things. You know, it's like having an incredible partner who does all these things for you to make your life easier and better and never taking the moment to say thank you to them.

[00:02:43] Right. That thank you. Is what gratitude is. It is us showing our lives, ourselves that thanks. And the second thing is that we really have to get specific with our gratitude. It's one thing to say, I'm grateful for my health. I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful for the home I live in. Right. These are all things.

[00:03:09] Many of us can just list off. And even as I'm saying them, I'm not getting that really wonderful, joyful buzz or rush that I get when I'm specific with my gratitude. When I say I am so grateful for that phone call that I had with my sister last night. I am so grateful for these legs, that move. They get me out of bed.

[00:03:33] They went for a run today. They took me to beautiful places and I saw amazing things. When I get grateful like that. When I get specific with my gratitude, it makes such a shift, such a change. So I really encourage you that if you do want to explore gratitude, Even deeper than we are going to in this meditation start to really acknowledge it and start to get really specific with it.

[00:04:07] All right. So let's begin our meditation. So find yourself in a relaxed, but alert, seated position.

[00:04:20] And once you're there, close your eyes.

[00:04:27] Use the breath as an anchor,

[00:04:33] meaning use the breath as a tool to ground you to center. You become aware of the rhythm of your breath

[00:04:48] and allow the breath.

[00:04:53] To root you in this present moment

[00:05:04] and perhaps just repeating to yourself, I am breathing in, I am breathing out.

[00:05:32] I now want you to envision yourself in a space where you feel safe. Peaceful relaxed, perhaps that's your home. Maybe it's a coffee shop or a field, a beach, a place you've been to or a place you've never been. Imagine yourself in a space where you feel safe at peace and relaxed.

[00:06:15] And once you find that space really create it for yourself. So what do you feel against your skin? What do you see around you? What do you hear? What do you smell?

[00:06:42] And sense that this space is not just in front of you, but it is also next to you on both sides. It is behind you. It is above you and it is below you. So you are truly surrounded in this space.

[00:07:22] Now I want you to think of the phrase I am grateful for, or I appreciate.

[00:07:35] And imagine like a wave coming towards you, like waves coming towards you, images, people, things, memories that you are grateful for, that you are thankful for that you appreciate. So just imagine these waves coming towards you. These waves of gratitude.

[00:08:29] And now pick one thing, one thing that really resonated with you, those images, those memories, the people that you saw, pick one and see it as vividly as you can in front of you.

[00:08:56] And now express to that thing, why you're so grateful for it, why you are thankful for it, why you love it so much express to that thing, everything that is within your heart right now,

[00:09:45] Express the final, last things that you would like to tell this thing.

[00:09:57] And now place one hand on your heart, whether it's in this division or in real life, place a hand on your heart.

[00:10:11] What does a life now? What is here now

[00:10:28] be present with the feelings, with the wisdom and with the knowledge that is within you in this moment and allow it to expand. As much as it can within you touching every part of your incredible being,

[00:10:56] uh, immersed yourself in this feeling love. In this vast gratitude and love, which is who you are.

[00:11:32] And now as we end this meditation,

[00:11:38] hold on to one thing that you do not want to forget about this experience, whether it is a vision, a feeling, an insight, one thing, one thing that you will hold onto, I'm going to take three final breaths and that inhalation. Is your reminder of what you do not want to forget. So let's breathe in and out, breathe in and out, breathe in, breathe out.

[00:12:21] So now come back to the present, back to the room and whenever you're ready. Open your eyes.

[00:12:36] I hope that this meditation brought a smile to your face, to your heart, to your being. I hope that it brought some joy for you during these difficult times until next time I'll talk to you. Thank you so much for joining me this week. If you liked this week's episode, please share it with a friend comment and rate this podcast until next week.

[00:13:07] See you later. Love.