21-Day Meditation Experience

Day 14 - Gratitude Brings Compassion “We are all of one light on this one Earth, and loving humanity makes all the difference.” ― Michelle Cruz-Rosado Today’s meditation shows us how expressing gratitude easily leads to compassion. We all know that to be spiritual we are supposed to be compassionate, but with all the negativity and injustice we see around us, it’s easy for our egos to feel justified being judgmental and critical. However, when you find reasons to feel grateful to someone, you are bridging the gulf of separation between the two of you. You can’t be thankful and resentful at the same time. That connection you feel when you are thankful is your shared humanity – it is the ground of compassion. A compassionate heart is accepting and forgiving not only to others, but to yourself as well. Daily Journal 1. Write the names of anyone with whom you don’t always see eye to eye with, but would sincerely wish to be kind to. 2. For each person, describe at least one admirable quality you appreciate in them. Let that feeling of appreciation suggest a gesture of kindness you can make to them. 3. For each of these people, write something you share in common and how that can be a bridge of compassion. For example, perhaps you both have an elderly mother you worry about, or share a passion for a particular cause. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 13 - Succeeding through Gratitude “Having contentment and gratitude in the present moment is the surest way to achieve success.” ― Bryant McGill When grace guides our thoughts and actions, our success will be fulfilling and meaningful. Today’s meditation shows us how the practice of gratitude can guide our success in an intelligent and compassionate direction. This type of success is different from the ego-driven success which seeks to hold, control, and keep the object of desire as a way to feel better about itself. However, if your success is driven from gratitude and grace in your heart, then you are connected to your true self and your success always feels complete and fulfilling. Daily Journal 1. State your idea of personal success in terms of inner qualities. For example, characteristics such as self-confidence, truthfulness, integrity, respect, loyalty, inner peace, insight, or creativity. 2. Write about three moments in your life when these qualities were called upon and you showed them. 3. Journal about three situations in the past where you could have better represented these positive qualities. Now, describe what you could have done differently to turn the situation around. This is key for positive change in the future. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 12 - Loving with Gratitude “The more grateful we are, the more connected we become to the universe around us.” ― Stephen Richards Today’s meditation is about divine love, the spiritual grace that supports everyone and everything. This love is always there whether we see it or not. Gratitude, when offered to another person, is really an expression of love. Like all forms of love, gratitude removes the feeling of separation and distance between hearts. It is an affirmation of our common existence. Gratitude takes us out of our ego self that may be afraid to love because of insecurity, vulnerability, or fear of rejection. When we learn to feel gratitude with a full heart, we are learning to love unconditionally. Living this divine love is living in grace. Daily Journal 1. Describe three ways divine love or grace supports your life right now. 2. Write any feelings you may have that suggest a lack of support from divine love. For example, lack of faith, unbelief, skepticism, anxiety, strong negative beliefs, or lack of trust. 3. List active steps towards gratitude you can take to overcome your inner obstacles and resistance to divine love, such as enjoying inspirational poetry or spiritual literature, offering forgiveness to someone, or connecting with a sympathetic believer. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 11 - Nature's Generosity Is Waiting “The most fortunate are those who have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy.” ― Abraham Maslow In today’s meditation, we learn that Nature is always ready to give to us and support us. We only need to open ourselves to that infinite abundance and connect with it. Gratitude is the way we contact Nature’s generosity and bring its support directly into our lives. This expansive, engaged relationship with Nature reestablishes our mind-body system to its healthy, balanced state. Instead of feeling constricting fear and anxiety, our expansive awareness now blossoms and shares its generosity of spirit. Expanded awareness improves the entire functioning of your body as well, from your cells to your genes. Daily Journal 1. List three things that you would like to have in more abundance. Instead of money or possessions, focus on things that cultivate inner abundance, such as kindness, intimacy, love, affection, appreciation, self-worth, joy, and satisfaction. 2. Moving down your list from Question 1, write one activity for each attribute that will help cultivate that particular kind of inner abundance. For example, you could offer a kind word or compliment to someone you know who needs it, or leave a simple note of appreciation for a loved one. 3. List the names of people that most contribute to your inner abundance. Describe how you can connect with them more often. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 10 - Gratitude Expands Every Relationship “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust In today’s meditation, we explore how gratitude can transform all our relationships. It starts when you express gratitude or appreciation to another person. The transformation begins when you have the thought of gratitude and your brain translates that feeling into beneficial biochemical and neurological changes in your body. The feeling of gratitude also expands the heart, which has the effect of erasing old grievances and soothing resentments and petty differences we may have been holding onto. Gratitude is wonderful in that it gives these same benefits to the body and heart of the giver as well as the receiver of gratitude. When someone is thanked or appreciated, they generate the same biochemical changes and feel the same expansion and healing of the heart. This back-and-forth flow of grace uplifts and opens every aspect of our relationship with that person. Daily Journal 1. Bring to mind one relationship in your life that is difficult for you to feel appreciation for and would benefit from more gratitude. Describe the challenge or obstacle that makes it difficult to express gratitude towards that particular person. 2. Now, write about the good qualities of that person and relationship that you admire and enjoy. 3. Now, journal about some things you could do with this person that would bring out these positive qualities and make it easier to feel gratitude for them. For example, if you have a family member with a fiery personality who feels calm by the water, take a beach walk with them or spend the day by a pristine lake together. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 9 - Changing Your Personal Reality “The thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.” ― Henry Ward Beecher Today’s meditation gives us the starting place for transforming reality – our own self. Reality is not an impersonal experience or concept. It is personal, and how we see it and relate to it is a product of our unique history, attitudes, and beliefs. We are unique in who we are, unique in how we see the world, and unique in the reality we experience. The core of our awareness is the source of our beliefs, feelings, and attitudes, and therefore that is the place from which we can change our personal reality. This inner awareness is an ever-present field of possibilities. We always have the possibility or choice for change at any moment. Gratitude is a practice that empowers us in this choice to see the opportunities in our life with fresh eyes. Daily Journal 1. Write about any memories or negative experiences that make it difficult for you to feel gratitude. This list can be as long or as short as you like. 2. Describe any strong physical sensations, feelings, or attitudes associated with each experience from Question 2. These give you clues to the ways and places you may be stuck in the past. 3. Using the list from Question 1 again, journal about one way in which you can begin to move past each experience. For example, if you feel regret over an ended relationship, write about several positive things that have happened in your life since its endpoint. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 8 - Gratitude Benefits Mind and Body “There is no prescription for finding moments of gratitude in every day; there is simply the choice.” ― Gillian Deacon This week we will extend our understanding and experience of gratitude to the mind-body connection. Gratitude is much more than an attitude or mood – it is a powerful positive input to our mind-body system that leads to increased physical and psychological well-being. Grateful thoughts and meditative states don’t just stay in your mind. Messenger molecules instantly transmit their effects to the body’s 100 trillion cells, creating new brain cells and new pathways and brain patterns. The practice of gratitude has even been found to change our gene expression in a positive direction. By directing our awareness toward gratitude, our entire mind-body system is automatically oriented toward greater health and balance. Daily Journal 1. List some ways in which you can increase positive input to your brain. For example, by keeping a gratitude journal, performing more random acts of kindness, or increasing the amount of times you say “I love you.” 2. Write about the three main factors that most contribute to negative input in your brain. Be specific. These could be stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, criticism, rejection, or disappointment. 3. Thinking about your list from Question 2, journal about three ways you can reduce negative input to your brain. For example, by getting more rest, performing regular exercise, or spending time with close friends. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min

Day 7 - Obstacles to Grace Melt Away “To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways we are supported by the world around us.” ― Gregg Krech In today’s meditation, we look at how grace can dissolve the resistance and obstacles we find in our life. We’ve all had times when we’ve struggled and encountered obstacles. These outer resistances are signals from our true self that there is some inner resistance, which comes from the limiting belief that we are a separate self. These beliefs are often a sense of entitlement, selfishness, or pessimism, and they block the natural flow of gratitude and grace. As we practice gratitude, our perspective expands and we see we are not isolated at all. We are supported by the generosity of the universe in endless ways. Seeing this, our negativity, sense of entitlement, and all obstacles dissolve like morning mist with the rising sun. Daily Journal 1. If you were to choose one thing in your life that you would like to be transformed by grace, what would it be? 2. List three things that add struggle to your daily life, such as stress, overworking, overscheduling, or the demands of family and friends. 3. Taking your list from Question 2, describe how practicing gratitude could help reduce these struggles. 4. Use this space to reflect further on your experience today.

13 Apr 201919min