Holiday Gratitude Practice

Hi, and welcome to this Headspace holiday gratitude practice. So holidays provide us with a chance to slow down, catch our breaths, and reconnect with our family and friends. For some of us, we may travel and journey a long distance in order to make it home for the holidays. And not only is this exciting and something to look forward to, but towards the end of that time together or our time away, there may be a sense of uneasiness returning back home, back to school, back to work, back to our regular pace, and routines. Back to reality. So, in this gratitude practice, we'll take some time to reflect on the moments that were shared and express a sense of appreciation for all that we're grateful for. Gratitude is just one of the ways that we can carry forth those feel-good, uplifting moments that we tend to miss once we're back into the swing of things. Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we can shift our focus to what we do, and in this way, we can stay engaged with the present moment. So just beginning to settle in. Positioning the body in an upright, present manner. Feet on the floor. Hands resting on the lap. Shoulders relaxed. And it will begin with the eyes open to a soft gentle gaze. Taking a moment here just to scan our surroundings. And then taking three big, deep grounding breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. On the next exhale, if it feels right for you, closing the eyes slowly, noticing the weight of the body pressing down, sinking into the chair or floor beneath you. And with each inhale and each exhale, feeling the body rise and fall, expand and soften. Taking a moment now just to notice how the body feels. Noticing any areas of the body that may be holding onto any tension, tightness. And also noticing where the body feels more at ease. Shifting the focus gently to the breath again. If you'd like, placing one hand on your chest over the heart, and the other hand just resting on your belly. Feeling that rising and falling sensation of each breath and just holding ourselves here with a sense of gratitude, a sense of compassion and gentleness. Noticing any thoughts or feelings that arise in the mind and just allowing them to pass by. Bringing the mind back each and every time it wanders off. And then just kindly asking yourself, in this moment, what are you most grateful for? Not thinking about this too hard, or forcing yourself to answer. Just cultivating that sense of gratitude, feeling it in the body, noticing how the body responds, and just continuing to breathe deeply, breathing into that space of gratitude and appreciation. Maybe asking yourself again, in this moment, what are you most grateful for? And again, just listening, observing, noticing what arises in the mind and body. Maybe a few...