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Gratitude meditation is a heart-opening practice that can soothe and relax us by bringing our attention to all that’s going well in our lives and in our own bodies. By shifting our focus from negative thoughts and harmful patterns, we make room for the positive to flourish.
In this guided meditation led by Sean Fargo, we cultivate gratitude by bringing to mind a past treasured moment. Sensing appreciation as it is felt by the body deepens the practice by moving it beyond a cognitive exercise.
Listen in a safe, quiet place where you can be relatively free from distraction. Practice with eyes opened or closed, in a posture that balances comfort with alertness. May this meditation be of benefit to you in your mindfulness journey.
Sponsored by our Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program MindfulnessExercises.com/Certify
The negativity bias of the human mind once served us well. It kept us from danger by drawing our attention to that which could be harmful. Unfortunately, we are now so well-practiced in noticing not only danger but also our general dislikes. Our constant judgment of our surroundings and ourselves leaves little room for appreciation.
Gratitude meditation helps us balance this negativity bias by intentionally cultivating our ability to recognize the good. As long as we’re alive and breathing, there is always something to be grateful for, moment to moment. We can also cultivate gratitude by bringing to mind a treasured moment from the past and then observing the sensation that arises.
Simply looking for things to appreciate begins to rewire our brains. Speaking our gratitude, either out loud or to ourselves, begins to change our thought patterns. Sensing gratitude in the body lets us connect to appreciation at a profound level that we eventually carry with us throughout the day.
Mindfulness connects us to the reality of the present moment. We observe what is true and accept that truth, thereby reducing suffering. Gratitude meditation, on the other hand, informs what it is that we become mindful of. It holds the great power to open our hearts and minds to the preciousness of every experience.
Learn more about gratitude meditation and how to practice and teach it with these additional free mindfulness resources:
- Blog: Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude & Why It’s Important
- Blog: The Power of Gratitude Meditation
- Blog: Daily Gratitude Journal: What is it? Should You Have One?
- Podcast: Contentment with Simply Being, A Meditation with Sean Fargo
- Podcast: Opening to Gladness, A Meditation with Sean Fargo
- Podcast: How to Hardwire Happiness, with Rick Hanson
- Podcast: Gratitude for Life through Mindfulness of Death, with Sean Fargo
- Mindfulness Worksheet: Gratitude
- Mindfulness Worksheet: Gratitude Practice
- Meditation Script: Mindfulness Body Scan for Gratitude
- Video: Mindfulness Gratitude Meditation
- Free Course: Living With Gratitude
About Sean Fargo:
Sean Fargo is a former Buddhist monk and the founder of Mindfulness Exercises. The online platform, which has shared free and premium mindfulness resources with over 3 million people worldwide, has now certified over 500 Mindfulness Teachers.
Sean is the lead instructor for the teacher training program, a unique self-paced approach which invites world-renowned mindfulness teachers to share their insights and experiences. Sean has taught mindfulness and meditation for corporations including Facebook, Google and Tesla and for health and government organizations, prisons and hospitals around the world.
