About Therapy
Gratitude Meditations
*Each day this week, spend ten minutes doing a sitting gratitude meditation. Get comfortable in a cross-legged seated position on the floor with a folded blanket or pillow beneath you or in a chair sitting comfortably. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths in and out. As you begin to feel relaxed, start thinking of things you are thankful for in your life. It’s better to focus on just one or two things that come into your mind, rather than feeling like you have to list all the things in your life you are grateful for. Concentrate on the feeling of gratitude radiating in your heart and throughout your whole body. This meditation can also be done while walking. You’ll be amazed at how this shifts your perspective in a positive way.
*Because it is about the intention and not about the amount of time, you may also want to simplify the exercise as follows:
Begin your day with this exercise
Place your hand over your heart, take a deep breath, and say the following word very
slowly:
Compassion.
Remind yourself of this moment all day.
*Here is another way to quiet the mind and settle the heart.....
RAIN is comprised of four transformative principles, which proponents describe as useful for getting through life’s difficulties and for understanding triggers of strong emotional reactions:
Recognition: The willingness to see what is happening allows us to step out of denial. Acceptance allows us to “… relax and open to the facts before us. … With acceptance and respect, problems that seem intractable become workable.” Investigation: “Whenever we are stuck, it is because we have not looked deeply enough into the nature of the experience. As we undertake investigation, we focus on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (body, feelings, mind, and dharma).” Non-identification “… means that we stop taking the experience as ‘me’ or ‘mine’. … ‘Is this really who I am?’ … We see the tentativeness of this identity. Then we are free to let go and rest in awareness itself.”