Gratitude meditation - meditation techniques for beginners

Today I introduce you to gratitude meditation. If you would like to first get basic information about what exactly meditation actually is, take a look at our Meditation 1×1 .

I have also talked about gratitude in more detail in another blog post . That's why I'd like to briefly talk about what gratitude brings you and why it can be wonderfully practiced in meditation.

Why gratitude?

When we are grateful, we acknowledge everything that already exists in our lives. Instead of just thinking about what we would like to have or what we still lack, we focus on what we already have. And that's a lot!
So gratitude helps us realign our focus and take a different perspective. A feeling of happiness flows through us and our mood immediately improves. It doesn't matter whether we are grateful for something material like our cell phone or our clothes, or for intangible things like friends or our eyesight.

Why gratitude in meditation?

There are a variety of gratitude exercises. One way to implement gratitude into your own daily routine is through a gratitude meditation. In meditation you don't just calm your own body. Your head also becomes clearer and your thoughts slow down. You re-center yourself and can refocus your own attention. Every time I integrate gratitude into my meditation, I feel my heart warm and I start the day quite happy.

If you just want to try it out, let's get started now!

The gratitude meditation (takes about 10 minutes)

1. Make sure you are undisturbed for the next few minutes. Find a comfortable seat and place your hands on your thighs, palms facing up. Straighten your back so that it is still comfortable for you. When you're ready, close your eyes.

2. Breathe in deeply through your nose… and out through your mouth. And again: Breathe in deeply through your nose… and breathe out through your mouth. As you breathe in, feel your stomach wall rise and as you breathe out, feel it fall again.
   

3. Now find your way back to your natural breathing rhythm and bring your attention to your heart. Consciously connect with the power that comes from your heart. Feel your heartbeat. Become aware that your heart beats for you over 100,000 times a day.
   

4. Now remember a person for whom you are particularly grateful. And how grateful you are that this person is part of your life. Think back to all the special moments you have had with this person. Take a look at what makes this person so special to you. What are you particularly grateful for? What do you particularly appreciate about this person? Now let gratitude for this person flow into your heart. Imagine gratitude as a bright white light spreading from your heart throughout your body.

5. Now remember a decision you made that you are grateful for. Which decision are you particularly grateful for? Think back to the moment you made that decision. Let the gratitude for this flow into your heart too. And from there as a bright light into your entire body.
   

6. Now remember an experience you had in your life. A situation, a moment that you are grateful for. Maybe it was a wedding, a trip to nature, an experience with people you love. Now let gratitude for this moment flow into your heart. Gratitude spreads throughout your body until you are filled with the white light. Your entire body is now filled with this energy, with gratitude. You recognize the abundance in your life. The love in your life. The experience.
   

7. Now look at how you can take this gratitude into your day today if you want to. Maybe from time to time you will remember the things that have now become normal for you. But for which you can actually be incredibly grateful. You can also keep remembering the bright light and imagine how it gradually takes over your entire body.
   

8. If you like, you can now place your hands together in your lap or bring them to your chest in a prayer position. Give thanks for the abundance in your life and for the miracle that you are.
   

9. Breathe in deeply through your nose again... and out through your mouth. Deep in through the nose and out through the mouth. And breathe in through your nose one last time and breathe out through your mouth again.
   

10. When you're ready, open your eyes.

You can repeat the gratitude meditation as many times as you like or even incorporate it into your morning routine. The more often you do gratitude exercises, the easier it is to appreciate the little things in life more. Because we all have so much to be grateful for!

If you would like to learn more about healthy eating, mindfulness or sustainability, check out more exciting blog articles on these topics here .