229 : Meditation : Embodying Appreciation

In this episode: appreciation, mindfulness, gratitude practice, self-compassion, intentional living

Episode Summary

Adam leads the Mindful Fire Legends community through a guided appreciation meditation. Beginning with breath awareness and meeting yourself exactly where you are, the practice invites you to embody appreciation — first for the breath itself, then for someone you deeply love, and finally for aspects of your own life and who you are. The session closes with a reflection on how to carry appreciation into your day and express it to those around you.

Resources Mentioned

• Free Envisioning Guide: mindfulfire.org/start
• Join Mindful Fire Legends to practice live: mindfulfire.org/join

Key Takeaways

• Appreciation begins with the breath — each inhale and exhale sustains your life, and tuning into that simple fact is the foundation of the practice.
• Bringing a specific person to mind and letting feelings of appreciation "bubble up like bubbles off the bottom of a boiling pot" deepens the emotional resonance of gratitude.
• Appreciating traits about yourself and the opportunities in your own life shifts the inner lens from self-judgment to self-compassion.
• The practice doesn't end on the cushion — the session closes by inviting listeners to express appreciation to those around them in small, concrete ways throughout the rest of their day.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

[00:00:00] Adam Coelho: Welcome to the Mindful Fire Podcast, a show about crafting a life you love and making work optional using the tools of mindfulness, envisioning, and financial independence. I'm your host, Adam Coelho, and I'm so glad you're here. Each episode of the Mindful Fire Podcast explores these three tools through teachings, guided meditations, and inspiring interviews with people actually living them to craft a life they love.

[00:00:33] Adam Coelho: If you're ready to start your Mindful Fire journey, go to mindfulfire.org/start and download my free envisioning guide. In just 10 minutes, this guide will help you craft a clear and inspiring vision for your life.

[00:00:46] Adam Coelho: Again, you can download it for free at mindfulfire.org/start. Let's jump into today's episode.

[00:01:07] Adam Coelho: let's begin. This guided meditation. As always, these guided meditations are recorded in the Mindful Fire Legends community, and we would love for you to join us live to practice.

[00:01:17] Adam Coelho: You can do that@mindfulfire.org slash join. If you'd like to join us, let's begin by finding a position that allows you to be alert and relaxed at the same time, sitting with a tall, straight back, but not rigid. Resting your hands, wherever's comfortable

[00:01:40] Adam Coelho: and just dropping in with three deep breaths in and out.

[00:02:09] Adam Coelho: And now I invite you to meet yourself exactly where you are.

[00:02:17] Adam Coelho: Noticing whatever's there to be noticed in your body as you sit and breathe.

[00:02:35] Adam Coelho: Meeting yourself in this moment, the only moment you ever have to truly live your life. And so just bringing that kind, curious awareness of mindfulness to however you're feeling in your body and in your mind right now.

[00:03:10] Adam Coelho: Meeting whatever's there exactly as it is. No need to change it, shift it, just being with it.

[00:03:35] Adam Coelho: Right now in my body, it's like this

[00:03:44] Adam Coelho: right now. In my mind it's like this.

[00:04:03] Adam Coelho: Now just relaxing into the breath, observing with that same kind, curious awareness as you breathe in.

[00:04:17] Adam Coelho: And as you breathe out,

[00:04:21] Adam Coelho: just enjoying this moment, the unfolding of your life here and now

[00:04:34] Adam Coelho: appreciating this moment, and the fact that you can sit and breathe.

[00:05:22] Adam Coelho: And whenever your mind drifts off into thought or distraction, that's okay. Just noticing what's on your mind and then choosing to come back to the breath and starting again. Each time the mind wanders away. Just noticing and bringing it back.

[00:06:44] Adam Coelho: Now as you sit and breathe,

[00:06:48] Adam Coelho: invite you to embody appreciation. Just taking a moment now to invite the feeling of appreciation. Into your body and your field of experience. No need to reach or grasp just sitting with whatever feeling arises

[00:07:15] Adam Coelho: and bringing that same curiosity, that same kindness to yourself, and feeling into appreciation. Appreciation for this in breath

[00:07:34] Adam Coelho: and this outbreath, each one giving you life, sustaining your life,

[00:07:45] Adam Coelho: and all that you get to enjoy in this life.

[00:08:03] Adam Coelho: Just seeing what that feels like, however strong or dim the feelings are just appreciating those and tuning in.

[00:09:32] Adam Coelho: And as you sit and breathe with this feeling of appreciation, I invite you to bring to mind someone that you appreciate immensely.

[00:09:47] Adam Coelho: Seeing them in your mind and just allowing the thoughts to bubble up of what you appreciate about them.

[00:10:02] Adam Coelho: Keeping that feeling of appreciation front and center in your body as you allow these thoughts to come and go.

[00:10:44] Adam Coelho: I'm just seeing those bubbles popping up like bubbles off the pot, the bottom of a pod of boiling water. Just coming up, maybe slow at first, but just feeling appreciation for this person

[00:11:09] Adam Coelho: or people if multiple people are coming to mind and just feeling the appreciation for all that they bring to your life

[00:11:22] Adam Coelho: by what they do or just who they are.

[00:12:17] Adam Coelho: And now how might you express your appreciation to this person? Just inviting those bubbles to bubble up those ideas. Just seeing what's there with the kind, curious awareness of mindfulness.

[00:13:10] Adam Coelho: I am now letting go of that.

[00:13:14] Adam Coelho: Now, invite to mind

[00:13:19] Adam Coelho: something about your life that you appreciate, perhaps a trait about who you are. An opportunity that's come your way or really anything about this one life you get to live in this season that you're in right now.

[00:13:41] Adam Coelho: Whatever that might be, just allowing it to come up and just notice the things that you appreciate about yourself and your life, and feel into what that feels like in your body.

[00:15:05] Adam Coelho: Just seeing all the things about your wonderful life that you appreciate and just sitting with them, feeling into what it feels like in your body.

[00:15:49] Adam Coelho: And letting go of that and just coming back to the breath, feeling the feeling of appreciation as you sit and breathe.

[00:16:12] Adam Coelho: And as we approach the end of this practice, I invite you to bring to mind how might you embody this appreciation as you go about the rest of your day and your interactions, how might you express appreciation? To those around you for what they do, who they are, however big or small, how might you just let them know that you appreciate them?

[00:17:09] Adam Coelho: And let us finish with three deep breaths together, breathing in

[00:17:17] Adam Coelho: and breathing out again in

[00:17:26] Adam Coelho: and once more in

[00:17:31] Adam Coelho: and letting it go.

[00:17:36] Adam Coelho: And when you're ready, coming back, opening your eyes. Thank you for your attention. And if you would like to join us to meditate live, you can do so@mindfulfire.org slash join..