Appreciation of who you are script 1

Your body is the vehicle for your life. So why wouldn’t you enjoy it?

If we didn’t value our bodies, the work we do would be meaningless. But for many of us, the body becomes a source of misery and self-hatred.

So the question is, what if you could enjoy your body more?

In this guided mindfulness practice, you will develop a new way of appreciating your body. You will notice what you appreciate about your body and make a deliberate effort to hold these thoughts with gentleness.

Begin by sitting upright in a comfortable posture, with your spine straight and relaxed. Invite some awareness to the physical sensations of the body breathing.

For the first few minutes, allow the mind to settle and focus by returning your attention to the breath as many times as necessary Once the mind has settled, begin to bring your awareness to the body, noticing what you appreciate about your body.

Start with the body. Ask yourself what you like about your body, and just pause to appreciate it for a moment. It may be a physical feature, like your hair or skin, or it may be a quality, like strength or flexibility.

As something arises, stay with the experience of liking this part of yourself for a few breaths.

After a minute or two of working with the body, switch to the mind. Look at the qualities of your brain and emotional experience. Ask yourself what you appreciate about your brain, your insight, and your personality. Again, simply be with the appreciation when something arises.

For the last few minutes, focus on the five traditional senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.

Go through each sense, recognizing the beauty and pleasure these senses have brought you. For example, recognize that your sense of hearing has allowed you to hear the voice of a loved one.

The sense of touch has allowed you to feel the comfort of a hug. Be with each sense, what gifts it brings you, and the appreciation.

Appreciation of who you are script 2

There is a tendency to want to focus on everything we don’t like about ourselves. There are many times when we can identify our strengths and talents. However, when the mind gets stuck in the process of identifying our weaknesses, we can lose track of what we appreciate about ourselves.

In this practice, we invite mindfulness to bring us back to appreciate the things we do well. We can use the language of gratitude or the language of love. In either case, the message is the same: thankfulness for what you have received, and the wish that you may receive even more of what you have already received.

Find a comfortable meditation posture and invite gentleness into the body from the beginning.

Notice any discomfort or tension in the body and try to soften around it. Bring to mind somebody you appreciate. Connect with the intention to cultivate an open and loving heart.

Ask yourself what you appreciate about that person. Bring to mind what you enjoy about them. Be gentle and kind in your thoughts.

After you have identified one thing you appreciate about this person, keep doing this for a few more minutes. When you get up to leave, repeat the practice, starting with the next person you admire.

When you finish, reflect on the things you appreciate about yourself. Ask yourself what you are grateful for, and express your appreciation for yourself.

Say a phrase slowly in your head, finding a rhythm. It may be helpful to offer a phrase with every exhale or with every other exhale. Say the phrase until it feels right.

Use these phrases: I appreciate you [or I appreciate you as much as I am able to in this moment]. May I find room in my heart to appreciate you. May I find room in my heart to appreciate you. After six or seven minutes of offering appreciation, let go of these phrases.

Turn toward yourself, noticing that you, too, have received many things in your life. You don’t need to engage in stories about the things you have received; just recognize that you have indeed received many things, whether you intended to or not.

Call to mind a specific person you have appreciated. Begin asking for appreciation from that person, using these phrases: May you find room in your heart to appreciate me.

May you know how much I appreciate you. May you know how much I appreciate you. Allow five minutes to pass, and return to your own body.

Breathe deeply for a few minutes, resting your awareness on the breath before opening your eyes.

Appreciation of who you are script 3

In the past, you may have heard the phrase, “It takes only one to change the world.” In today’s meditation, we’ll use this phrase to acknowledge the power of just one person.

We’ll also focus on what you already know about yourself.

Close the eyes and bring your awareness to the body. Imagine that you are standing in a garden, gazing out at a tree.

You can imagine that the tree is a representation of yourself, and that you are looking back at yourself, reflecting on who you are.

What qualities do you see in yourself? Ask yourself what you like about yourself.

What qualities of kindness, compassion, wisdom, beauty, or strength come to mind? Spend a few minutes appreciating who you are, what you enjoy about yourself, and the things you love about your life.

You can use a variety of words or phrases to describe the things that you appreciate about yourself. For example, it may be your intelligence, your kindness, your health, or your ability to be patient. Choose whatever you enjoy most about yourself. You can even use your first name if you wish.

After spending some time enjoying yourself, turn your attention back to the tree.

Ask yourself, Who am I?

Who is the person that you are? What is your inner nature?

Imagine that you are standing in front of someone who knows you well. That person looks at you and says, “I’ve never seen you quite like this.” You smile, pleased with yourself. What would that person say?

Think about that person and respond to that thought.

Now think about that person and say, “That person doesn’t know me.” What would that person say? What would it be like to tell that person who you really are?

You can make a practice of bringing your attention to who you are, every day. You can reflect on who you are, what you like about yourself, and what you appreciate about yourself.

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