Gratitude is an overflow of the heart. It cannot be implanted though it can be cultivated. But first you’ll need to move out of your mind and into your heart. How?
First, sit comfortably in your chair and become aware of your surroundings. Notice the doors and chairs and tables, as well as any windows or other elements of the room. Know that you are safe; know that you are okay where you are. Sit as straight as possible, perhaps using pillows behind your back for support. Let your arms lay wherever they may. Your feet should be on the floor or tucked underneath you–whatever makes you the most comfortable. Lie down if you wish. Make sure you are comfortable but alert.
Now close your eyes and continue to be aware of the room. Picture sitting in that room and notice your physical feelings. Your back is against the chair, your feet touching your thighs or on the floor, and your hands wherever they are resting. If you are lying down, feel the weight of the comforter or the sheet over you. Feel the warmth and surface of the bed.
Then notice your breathing. Don’t control it, just be aware of the air flowing in and flowing out, calmly, softly, naturally–refreshing your body, releasing that which is becoming impure.
Now let’s go on a journey of your inner universe, to a place of serenity. Picture a quiet place in a forest, or perhaps a field. Feel the breeze across your face, the warmth of the sun embracing you as you relax here in this place of idyllic peace. Notice that there is a stream passing by you–a trickle that becomes a flowing stream with cataracts and rushes.
This stream is the stream of consciousness. It is the source of everything–every invention, every music and every creativity. Side by side in the stream are all of the thoughts and emotions that rush through you every day. Continue watching those thoughts and emotions as you watch the stream. Do not try to stop them. Allow them to flow by you and through you. As you do so you can see that everything in this inner space coexists in harmony and balance.
As the stream passes, become aware of a warmth inside that is even greater than the warmth of the sun upon your face. A warm central glow emanates from your core; it is expanding and growing within you. It has always been there but you’re only noticing it now for the first time and for the millionth time. Allow it to grow and fill every part of your body until it surrounds you.
It is in you, and you are in it.
Know that you have the power to create your own inner theater in this space. You control everything here–the script, the sets, the lighting, the players, and the direction. You can walk, you can fly and you can have the trees and streams or the rooms that you like. There are no limits, no dearth of imagination.
Begin to reflect upon what you have achieved and what did not come your way. Bring a table beside the stream of consciousness. Upon it, lay all of the degrees and medals you have achieved–most of them if not all of them–as well as all that you could have achieved that you did not. It is a package deal: your body, your mind, and your inner flame. All of these are part of an existential flow. The flow is a continuum. Stay calm, stay relaxed and just coexist. Allow gratitude to arise and fill your heart and let the following feeling fill your entire being:
Through the presence of anxiety and fear
I found myself the virtue of courage right here
And learned to win over my fear
Keep going farther and near
Felt the presence of divine right here
All this allowed the universe to align
And the godliness shine
That helped performance of mine
My heart is filled with gratitude for the divine
I am ready to let go of anything and everything
That I thought was mine
Bask in abundance, in gratefulness and in thankfulness. Say thank you to the inner source, to the inner flow…
While breathing in and out, create a bonfire next to the table and let it glow. Let the flames arise, slowly but surely. Start offering everything from the table to the fire. Let it all burn: the good, the great and the not so great. Let go of every possession and emotion in the fire. Let the attachments and the ego burn in the fire as you prepare to travel light to the new heights.
Let go.
Now, put out the fire, fold away the table and look again at the flowing stream–the stream of consciousness. Your heart is still full of abundance and gratitude. Remember that this is your inner theater. You control the scenes. Make it as real as possible, then spend some time in silence, 30 seconds or so…
Finally, make your way back to the room and once again come into the reality of your presence in that chair or on those cushions. Realize that you’re in the room once again while you slowly and gently open your eyes, knowing that even though you have left that place of peace and of joy, even though you have left that glow, that place and that glow remains within you. That peace which passes all understanding is within you and you can share it with others wherever you go. Remember to take it with you.
Written by By Krishna M. Bhatta, MD
Krishna Bhatta is an author, surgeon, and inventor, currently practicing as chief of urology at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. Dr. Bhatta began his life in a small Indian village, attended Patna Medical College in India, and continued his education in the U.K. He completed his research and medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston before settling down in Maine. Dr. Bhatta takes joy in sharing what he has learned and earnestly hopes to further the spiritual discoveries of generations to come. He dreams of a world where eastern wisdom and western discoveries embrace each other to make the world a better place.
