The Do Mindful Meditation page examines the four main postures in more detail. For this type of meditation sitting is perhaps the best type, be it on a cushion or on a chair, but all formats are applicable.
Walking meditation is another good choice as it helps apply the practice in day to day life. Close your eyes and relax any tension both mentally and physically. Spend a few minutes to observe the body and mind and relax any tension you feel. This helps to build a degree of trust with yourself and also builds the awareness and focus that you can use to develop and maintain the practice.
If you have time, practice goodwill or loving kindness meditation first as it makes gladness and appreciation all the more genuine, allows more depth of expression and gives more lasting benefit.
This is a meditation that can be practiced either with the eyes gently closed or with the eyes open there is an object that inspires gladness and peace in front of you - such as a flower, a sunset, or any simple image that makes you feel happy. If you wish to practice this meditation for longer than a few minutes, it is recommended to use an object that is still and not moving.;
, Examine ways you can be happy with the good things presently in your life. It is sometimes easier to start with the basics; consider, e.g., your good health, your family, the food you have to eat, your job, your home, etc. Then take a moment to express appreciation and gladness that this is the case, as any of these things can be lost all too easily.


Express appreciation for these things not necessarily by directing to some person or being (unless that person helped you directly). For example, if your neighbour helped you with a jump, think perhaps along the lines of, "Thank you for helping me mend the car, I am very fortunate to be a person who experienced the generosity of others".
It is important to practice sincerity --- otherwise these gestures will become meaningless. The potential development of the negative aspect that hollows out the words, "thank you" becomes easy if thought without sincerity. Over time, the words become empty and it is far harder (if not impossible) to actually value anything at all. In this case, a beginner should consider only the things they know they do appreciate and then expand more broadly once some groundwork and experience is developed. This meditation can be very difficult to practice if the practitioner does not have some prowess in handling their mind states.
 You may easily find appreciation that your life is not in immediate peril. Or that you aren't in chronic pain or illness, being unlawfully imprisoned, in a war zone, or starving. That you aren't in the grip of plagues or famine that may cause suffering to many, or have mistrust or separation in your family.


If your life does actually experience these or other misfortunes, try to find something in your life that is worth being appreciative of. Even if you experience all the tragedies of life, at the end of the day, if you consider that you are practicing kindness to yourself and wishing no harm to others even for just this little while is something to find joy in. That, after all, is something that is wonderful in itself and is in truth the quintessential compassionate act.
 Frequently measure the practice against your experiences by considering if part of the mind or body feels a sense of gladness and so has improved your well being. It may be a sense of tranquility and gratitude, it may be a gentle softness in your breathing or relaxation in your body.


Should your mind dwell on the sad or unfortunate parts of your life, then let go of these and return to your primary awareness of kindness and appreciative joy. If they seem too strong, practice compassion & equanimity meditation or simply observe the feeling from a detached position. At this stage its better to let all thoughts not related to appreciation or gladness go if you are able to do so, as it has effectively changed the direction you are heading. You will need to get back on track and regain focus.
 Review members of your family & friends who are happy, healthy and successful. Express joy at their good fortune. It might be (e.g.) "my younger sister is doing well in school and is enjoying life - how excellent for her, how lucky she really is". Continue to focus on the aspects of your life and those you care about that inspire gladness and appreciation. Again, sincerity is an utmost importance.
Should your nearest and dearest be having a terrible time at the moment in cases they cannot help - as there are many in the world who are struggling and live in challenging times - then express gladness and appreciation for the good times they have had and wish them good health and happiness for the present and future. There is a lot of happy and unhappy things that happen or can happen in life. We cannot predict these events, prevent them or make them go away on a wish when they do come. This is simply about being glad for the things you have and for people you know, as well as being a way to understand that good times change and bad times won't last forever. A disaster could be right around the corner so this meditation will help you to appreciate every good moment.
 Keep an eye out for the externally-oriented enemies of this meditation: envy, ill-will, wishing for others not to have success, or regret that they have had success. There is also the internally-oriented enemy: selfish pride at your (and/or other peoples') success and happiness. These are the traps which you should endeavour to let go of at the earliest chance as the meditation is no longer about being happy at someone else's success and happiness, but now something that will disrupt your short and long term well-being.


Avoid wandering off into memories of good times, since while you might feel some joy for those good times, the danger is you are now trying to re-live them, rather than express happiness and appreciation that they had been. Let the past stay past. Let go as when you come back to the here and now you could feel sadness or depression if you are not familiar with your mind. Stay in the present moment and keep focus on gratitude and appreciation for the good times that have been.
 They might be co-workers, your grocers, doctors, neighbours, friendly acquaintances etc. Express gladness if you are aware they have had success or some good fortune recently and express gratitude that they are well and happy, or like with your close relatives and friends, if they are having difficulties wish them success in the future and express joy for the good times that they have had.



Here is where the hard work comes in. The goal is to be able to be happy for their successes, without your personal feelings coming in. You will have to transcend your feelings. Practicing loving kindness first softens the barriers which can make this practice easier.
The difference between appreciation and goodwill or Loving kindness however, is you can't really get this to work on strangers very effectively as it is very hard to direct. You can however be glad that a country is successful and that its population is not in war etc, so it can be expanded broadly.
Take this one a step at a time. If it feels impossible to be happy for someone you don't like to have success, go back and practice loving kindness to yourself and the other person. This section is not easy and its not really meant to be - you have to be strong enough to transcend any grudges you have and overcome ill will.
How do grudges, sorrow or greed help you after all to have a happy and peaceful life?

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Do you feel more humane, more happy and that life is richer? If so, how did you get there? If not, why not?
The latter question can open the door to gaining an understanding into how your mind works which can help to really develop appreciation and other meditations. You can close the meditation by expanding and expressing a final extension of appreciative joy and wish for the present and future wellbeing of yourself and others.
Appreciation is a skill to develop as most of our unhappiness arises firstly when we don't have any goodwill or compassion, but also when we don't appreciate the many wonderful things we have and that we aren't experiencing some of the many hard experiences of life.
Find a quiet and peaceful place and select a posture that suits you best.
Start by considering your own experiences and reviewing your life situation.
Consider the tougher facts of life and existence.
Let go of any sorrow and any worry and tension.
Expand to other people starting with the nearest and dearest to you.
Every few minutes, check again for any possible tension that you might be feeling and relax it.
Now, move on to people you know well but don't classify as "intimate".
Ideally (if you feel that you can continue) next should be those who you know but are uncomfortable with, such as those you don't like or trust or those who have been unkind to you in some form or another.
Finally, measure the feelings you now experience against how you gained them and in comparison to before you started.
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