Welcome,
This moment is yours,
A sacred pause at the edge of a brand new day,
A space to connect with your breath,
Your body and the soft unfolding of the world around you.
Begin by closing your eyes if you haven't already,
Let your shoulders drop,
Let your jaw soften and take a long gentle breath in and a long slow breath out.
Now in your minds eye,
Picture a beautiful log cabin nestled high in the mountains,
This is your sanctuary,
Peaceful,
Still and waiting just for you.
The world is still asleep,
Outside it's dark but inside a gentle golden light glows,
Holding you in its warmth.
You start to walk towards the cabin door and you feel the texture of the wooden floor beneath your feet.
You slowly open the door and a soft amber light spills out,
Casting a warm path onto the porch outside.
The morning air brushes your skin,
Cool,
Fresh and alive,
You're wrapped in comfort,
Safe in your blanket or favourite jumper.
Each step feels familiar,
You walk the short path to your favourite chair,
The chair that you savour watching the sunrise every morning from.
As you settle in the door closes behind you with a quiet click and the darkness surrounds you again,
A familiar inky dark blue,
A change in light brings anticipation,
Possibility,
You feel safe and you're warm and you're ready,
Ready to greet the day whatever it may bring.
Your gaze is drawn towards the horizon as a soft hush hangs over the land and then the first glow appears,
A quiet bloom of colour breaking through the stillness.
Perhaps today the sky is completely clear,
Radiant and gold,
So the sun spills warm over the mountains,
Across the lake below,
Over trees and rocks and wildflowers,
It feels like you can see for miles,
Everything is bathed in new light,
The air smells crisp like pine and dew,
It feels like the whole world is holding its breath and exhaling with joy.
As this light touches everything around you,
It begins to touch something within you too,
A quiet awakening,
A deep reminding that life is beautiful and that you are part of it.
Or maybe in your mind's eye today the sun rises behind thick clouds,
The sky is heavy,
Veiled in greys and shadows,
The light is slow and gentle,
Filtered and hidden,
Yet still the sun rises.
Even if you can't see it,
The sun is there,
Persistent,
Faithful,
Quietly powerful.
Or maybe in your mind's eye your sunrise is somewhere in between these two,
The clouds streak across the sky,
Catching hints of amber and rose,
The light peeks through in soft waves,
Stillness is broken only by birdsong or a distant breeze,
It's subtle,
It's honest and it's more than enough.
Every sunrise is different,
Like every day in every one is different,
So let the sky reflect your inner world today.
If your heart feels heavy,
If your thoughts feel scattered,
Let the sunrise remind you that the light returns always,
Let it lift you gently,
Let it warm what feels cold,
Let it hold space for something new to begin.
But if you're feeling vibrant,
Clear and grateful,
Let that feeling beam out from within you,
Let your joy shine through the clouds,
Let your spirit rise and your light shine forth.
Each morning the sun reminds us that the light we seek is not far away,
That it's already within,
Each day you are given the chance to begin again,
That you don't need to strive for renewal,
You only need to allow it.
There is deep power in simply showing up,
In being here now as you are,
Just like the sun rises without force,
You too can rise,
Steady,
Quiet and strong.
You are part of the same rhythm that moves the tides and lifts the sun each morning,
Let that remind you that you belong,
You are not separate,
You are whole.
Peace doesn't come from fixing things,
It begins in stillness,
And your emotions,
Your joy,
Your fears,
Your doubts,
They are like clouds,
They drift,
They pass,
But you,
You are the sky that holds them all.
So let gratitude infuse you right now,
A simple thank you,
For your breath,
For the sunrise,
For this moment,
Let gratitude transform everything.
But remember,
When the sky is overcast,
Even when you can't see the sun,
It's still there,
It's still rising,
And so are you,
Because you are not separate from the light,
You are made of it,
No matter the sky,
Inside or out,
You can still rise every day.
I'm going to leave you now for a little while,
To simply rest in this moment,
Let in your mind's eye the sunrise represent how you feel,
If you're feeling bright,
Let the sunrise be full and beautiful,
But if you're feeling a little off kilter,
Let it be grey,
Or somewhere in between,
Just let your emotions meet the picture in your mind's eye,
You don't need to shape this moment,
You don't need to feel a certain way,
You don't need your sunrise to look in a certain way,
Just let it be genuine,
Just let yourself feel.
Now let this poem guide your awareness back,
Like light breaking softly through the trees.
You do not need a sky of fire to fill the morning glow,
Sometimes the quiet sun within is all you need to know,
Even behind the softest clouds,
Your light still finds a way,
To warm the soil,
To lift the soul,
And gently start the day,
Let those words wrap around your breath now,
As you begin to notice your body once more,
Feel the ground beneath you,
The air around you.
You can return to this practice at any time,
Every morning,
Any morning,
Whether the sky is clear or stormy,
Whether you feel energised or heavy,
This moment is your bridge between outer light and inner light.
You don't need to wait for perfect skies to feel aligned,
You are allowed to feel good even when the weather isn't,
You are allowed to receive beauty even when your heart feels cloudy,
You are allowed to rise again and again,
And each morning affords you this.
Before you return to the rest of your day,
Let this thought be a soft truce to carry with you,
You are the sky,
Everything else is just the weather,
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes,
Feel the world around you,
Feel the stillness within you,
And as you step into the rest of your day,
Do it with intention,
With grace,
And with the quiet confidence that whatever today holds,
You will rise to the challenge.
Namaste.
