Good morning and welcome.
So,
So many of us start the day already moving,
Already thinking,
Already in a sense of activation and urgency.
But it's important to know that your body and your nervous system doesn't really like to wake up that way.
Think of it this way,
The sun doesn't rise all at once.
It comes up slowly and your system needs that kind of space.
So this is a moment to begin your day a little differently today.
To let yourself come awake and online more gradually so that you can meet what's ahead with a bit more calm and ease and regulation.
So before you move into your day,
You're welcome to take just one breath with me.
Not to change,
Not to fix,
But just to give yourself the permission to arrive here.
Knowing that your body is still waking up,
Knowing that your mind is still waking up,
And you don't have to rush that today.
So to begin,
Let's bring some awareness to our breath,
However it is moving right now.
No need to adjust it or breathe a certain way,
Just feeling it from the inside out,
Your body breathing itself.
This beautiful breath that carries you throughout your day and that's always with you.
Perhaps noticing a gentle slowing down or a gentle steadiness.
It's okay to start the day slowly.
And if your mind is already planning,
Already reaching ahead,
That's okay.
Know that nothing has gone wrong,
But see if you can just gently notice or witness that and come back.
And do this moment right here.
Now bringing your awareness into your body.
This body that has held you and will carry you through your day.
Noticing what it's like to have a body,
To be in a body.
Noticing the weight,
Points of contact with whatever is supporting you.
Simply allowing yourself to be held,
Supported.
Just let yourself enjoy that,
Even if it's for a brief moment.
And taking a moment to notice your shoulders or your neck or your back or whatever it might be.
And see if there might be a small amount of holding anywhere.
And if there is,
Can you breathe into and through these areas,
Bringing a little bit of support and nourishment and care.
Soften,
They soften.
But you don't have to hold anything together right now,
In this moment.
This moment is just for you.
So you can gradually move into your day from a more grounded place.
And again,
Breathing in and breathing out.
You might notice something shifting,
A slight slowing,
Or perhaps a little more space,
A little more readiness to start the day that's not from a place of activation and urgency.
Or maybe you don't notice that quite yet and that's okay too.
We're not trying to make anything happen here.
We're just creating a little room and letting your nervous system respond in its own time.
Giving it choice and options.
Even a small shift matters,
A tiny bit of softening,
Especially in a system that's used to moving so quickly,
That's not nothing.
So take your time.
And from here,
You might gently begin to notice if there's anything in your experience right now that brings even a small sense of ease to your nervous system.
It could be something very simple.
Something you'd see,
Light moving through the trees,
Or something you hear,
Birds or the quiet around you,
Or something you feel,
The air on your skin,
The warmth of a blanket,
And the support beneath you,
Or something you can taste and smell,
A delicious warm beverage,
A refreshing glass of water.
And there's no need to search for anything strong.
Sometimes it's very subtle,
Just a slight softening or a small sense of settling.
And if there's even a small sense of ease or comfort,
See if you can gently notice how your body knows that.
How your nervous system experiences that right now.
Maybe there's a little less tension somewhere,
A softening,
A bit more space in your chest or shoulders,
A heartbeat that slows down a little,
Or just a general sense that things feel a little more manageable.
Let yourself stay with that for a few moments,
So your nervous system can know what it feels like to start the day regulated and steady.
Breathing in and breathing out,
And now from here as we begin to move slowly towards the end of the practice,
You might gently ask yourself,
How would I like to meet this day that is ahead of me now?
And that is something you have to have figured out just as a soft and gentle way of listening.
Not what needs to get done,
But the way you want to move through it,
A pace,
A feeling,
The way you meet this beautiful day and this beautiful day ahead.
So let that sit in the background,
No pressure to define it,
You can just be.
And as you begin to move into your day slowly,
See if you can bring a little of this with you.
Just like the sun starts to get brighter and brighter as the day continues,
But perhaps with a little less urgency.
And so taking one more breath,
If that feels right for you,
Bring a little gentle movement and stretching into your body and allow yourself to open your eyes if they were closed and orient to your space,
To this new day.
And when you're ready,
You can begin your day.
May your day unfold with a little more ease,
A little more space and room to actually be in it.
Thank you so much for practicing.
I hope you have a lovely day.
