Welcome,
And thank you for joining me.
This meditation is titled,
10-Minute Morning Meditation,
Begin the Day with Presence.
Mornings can shape the tone of the entire day,
And often,
Before we've even gotten out of bed,
The mind has already begun racing ahead of us.
In this practice,
We're going to slow things down for a few minutes,
So we can begin the day from a calmer,
More grounded place.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable position for this meditation.
You might choose to sit upright,
Allowing the body to feel awake and supported,
Or perhaps you'd prefer to lie down for just a few more moments of rest.
There's no perfect posture here.
Just choose the one that works for you today,
And allow the body to begin to settle naturally.
When you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
Let's begin by taking a few slow breaths together.
We'll breathe in slowly for 4 seconds,
Hold for 4 seconds at the top,
And then slowly release for 5 seconds.
Go ahead and take a slow breath in,
Now hold it,
And now slowly release.
Take another slow breath in,
And hold it,
And now a slow breath out.
Again,
One more slow breath in together,
And holding,
And now slowly breathing out.
Let's allow the breath now to return to its own natural rhythm.
No need to control it,
Or try to manage it.
Just breathe normally,
And begin to notice the natural movement of your breath,
The feeling of the inhale,
The feeling of the exhale,
The way your belly expands and then contracts.
Let's spend a few moments here,
Simply connecting with each breath as it arrives and departs.
Begin to notice how this morning feels today.
You don't need to change anything,
Just observe what's already present.
Perhaps there's calm,
Retention,
Maybe thoughts are already beginning to gather.
Whatever's here this morning,
Just notice it.
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to do,
Just noticing.
Now gently return your awareness to the feeling of your body breathing.
Notice the rise of your chest,
The movement of the stomach,
The soft sensation of air moving in and out through the nose,
Breathing in and breathing out.
With your next breath in,
I'd like you to imagine the first light of the morning beginning to spread across a quiet landscape.
Maybe it's a forest,
Maybe mountains,
Maybe simply an open sky.
Notice how the light arrives slowly,
Softly,
Without any force.
The air feels cool and still.
The world is gently waking up around you.
And for now,
There's nowhere else you need to be.
If thoughts begin to pull you away,
That's okay.
Each time you notice,
Simply return your focus to the feeling of breathing.
No frustration,
No judgment,
Just gently begin again.
As you continue resting here,
Notice the warmth of the morning light as it spreads across that landscape.
Imagine beginning to feel that same warmth moving gently through you as well.
Nothing to rush toward or force,
Just let the warmth of the morning settle gently around you.
For a few moments,
Let's rest right here in the gentle warmth and stillness of the morning.
Breathing.
Present.
Here.
As we begin to close this practice,
Bring your awareness back to your body now.
Notice the surface beneath you.
Notice your hands.
Your shoulders.
Your face.
Perhaps you can notice the feeling of the air on your skin.
The quiet sounds around you.
Or simply the feeling of just being here.
Let's take one more slow breath in.
And now let it go with one slow breath out.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Before moving into the rest of your day,
Take a quiet moment to notice how you feel right now.
Perhaps a little more still.
A little more grounded.
A little more here.
Take a moment to recognize the value of giving yourself these few moments before starting your day.
Remember,
This space is always here for you.
Thank you for practicing with me.
You're always welcome here.
Namaste.
