Hi,
Good morning.
My name is Kathy,
And I've created this morning meditation as a way to start your day.
But if you happen to hit play and it's later in the afternoon,
This is still a good opportunity to hit the reset button and just check in with yourself.
How we start our day and how we go through our day can greatly impact how we feel.
Right now,
You have chosen to start your morning in a very positive way,
So give yourself a moment to feel proud of yourself for this decision.
You can take a minute to get settled into a comfortable position,
Whether you're still lying in bed or sitting up.
Just allow the spine to lengthen,
Which helps energy flow more freely.
You may choose to gently close the eyes,
Or you can keep a soft,
Unfocused gaze.
Just let your hands either rest on your lap or wherever they naturally fall,
And let's allow any tension in the neck or the jaw to relax.
Relax the tongue.
Just allow the shoulders to move down away from the ears,
Just allowing the body to settle and soften a little bit while remaining awake and alert.
You can begin to notice the breath inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Without changing anything,
Where do you notice the breath in your body?
Is your awareness on the nose or the nostrils,
The belly,
The ribs,
The chest?
There's no right or wrong answer here.
Just notice where you connect with the breath in your body.
Focusing on the breath allows us to ground in the body,
Bringing us into the beautiful present moment.
As we inhale and exhale,
We can use the breath and the sensations in the body to help us get out of our heads and all of our swirling thoughts and to-do lists.
We can make the decision to put aside what is to come later and just sit with the now.
This can take practice,
But like a muscle,
It will get easier each time you do it.
Getting stronger with more practice.
And any time the mind gets distracted,
And it will,
Just gently bring your attention back to the breath,
Back to the body,
And know that it's okay if you have to do this dozens of times.
Bringing the focus back is a big part of the practice.
Continuing to inhale and exhale,
Maybe allowing it to deepen a little bit.
As we transition into our day,
Giving yourself time to adjust.
We often rush from one thing to another and don't acknowledge these transitions in our day and our life.
Just letting the thoughts settle,
Allowing the muscles to soften.
Relaxing the abdomen,
Feeling the breath beginning low in the belly and rising up through the ribs and into the chest.
And as you exhale,
Feeling rooted and grounded to the surface beneath you.
Really feeling the support of the earth below and around you.
Feeling grounded in the present and supported by the earth fosters feelings of calm,
A sense of security,
And overall confidence.
It can help us to focus and allow you to go through your day with more ease and peace.
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Take a moment now to feel a sense of gratitude for today.
Feeling grateful for this beautiful morning.
Finding a couple of things in your life that you can really feel grateful for.
And notice where you feel the sense of gratitude in your body.
Connecting with that feeling helps to deepen this experience and allowing all of the benefits of gratitude.
Inhaling and exhaling a little deeper through these feelings of gratitude.
And just taking a moment to sit with what you feel most grateful for right now.
Now we can start to explore your intentions for today.
Without letting the mind go too far into a list of things to do,
First ask yourself,
What needs do I have today?
There may be social needs,
Need for time alone or with people,
Emotional needs,
Physical needs,
And work and productivity needs.
No need to overthink this.
Just notice what comes up for you today.
And let's identify your three priorities.
This isn't necessarily based on a to-do list,
But what will you feel best about accomplishing today when you lay down to go to bed tonight?
Really see and visualize the day you would like to create today.
See yourself going through your day in a way that brings you joy,
Peace,
And fulfillment.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Before we end this meditation,
Let's bring some energy to the body.
Maybe you first do some slow neck circles.
Maybe imagine a plate in front of your face and trace the edge of the plate with your nose.
The size of the plate will be dictated by how your neck feels.
So if there's tightness,
You'll visualize a smaller plate,
But just slowly moving the neck around in a circle in one direction.
And then after a few rotations,
Switching to the opposite direction and using the breath as a guide.
Once you've completed your circles,
Bringing the neck back to center,
And maybe making some circles with the wrists,
Moving in both directions.
And then maybe the ankles,
Wiggling the fingers and toes,
Just allowing the body to gently wake up and transition into your day.
Always knowing that the breath is there at all times to help you stay grounded.
Present and calm.
See yourself taking slow,
Mindful,
Purposeful steps as you move into your day.
Feeling refreshed,
Grounded,
And peaceful.
Only when you feel ready,
You can allow the eyes to gently open,
Orienting you back to your space.
And take one more deep breath in,
And exhale,
Feeling ready to face the day.
Thanks so much for practicing with me today.
I hope you have a great day.
