Let's start by bringing attention to the breath.
If we gently establish breath awareness at this beginning point,
It helps us focus and stabilize the mind,
Keeping things steady and calm.
Noticing the breath coming in and going out of the body.
Noticing the rhythm,
The flow,
And the spaces in between the breath.
As we move along in the meditation,
Trying,
If you can,
To keep a light awareness on the breath throughout,
Something to come back to when you become distracted or sleepy again.
Maintaining this awareness will also strengthen your mindfulness practice.
In this morning time meditation,
We're allowing our awareness to come fully awake,
To be bright and aware within our rested state.
Allowing our awareness to be aware means resisting avoidance of whatever comes into it.
Whatever arrives,
Let it be.
If it's compelling,
Let it become a focus of the meditation for a while.
Thoughts,
Sounds,
Sensations,
Notice how all these things arrive and leave continually.
And when whatever you are aware of stops being so interesting,
Just let it go and let your awareness rest gently again on the breath,
Rejoining this guidance until another thing appears.
When we allow our awareness to be aware,
We depress any reaction to what we might otherwise see as distractions.
We're practicing awareness of whatever there is.
We are noticing it,
We are being with it as it flows through and using it as part of our practice and then coming back to the breath.
Taking a moment now to get a sense of your mental state,
Its level of clarity,
Or fuzziness.
Is there an attitude present?
Can you name it?
How still is the mind today or how busy?
Not pressing too hard for an answer,
Not doing anything with a result,
Simply being aware.
Knowing that feelings are a result of the state of your emotion,
How are you feeling today?
Just being open and aware of your mood this morning,
Can you recognize it?
Do you have thoughts or reactions about how you are in your being this morning?
And if you do,
Can you notice where in the body you feel it?
And when you're ready,
Just refocusing lightly on the breath,
Allowing awareness to expand again to the whole body,
The whole being,
Breathing in and out and with each out breath,
Softening,
Releasing and relaxing the body.
Aware of sounds,
Aware of thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations as you breathe.
Noticing that the body is relaxed,
Noticing the mind is awake,
Aware and present,
Calm and steady,
Ready as awareness of being gently expands and becomes a part of the unfolding day.
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