Good morning my friend,
I'm Alison and however you're feeling right now,
I want you to know that you are safe and all is well in this moment.
Sometimes what happens is our body wakes up really alert before the rest of us has quite arrived and that's why there can be that rush of energy that you might be feeling.
It might be a racing feeling or a sense,
A really immediate sense that something needs your attention.
Or it might be that you feel quite stuck.
And all of this is quite natural,
It's very human.
There is a natural spike in cortisol that happens in our bodies to help us wake up.
But what's important to know is you don't have to believe everything that feeling may seem to be saying.
You are safe and there are some sensations happening in your body.
These sensations don't have to become a story about life or about you or about the day ahead.
There's energy here.
We don't know yet what this day is going to bring.
So why not,
For now,
Have this thought?
That you can let the morning simply be morning.
Before it becomes everything else.
We're just going to do some things to help your body feel settled,
Feel here.
And feel able to go ahead with today and see what today brings.
And we won't be doing anything with your breathing this morning.
Your breath belongs to you.
Will let your body breathe any way it wants to.
While we give it some other things to notice and to feel.
To realize.
Realizing especially that everything's okay.
So first of all,
This is something I like to do when I first wake up.
I don't know if you do this and it may feel a bit odd,
But why not say hello to yourself?
Instead of trying to fix anything,
Maybe you can take your hand to your chest or your upper arms or your lap,
Whatever feels naturally reassuring.
Just give a little squeeze maybe of your arms and say,
Hello.
You could say,
Hello you,
Or hello me.
Just saying hello to yourself.
And letting yourself have that moment,
That friendly,
Connected moment.
Even if it feels a little bit strange,
It might.
It might feel nice.
You're just greeting yourself.
And while you're doing this,
You may notice your mind in the background going into that automatic scanning,
Asking questions like,
Why do I feel like this?
What am I worried about?
What have I forgotten?
That's very normal and human.
It's very normal for your mind to search for something to attach feelings to.
You don't have to help it.
You don't need to find a reason for this feeling.
And before you do anything about how you feel.
Feel your body's strong anchor anchoring down.
Notice the bed underneath you.
And how the mattress is already holding your weight.
Let your body feel very heavy.
Simply drop the weight of your bones and feel how you are held.
You don't have to hold yourself up.
Everything can relax down.
And then get interested perhaps in feeling the outline of your body underneath the covers.
Feel the outline of your shoulders.
And the sides of your body.
As if someone could be drawing the outline,
The outline of your legs.
Your feet.
You have edges.
The outline of your head heavy on its pillow perhaps or perhaps your head simply upon your shoulders.
The outline of your neck.
Yes,
You have edges.
You have a container.
You're inside that container and you are here contained within this supported safe solid body.
Is anything being asked of you in this exact second?
No,
You're simply a human being waking up.
Whatever this day contains,
You'll meet it when you arrive there.
Right now.
Can you gently press your heels,
Your calves,
Maybe your back?
Palms of your hands or elbows into the mattress.
Pressing your body or some part of your body like your palms your elbows.
Or your heels and calves.
Or pressing your back into the mattress or against the pillows or both.
Press just enough to feel here is my body pressing against something solid that's behind me or underneath me.
Press and then release.
Just notice the difference.
Do it again,
Press.
Release.
So we can do this,
Perhaps pressing both feet or heels into the mattress.
Hold briefly.
Completely release.
Feel the difference in your feet and heels.
Press your palms together.
Press.
Hold.
Release.
How does that feel in your hands?
Perhaps gently draw your knees toward one another.
Or push your thighs into the bed.
Hold.
Release.
Release everything and notice what happens after the effort.
Can you feel that little wave of letting go?
After each effort there's a little wave you might feel of letting go and what that shows you is your body knows how to complete a movement and then soften.
You don't have to manufacture softening.
Now I invite you to notice anywhere that feels warm,
Where your body is feeling warmth,
Maybe under the covers.
Maybe there's warmth where your head meets the pillow.
Or your spine.
Maybe there's warmth underneath your hands.
Warmth can become a very simple sensory place to rest attention.
And as you feel the warmth.
Think of something that warms your heart because warmth in life exists in the smile of those who love you.
Warmth exists in the sunlight that graces your skin with love.
And the warmth of kindness.
And the warmth of a smile,
Something that makes you smile all the way into your belly.
Warmth exists when we remember something that instantly brings us gratitude.
What is something that you're so grateful for?
Can you think about that thing or person?
Just for a moment and feel the warmth that I'm talking about traveling into your body.
And now gazing outwards again.
Let your eyes find your room,
Your space.
There are things here in your room,
Your space,
That your body already knows.
And maybe even likes.
So turn your head gently.
And you can do this slowly.
You can let your head roll a little toward one side and let your eyes follow.
And perhaps the other way.
Letting your body discover what's around you in space,
In your room,
Rather than having to even think about it.
Are you finding things?
That actually make you feel good.
When you look at them.
And if you are,
Just take a moment to say thank you to that thing.
It might be thanking you back.
A moment of connection.
And now ask yourself,
Is there any movement your body would actually enjoy making right now?
Ask yourself what instinctively feels good to your body.
It could be wiggling your toes.
Or pushing your feet away so you get a stretch in your legs.
It could be stretching and lengthening your whole body.
Or curling and uncurling your fingers.
Rolling your ankles.
In little circles.
Or your shoulders.
Maybe your wrists,
Little circles.
And then maybe now you're ready to find the floor.
And feel both your feet landing.
And if you are ready Then let your feet find the floor,
They know the floor.
And let them both land.
Pressing into the earth,
The ground underneath you,
Your ground.
And just taking a moment if it's okay to ask yourself and your body how you feel right now.
How your body feels.
Maybe you feel a little more inside your own body.
A little more.
.
.
Inside this moment right here.
Even if there are other things matching.
And I wonder.
.
.
Might the next thing you do be something nice for yourself?
And we all have different time available.
It doesn't have to be something that takes long.
But if it were something nice,
What would it be?
Make a nice cup of coffee.
Treat yourself to something you really like to have for breakfast.
Ooh,
Take a lovely shower.
Or maybe it's just step outside and listen to the birds.
And see the sky's new painting today,
Colours that will never have appeared exactly this way before and never will.
Maybe it's looking up.
And then down at your feet on the beautiful earth.
And maybe drawing some comfort or fresh energy from the life of the newness of today.
It's yours.
You are in it.
You are part of it.
The day is yours.
Might you leave some blank space for today to surprise you?
None of us can know or write,
We can't script the whole day in advance,
Even though our mind may think it can.
And that includes all the good surprises,
All the good things coming your way today.
The conversations you haven't yet had.
The things you'll see.
The wonderful memories that will come alive again and remind us.
And the small pleasures that you haven't encountered.
Things about yourself today that you can be proud of and celebrate and enjoy.
Have a beautiful day my friend and know that these practices are always here for your body.
And each time you give your body an experience of support.
And your heart,
An experience of support and energy moving and choice of I can be here and I can meet this.
You're gently helping it learn something new.
You don't have to force that learning or even feel completely different straight away.
Just keep giving your body these.
Special little experiences.
That are available.
And quite ordinary.
And let it discover in its own time that morning can feel different.
That you can feel different.
And that a new day can hold so much possibility,
Good possibility.
And now,
Go and meet your day.
And until next time,
Bye for now.
