Hi,
It's Enya.
Don't hit the snooze button.
Try this instead.
If you are like me and feel that you always need a few more minutes to wake up out of your warm slumber,
Like why is our bed so cosy,
You hit the snooze button,
Sometimes more than once.
But to be honest though,
I never feel like I'm more prepared to start my day after the snooze.
So I'd like to offer you another option that I've been using as a way to greet my day rather than avoid it for five more minutes.
Stay where you are.
No need to move.
Just begin to notice your body on your mattress and inside the covers.
In your mind's eye,
Draw an imaginary line around your whole body,
Toes and fingers too,
As you feel into the heaviness of your body on the mattress,
Feeling those blankets or covers on top of you.
Now let's begin to connect to our breath.
We're going to breathe in through our left nostril and out through the right.
Using your imagination here sometimes,
Pause then breathe in through your right nostril and out through your left.
Least amount of effort here.
Nothing else needs to get involved.
Follow that flow of breath in through the left,
Out through the right.
In through your right nostril,
Out through the left.
Again and again.
Least amount of effort.
And next time you're breathing out through your left nostril,
Letting that breath go and just let yourself breathe.
Now let's bring our attention down into our hands,
Feeling each finger as you gently open and close your hands.
As much as you can,
Depending on where they are in the covers,
We're trying to open and close.
Nice and slow.
Letting that go and let's move on to your feet now.
Also probably tightly wound up in your covers,
Finding some movement by wiggling your toes,
Maybe pointing and flexing your feet.
And slowly let this movement in your feet get a little larger as you circle your ankles.
Move your way,
If you're not there already,
Onto your back so there's a bit more space.
Circling your ankles,
Pointing and flexing your feet.
And then take a lovely big stretch through your whole body.
Checking back in with your breath.
As you breathe in consciously,
Take a pause.
As you breathe out,
Take a pause.
And see if you can make your exhale a little vocal.
Sigh it out,
Groan it out,
Whatever sound naturally comes.
Letting movement absorb you for a few more moments,
Being in your glorious body.
Form a smile on your lips as you untangle a little more from your bedding and roll over to the side of the bed you would get up from.
But not yet.
Lie here a little bit longer as you find some thoughts of gratitude for being alive on this day.
For having something to get up for.
For the faces you might be lucky enough to see.
For the sun that may warm your face.
Using your upper arm to slowly,
Gradually bring you up to a seated position.
Your eyes can stay closed,
Nothing to see yet.
As you sit at the edge of your bed,
As straight as you can manage.
Take your tongue and move it around your mouth,
Into the cheeks,
Over the teeth.
Let your lower jaw move side to side.
And our last piece before we begin the doing of our day is to take a lovely big sun breath.
Raising your arms out to the side and overhead on your inhale.
Bring your palms together as you exhale down towards your heart,
Bowing your head.
Honouring yourself just because you are you.
Begin your day from this place.
