Good morning and welcome to this brand new day.
I'm inviting you to join me this morning just to take your time,
To slowly awaken.
You could do this while still lying down in bed,
Or maybe you've risen and you've taken a seat somewhere,
Making sure just that you're comfortable for the next few minutes.
You're warm.
If you're seated you could be leaning against the wall,
Or maybe you're comfortable just sitting upright on a cushion on the floor or in a chair.
Allow the eyes to be closed if they still are,
Or for your gaze to just gently soften now.
Take a moment just to feel into the body as it is in this moment.
Maybe feeling the residue of sleep.
Maybe a sense of heaviness through the eyes,
Body.
Maybe there's still aches and pains as you haven't really started moving yet.
Noticing also just the state of your mind as you're awakening to this new day.
Part of doing a morning practice is really to allow us to come into the day with a calmer state of mind,
Allowing our nervous system to just find some stillness before the busyness of the day.
And with that setting a tone maybe for the rest of our day.
So just staying with the body for another moment or two.
Maybe noticing the parts of you that are connecting you to the surfaces that you're sitting or lying on.
If you're feeling any aches and pains,
Noticing those.
Maybe even gently shifting the body into a more comfortable position.
And then just becoming aware of any sounds around you.
There could be sounds coming in from outside,
Sounds of nature such as birds chirping,
The wind rustling through the trees.
Maybe it's raining,
You can hear the rain.
Maybe there are other sounds outside like traffic going by.
Maybe you can hear people talking somewhere in the distance or close by.
Just scanning your awareness from sound to sound.
Simply in an attempt to slowly awaken to the world around you.
And maybe there are sounds closer to yourself,
To your body that you can hear also,
Like the sound of your own breathing.
And then just becoming aware of the fact that you are breathing.
You are starting this day as any day with the breath simply breathing you.
Flowing in and out through the nose or the mouth in a gentle even rhythm.
Noticing the sensations that are present with the breath.
There could be the sensation of air flowing in and out through the nostrils.
Or the small movement that's present in the body with each breath as your chest or belly rise and fall.
And very gently now allow that breath to deepen.
Start to take fuller,
Deeper inhalations.
Filling the lungs expanding through the ribcage and the belly.
As you inhale and softening as you exhale.
Imagine that with every breath that you take in,
Fresh air,
Fresh oxygen is coming into the body.
And with that sense of energy coming into the body,
Awakening the body.
And with every exhalation now imagining that we're letting go of the night sleep that we've had.
We're releasing that heaviness of sleep,
The drowsiness of sleep.
Inhaling we're expanding,
We're inviting energy in.
Exhaling we're softening,
Allowing that sleepiness to release.
Taking just a few more nice,
Deep,
Long breaths like that.
And then either releasing the breath or staying with that nice rhythm of breath that you've established.
Take a moment just to feel gratitude for this brand new day.
For getting the chance again to awaken.
Gratitude for our bodies who will carry us again through the day.
Gratitude also for our minds for allowing us to be present in our day.
Not everything about our day and our bodies and our minds might be perfect or feel perfect in this moment.
But there's still a lot more right with them than wrong with them.
Especially as we're able to be here for these few moments at the beginning of our day.
To really become fully present with our breath,
With our bodies,
With our minds.
And maybe in this setting you feel drawn to setting an intention for your day.
Just notice if something comes up naturally.
There's no need to set an intention.
Simply an invitation if you'd like to do so.
To do so now.
If you're not sure what that intention could be,
A couple of suggestion would be I am present or I am grounded.
Or maybe simply I am open to any experiences this day will bring.
And if an intention comes to you naturally or you would like to choose one,
Just repeating that to yourself a few times as you're breathing here.
And then just letting that go.
Returning back to the sensations of breath.
Returning again to the sensations in the body.
Noticing again your body in the space that you're in.
The connection to the ground,
The surfaces beneath you.
Noticing again the sounds around you.
And maybe gently opening the eyes to let the first light of the day enter your eyes.
Allowing yourself to gently adjust to the light entering your eyes.
To your body being awake in the space.
Inviting a little bit of movement maybe now into the body.
Could be just little wriggles of the fingers and toes.
Maybe you feel like giving yourself a nice big stretch with the arms overhead.
Or any other kind of movement that feels good in this moment.
As you're getting ready to head into this brand new day.
As our practice of meditation is now complete.
