Good morning from the beautiful island of Jamaica.
I'm at my home away from home,
The Jamaica Inn.
You may hear ocean sounds,
Waves crashing on the beach,
Or the birds.
Just notice when you hear sounds and come back to your breath.
Let's begin by taking a comfortable seat.
Allow the spine to grow tall,
Shoulders dropping away from the ears.
Just begin noticing your breath.
Feel the cool air as you breathe it in.
And as you exhale,
Just allow the body to soften,
Relax.
Nothing to do here,
Except breathe.
We're not thinking about breathing.
Our feeling our breathing.
Just check in,
Notice the nature of your mind this morning.
Without judgment,
Just notice.
Listen to sounds around you.
So allow them to keep you in this present moment.
The only moment where we have true life.
And as we listen to the sound of the waves,
We envisioning matching your breath to each way.
As you inhale,
Imagine the wave rising.
Just as the belly rises with each breath.
As you exhale,
The body softens.
The water recedes.
Just notice the quality of your mind.
Notice if you're thinking,
That's okay.
It's good when we notice we're thinking.
The moment we notice we've regained awareness.
And we just come back to the breath.
This is the constant cycle of the mind.
Just come back to the breath.
Come back to the body.
Come back to the senses.
Notice any air on your skin.
Just check in with the face.
Notice if you're clenching the teeth.
Allow the eyes to be heavy here.
Ocean waves are such a great metaphor for the mind.
Sometimes the waters are choppy,
Busy,
Tough to navigate.
Other times the water is still and crystal clear.
It makes the sense feel easier.
And we take another inhale deep into the belly.
And as we exhale,
We just ride the wave of the breath.
Inhaling,
Exhaling.
Ocean waves keep coming and going.
Our waves of thought keep coming,
Keep going.
Our only job is to notice and come back home to ourselves,
To our breath.
Take one more deep breath.
And just allow the energy of gratitude to come into your practice this morning.
Gratitude for being alive.
Gratitude for the simplest of things.
This breath,
This life,
This beauty of the world we live in.
Maybe bring to mind three things you're grateful for this morning.
Notice the energy of your mind from a few moments of breath.
Thank you so much for practicing with me this morning.
Sending you so much love and gratitude.
