Mindful Morning Meditation

Gently honor the transition from sleep to wakefulness with this brief morning meditation. By staying present with your internal world, while slowly orienting yourself to the external world, you'll explore a state of calm acceptance and awareness of both. Intensionally short, this meditation does not require you to wake any earlier than you normally would, it just brings a state of mindfulness and peace to the natural shift from dreaming to waking.

Transcript

This brief meditation is designed to help you find a morning dose of mindfulness the moment you wake up each morning.

Finding a pause to settle your awareness in the present moment and connect to your inner experience as you wake can be a powerful way to set an intention to stay present throughout the whole day ahead.

As you wake now,

Take a moment with eyes open or closed to just sense the environment around you.

The degree of light or dark,

The feeling of your skin touching the bedding,

The temperature of the room,

And any other sights,

Sounds or sensations that are present.

If you feel the impulse to stretch or move your body in any way,

You could take a moment here to give in to your body's instincts on how to find those organic movements that will help you feel more comfortable and present in your own skin.

Think of how a cat or a dog stretches upon first awakening.

Notice if there's any movements that are calling to you in this moment.

As you stretch and move,

I'll also invite you to turn on a light or open a window to let more light into your space.

Take a moment to let your eyes rest on a single object.

It can be anything that comes into your field of vision.

Resting your eyes on that object for one full inhale and one full exhale.

Then allow your eyes to find a new object.

As you breathe in,

Allow your full attention and awareness to rest on that object.

Object of your choice,

Keeping that attention present as you breathe out.

If you like,

You could repeat this for three or more breath cycles.

Each time you find an object,

Notice if your mind is jumping ahead to planning your day or drawing you back into sleep.

Can you stay present in each moment,

Using the breath and the object you're looking at as an anchor for your mind.

When you like,

You could take one final wake up stretch,

Bringing your awareness to both your internal and external world.

Feeling presence within yourself alongside an awakening to the world around you.

I'm wishing you all of the mindfulness and wonderful things as you begin your day.