Let's begin by finding a comfortable position in whatever that looks like for you.
You may be sitting on a chair or on a cushion,
Or maybe you're still lying on your bed.
Just take a few moments to really settle in and make any movements that your body's asking of you.
Start to feel the points of contact between your body and the chair and the floor.
Just notice your weight on whatever's holding you to the earth.
And even though you may be stories above the ground,
You're still connected to earth.
Keeping your spine straight but relaxed,
Slide your shoulder blades back and down,
Opening up the chest so you can breathe easily.
And just tuck your chin slightly to maintain spinal alignment all the way up through your neck.
And feel as though a silver string were lifting the crown of your head up towards the sky.
Just gently place your hands on your lap.
You're relaxed but awake.
Now let's take three conscious breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Breathing in and out,
And in and out,
And another in and out.
Now beginning at the top of your head,
Just notice any areas of tension.
Relax the muscles that surround your eyes.
Release any tension in your jaw.
Moving down to the neck and into the shoulders,
Down the arms,
Hands,
And into each finger.
Just letting go of any areas of tightness.
Then moving across your chest and into your belly,
Just asking everything to soften.
And moving from the upper back all the way to the base of your spine.
Just relaxing any areas of tightness.
Scanning down through the pelvis,
Hips,
Down through the knees,
Lower legs,
All the way through to the feet and toes,
And just releasing any tightness you experience.
Let yourself be even 5% more relaxed.
Now place your attention on your breath.
You breathe in and out even while you sleep.
It's a constant you never have to think about.
So as you inhale,
Feel the cool air that passes in through your nostrils.
It travels all the way down,
Filling your lungs.
And as you exhale,
Notice how it's warm as it passes out your nostrils.
Focus on this in-breath and out-breath.
And if there's somewhere in your body that you feel it the most,
Whether it's the tip of your nose,
Or the expansion of your rib cage,
Or maybe the soft rise and fall of your belly,
Wherever it resonates for you,
Place your focus on it there.
This is your anchor.
And it's different every day.
And that's okay.
Just breathing in and breathing out.
As you continue to follow your breath,
You may wander off into thought,
And that's okay.
Your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Think.
When you find yourself caught in thought,
Just say,
Thinking,
And return to your breath.
Even if you need to do this a hundred times,
No problem.
Becoming aware of thought and returning to the breath is the practice.
By taking this time for yourself each morning,
You're creating a new day filled with positive energy and a calm center.
Something that you can return to throughout the day just by breathing.
So to establish this,
With the next in-breath,
Quietly think to yourself,
Breathing in fresh morning,
Breathing out stale night,
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out tension,
Breathing in positivity,
Breathing out negativity,
Breathing in possibilities,
Breathing out limiting thoughts.
So,
Just keep your breath.
Breathing in fresh morning,
Breathing out stale night,
Breathing in calm,
Breathing out tension,
Breathing in positivity,
Breathing out negativity,
Breathing in possibilities,
Breathing out limiting thoughts.
And if you find one or more of these affirmations speak to you,
Continue your breathing using those and I'll hold this space while you practice.
And if you find yourself caught in thoughts,
Just note it and return to your breath.
Now that you've generated feelings of positivity and a center of calm,
You may want to solidify this by creating an intention for your day.
Your intention may look like,
Today I'll interact with others in a calm,
Responsive manner,
Or today I'll open myself to unknown possibilities.
As you say your intention,
Take a deep breath in through the nose and then exhale.
Now you've cleared your way for all that you'll encounter today.
So let's take a final deep conscious breath in and out.
Start to feel your body and your space,
The sit bones and feet connected to the earth,
The clothing on your skin,
And the temperature of the air on your face.
Hear the sounds in the room that you're in.
And when you're ready,
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes and slowly open your eyes and come fully into your space,
Ready to face a brand new day.
