Morning Meditation: Game Day!

Allow this quick morning meditation to help you get ready for an upcoming race, game, or event that you have been working hard for. During this exercise, we breathe slowly and deeply while noticing the sensations in our bodies. We also visualize the day ahead and our performance for optimal success. How we start the morning sets the tone for our entire day. This practice focuses on mindful breathing, relaxing the body, and listening to our heart.

Transcript

Hello, My name is Hilary Lafon and I'm so grateful you've joined me today for our morning meditation. Today's topic is game day. That means you've chosen this meditation because you have a big game today, A big race that you've been training for. Maybe it's a test. Something large and amazing is happening in your day today and you want to make sure you're in the right mindset or you've come to the right place. So wherever this meditation finds you, Maybe you're still in bed getting ready for the day, Maybe you're at school or work preparing for what's ahead. But wherever this finds you, Find yourself in a seated position or standing or lying down. If you are seated or lying down, Gently close your eyes. Start noticing your breath. What we'll do today is we'll focus on the breath, Notice what the body is telling us, Bring some awareness to our heart space and then we'll visualize the day ahead and our success. So when you're ready, Exhale all your breath out. Inhale deeply through the nose, Filling in the oxygen, Filling the air, Going into the nose, Into the lungs and then exhaling completely through the nose or the mouth, Allowing the exhale to be longer than the inhale. Two more times like this, Inhale deeply, Feeling your chest rise and your stomach expand, Really using your diaphragm to take a deep breath and then let it go slowly. Have your exhale be almost twice as long as the inhale, Letting all that excess waste out of your body. One more time, Inhale and exhale. Breathing naturally and normally for yourself, Bring your awareness to your body, Noticing if there's any anxiety in your muscles, Tension. What are you feeling physically? And as you breathe, Systematically go through the body, Relaxing these areas, Maybe even using a mantra or a word with your inhale and exhale to help you stay focused. So as you're inhaling, Maybe you're saying strength and as you're exhaling, Maybe the word success. Breathing, Relaxing the muscles, Allowing the eyes to soften, All the muscles around the eyes and the nose and the jaw to simply release with each deep breath. If there's any tension in the back of the head, Use this next breath to allow a wave of relaxation to wash over you, Massaging your neck and shoulders on the exhale. Breathing in strength, Breathing out success, Noticing any areas in your chest or your stomach that are tight and allow these areas to soften and melt. Allow gravity to weigh on you like a weighted blanket or a hug from a dear friend. Feel rooted, Grounded, Getting ready for the big day. Allow your back to soften and expand the upper, Mid, Low back. Inhaling strength and exhaling success. Notice how your hands and your feet feel. If they're clenched, Relax. Allow your arms and your legs to be heavy and loose and now feel your body as a whole, Breathing deep, Noticing what your heart tells you in this moment of stillness. Now visualize the day ahead, Breathing deeply, Feeling strong, Successful. You have trained, You have planned, You have prepared for today. So visualize how the day will end up. How will it start? What will you eat? How will you prepare? Visualize yourself getting to the event. What stretches will you do? Who will you speak with? What will your coach and team tell you? Visualize the start of the event. Allow your body to be strong, Knowing you've worked hard and you got this. Visualizing any areas of improvement you'd like to make now and then letting it go so you don't second guess it during the race. Visualizing your body moving in ways you never thought possible during the race or the game, Feeling light and agile, Full of vibrancy and vitality. Visualizing your success at the end of your event. Who will you be with? Who will be around you? What will their faces look like? What will your face look like? Bringing your awareness back to your breath, Inhaling strength, Exhaling success. Breathing deep, You got this, You've planned for this, You've trained for this, You are prepared. When you're ready, Open your eyes, Wiggle your fingers and your toes, Come back to your space with a new sense of lightness, Feeling ready. You got this. Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time. Until next time.