Begin by finding your position.
You can sit,
Stand or lie down in whatever way feels most supportive this morning.
Notice your tendency to immediately adjust yourself.
Humans often rush to get comfortable without first noticing what is already being experienced.
Instead of correcting your posture straight away,
Have a pause.
Feel the surface beneath you,
The bed,
The chair,
The floor,
The earth.
Notice where your body is being supported without you needing to hold yourself up completely.
This is one of the nervous system's first reminders of safety.
You are being held by something outside of yourself.
Allow your shoulders to drop naturally if they wish.
Unclench the jaw if it feels ready.
Soften your tongue from the roof of your mouth.
No force.
No performance.
Just noticing.
Sometimes,
In the stillness of the morning,
You may realize how quickly the body prepares itself for impact before the day has even begun.
Tight stomach,
Shallow breath,
Racing thoughts,
Subtle vigilance.
If that is present,
Simply acknowledge it kindly.
Ah,
My body is preparing again.
Awareness itself is already a shift.
Now we will focus on breath orientation.
Take three slow,
Deliberate breaths.
Not deep in a dramatic way,
Not performative breathing,
Just intentional.
On each exhale,
Allow something to soften.
Perhaps the jaw,
The throat,
The shoulders,
The belly.
You are not trying to force relaxation.
Often that creates more tension.
Instead,
You are allowing the body to discover that it does not need to grip quite so tightly in this moment.
Follow this rhythm.
Inhale gently through the nose for four counts.
Hold softly for one count.
Exhale slowly through the mouth for six counts.
Inhale,
2,
3,
4,
Hold.
Exhale,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale,
2,
3,
4,
Hold.
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Then,
Let the breath return to its own natural pace.
Longer exhales communicate something important to the nervous system.
The immediate threat has passed.
For many people,
Mornings begin with unconscious breath-holding.
Checking phones,
Thinking ahead,
Anticipating responsibilities.
But the body interprets this internal pressure as activation.
Breath orientation helps interpret that loop.
Not by escaping life,
But by re-entering it more consciously.
If thoughts arise during this step,
Let them move through like the weather.
You do not need to stop thinking in order to be present.
Presence is not the absence of thought.
It is the ability to remain connected whilst thoughts pass through.
Let's settle the body with a body scan.
Now begin gently scanning through the body.
Imagine your awareness moving slowly downward like warm light.
Start at the crown of your head.
Scanning from left to right and back again.
Moving down the body through forehead,
Eyes,
Jaw,
Throat,
Chest,
Ribs.
Belly.
Hips.
Size.
Knees.
Calves,
Ankles,
Feet and toes.
At each area,
Simply notice what is there.
Tightness,
Warmth,
Buzzing,
Heaviness,
Numbness,
Calm,
Nothing at all.
There is no correct sensation to have.
Many people have learned to interpret tension as failure or discomfort,
As something needing immediate removal.
But the body is constantly communicating through sensation.
Sensation is information,
Not a problem.
If you notice tension somewhere,
Try breathing towards it rather than trying to eliminate it.
The subtle shift matters deeply.
Instead of why am I tense again?
Try?
What might this part of me be holding?
Sometimes the body carries unfinished conversations from yesterday.
Sometimes it carries grief,
Overstimulation,
Pressure,
Or simple exhaustion.
Sometimes it is holding nothing dramatic at all,
Only the residue of being human in a fast-moving world.
You do not need to solve everything this morning.
You are simply learning how to stay connected to yourself while life moves around you.
That alone changes people over time.
Let's begin this morning with intention setting.
Now ask yourself quietly,
What quality would I like to carry into today?
Not what do you want to achieve,
Not what do you need to complete.
Instead,
Focus on a quality that you'd rather experience.
Perhaps steadiness,
Softness,
Courage,
Clarity,
Curiosity,
Playfulness,
Patience,
Trust,
Openness or warmth.
Allow the answer to arise rather than forcing one intellectually.
Often the deepest intentions arrive quietly.
Place your hand over your chest.
Feel the warmth of your palm against your body.
And let your chosen quality settle there for a few breaths.
Not as pressure,
Not as another thing to perform successfully.
But as a gentle orientation,
A remembering.
You do not need to become someone else today.
You are simply choosing how you would like to meet the life already unfolding in front of you.
Let's close this practice with a simple reflection.
Before standing up,
Notice if anything feels slightly different.
Perhaps only 1%.
A soft jaw,
A slower breath,
A little more awareness of yourself.
Small shifts matter.
Healing,
Regulation and embodiment are rarely built through dramatic moments alone.
More often,
They're built through repeated experiences of safe return.
This practice is one of those returns,
A way of reminding the body,
I am here now.
I can meet this moment gradually.
I do not need to abandon myself to begin the day.
And when you're ready,
Slowly come back to your body.
You can open the eyes gently,
Take some time to look around your environment,
Noticing where you are in the external world,
Bringing forward with you that sense of peace,
Stillness and presence.
Remembering your breath,
Deep and steady.
And that intention that you set.
Being the quality of your choice.
May you have a wonderful,
Magical,
Glorious day.
Thank you for joining me for this morning's practice.
My name is Chloe Allison of Inner Glow Awakenings,
And it's always a pleasure to share practice with you.
