Snug In Bed: Morning Practice - Intention And Gentle Stretch

Join me in this practice from bed where we start by connecting to breath and intention, gently moving and invigorating the body from toes to top. Ending with gratitude, these few moments will awaken the soul, casting off the web of sleep to focus and prepare you for what comes next.

Transcript

Welcome to this morning practice.

This practice can be done lying in bed or anywhere that you have been resting.

Your eyes can be closed or soft,

Whatever feels comfortable to you.

Start by connecting to your breath.

Take a deep breath in,

Allowing your chest and belly to rise.

On exhale,

Release.

Do this a few times with your own breath flow.

Begin to make a shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being,

Visualizing each inhale as a cleansing revitalizing breath.

And each exhale,

A release of everything that no longer serves you.

Notice how the body feels before this practice.

Just noticing.

And begin to ask yourself how you want to be or show up today.

From the space,

Begin to set an intention.

It could be as simple as I intend to take calming breath breaks today.

Take a moment and repeat it silently or out loud,

Sealing it with a breath.

And let your breath settle into a normal rhythm.

And begin to bring some movement into your toes.

A gentle wiggle,

Slowly waking up the body.

And now bring movement fully into both feet.

Begin to circle through your ankles one way,

And then reverse.

And now point and flex through your feet a few times.

Holding the point or flex for a breath if that feels good.

Modifying in any way.

When you're ready,

Bring stillness to your feet.

And gently wiggle through the legs a few times.

Moving the energy through the body.

Pause here and bring attention to your hands.

Bring some movement into your fingers.

A gentle wiggle.

And now gently circling through the wrist.

One way,

And then the other.

Alternating back and forth.

Breathing into the joints.

When you're ready,

We'll pause here and we'll inhale the hands up overhead.

Coming into a full body stretch.

Reaching through your hands and your fingers.

Your feet are pointing in the opposite direction.

Like a full body yawn.

Breathing as though the entire body is breathing.

Reaching and lengthening.

Take a deep inhale.

Holding at the top of the breath.

And exhale,

Release.

Gently float the hands down to your sides.

Palms can face up or down.

Now bring the soles of the feet to the bed.

Or whatever resting space you are on.

Coming into bent knees.

You can adjust your feet so they're a little bit wider than the hips.

And now gently move your knees from side to side.

In a windshield wiper motion.

Your knees don't have to come all the way down.

Move at your own pace with the breath.

Or you can pause for a breath when your knees fall.

To one side.

You can play around here and find what feels good in your body.

Meet yourself where you're at in this moment.

While swaying your knees from side to side.

If you'd like you can move your head in the opposite direction of your knees.

Using the motion to gently massage the back of your head.

Take a couple more on each side.

And when you're ready we'll meet back at center.

From here knock the knees in.

So bring your knees together to touch.

In a restorative rest.

And bring the pads of your fingers to your forehead for a little mini facial massage.

Gently moving the pads of your fingers in a circular motion one way.

And then the other.

Alternating back and forth.

Rubbing any tension out of your face.

Moving the pads of your fingers down your temples.

You could bring one hand to the area in between your eyes.

And now moving both hands down the temples and into the hinges of the jaw.

Anywhere else you want to bring a little love.

We often carry tension in the face with the use of our phones and computers.

So it's nice to bring some relief to those areas.

Now bring the hands to the ear lobes.

And gently tug up the ear.

And back down the ear again.

And now place the hands down to your sides.

When you're ready open up through the knees.

And bring them in towards your chest.

You can place your hands around the legs.

Hugging them in like a little ball.

Tucking your chin towards your chest.

Take an inhale here.

Holding at the top of the breath.

And exhale release.

Bring the soles of your feet back down.

You can keep your knees bent.

Or extend them out long.

And bring one hand to the heart.

And one hand to the belly.

And just notice how the body feels after this short stretch.

The openness you created with the breath.

And some gentle movement.

And maybe you feel a little more at home in your body.

Just noticing.

Remember your intention that you set for practice.

Take it with you throughout your day.

Tapping into the peace you created at any time.

And we'll seal it here with a breath.

Deep inhale through your nose.

And open mouth exhale.

Now bring your attention to your heart center.

Deep into your heart center.

And take a deep breath.

And open your eyes.

And take a moment of gratitude for showing up.

To nurture mind,

Body and soul today.

So needed.

And makes such a difference.

Gratitude for the air in your lungs.

And this very day that you breathe it.

I'm wishing you peace in your body.

Peace in your mind.

And peace in your heart.

Thank you so much for joining me in this practice.

Have an amazing and beautiful day.

Reviews

What a beautiful way to start the day… I can struggle in the mornings, in multiple ways but this morning meditation, feels like it’s such luxurious gift, that I look forward to it now! Thank you for sharing your love and magic with us. Namaste 🙏🏼

Loved it - my creative mind kept jumping in to be heard but coming back to my body helped me ground myself. This is great way to start the day.

Loved doing a practice from bed that then energized me to get up and take the day on! I hope to do so more frequently!

I loved the stretches being incorporated. A wonderful way to wake up.

It was a lovely way to wake the body up before getting out of bed. Normally I feel very stiff as I get out of bed, but doing this has made me feel a lot more at ease, loose and able to walk better. 💛

Thank you. A beautiful, gentle way to wake up on a sad day❤️

Beautiful and gentle practice for slowing down. Perfect for morning rituals!

A practice I come back to regularly to start my mornings. Very gentle and grounding, a great way to greet the day.

Thank you so much ❤️ I’ve been having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning for the last month and this meditation will be a part of my morning routine going forward. It was lovely and a great way to get the sleepy cobwebs off to start the day

Thank you 🙏🏼 I really enjoyed the gentle movement as a way to wake up body and spirit.

Thank you for this beautiful practice to begin my day! Truly enjoyed it!

This was a really lovely session Jennifer. I loved the simplicity of focusing on the breath and the incorporation of gentle movement. Thank you 🥰

Thank you, that was a lovely gentle way to start moving mindfully for the day.

I've been doing this practice every morning before I get out of bed. Before doing it, I didn't want to get out of bed. It helps quiet my monkey mind and warms up my body so I'm good to go. It's become party of my morning self care routine.

Lovely morning stretch. Nice and calming voice. What a great way to start the day! Thank you❤️

Beautiful way to start the day. I love the soft background music, the gentle movement and your calming voice. I will be coming back to this one. Thank you 💛

Lovely way to start the day with you. Thank you 🙏

My body and mind feel in synch with beginning my day. A gentle, enlivening wake up with promise and clarity.

Lovely way to wake up the body ready for the day 🙏🏽

Thank you for this meditation. Nice way to start the day with gentle stretching. 🙏🏻😊