Hi and welcome to day 13 of the mindful mornings challenge here on inside timer My name is Jonathan Lehman and it's a pleasure to be here to start the day together Today,
I'll be sharing a bit about my morning routine Before guiding you through a meditation that will contain three affirmations for a day full of presence and love It's critical for me to have time in the morning all to myself without the interference of any messages or notifications And so before I turn my phone back on and before my morning meditation I write a full page in my large notebook on the top three lines I write my to-do list for the day on the remainder of the page,
Which is about 23 lines for me I do what I call taking out my mental garbage I write everything that comes through my mind with no filter no order no logic It's very similar to Julia Cameron's morning pages,
But it's just a bit shorter the goal is to see what my mind has to tell me to determine if there's any issue that's causing me any agitation and to sharpen my mind for the day to come and On the last three lines of the page.
I write myself words of encouragement in all caps as If I were my own coach,
Which of course I am Generally these encouragements are spiritual reminders based on teachings.
I'm trying to integrate into my daily life For instance,
I will write peace of mind or no attachment to outcomes I encourage you to try this exercise out one morning Especially if you're someone like me who tends to be pulled in multiple directions by a hyperactive mind a Key aspect of my morning meditation,
Which I do right after I've taken out my mental garbage is the practice of compassion Which is one of the aspects of the work on myself that I've been finding most challenging these past few years It's also one of the main topics of the positive affirmations that will be going over during today's meditation Let's begin You Start by sitting symmetrically and upright but without it being uncomfortable Close your eyes to start the journey within and Close your mouth so that you're only breathing through your nose Our nostrils filter the air we breathe better than our mouths do and thus allow for slower more serene breathing Become entirely still you're completely motionless except for the air coming in and out of your nostrils You Observe your breathing as if you were looking at something separate from you it occurs naturally and automatically Without you having to do anything You and notice how the air coming in is colder than the air coming out of your nostrils You If at any point during this meditation you're bothered by incoming thoughts,
It's perfectly normal and it's part of the practice When you notice these thoughts simply refocus your attention on the cold air coming in and the warm air coming out That is to say on the present moment Without forcing anything Allow your breathing to slow down so that it becomes a very thin stream of air Which brings calm and comfort to your body as it flows in on the inhale and out on the exhale You As if this stream of air were magical substance bringing you joy with every inhale You You and progressively this stream of air is becoming thinner and thinner You You you're breathing slower and slower You In kung fu Panda the turtle master Oogway tells Po the Panda that Yesterday is history Tomorrow is mystery But today is a gift that is why it is called the present We will now focus on three affirmations to have a day full of love and presence Pay attention to the words contained in the affirmations while remaining focused on your breathing first affirmation Instead of reacting automatically to events.
I pause I breathe I observe and then I respond And then I respond You you You you You you You you You Second affirmation When I noticed that I am judging whether myself or others Instead I tried to comprehend You You you You Third affirmation Listening with my full attention is the best gift I can give to anyone You Before we finish this meditation Observe your current mood as if you were inspecting your emotions from the outside looking in You You you You You You You You You You You You You You You You I hope you enjoyed today's meditation Congrats to you for showing up and taking this time to give yourself love I wish you a magical day and we'll see you tomorrow for day 14 of the mindful mornings challenge
