Notice with your first few breaths,
If you can take a deep inhalation,
Allowing your lungs and your abdomen to fill with fresh air and then fully exhale.
You might even choose to exhale with your mouth in a forced exhalation at the end of the breath.
With each breath,
Releasing any tension,
Tightness that you might be holding from nighttime,
From your early morning hours.
Notice the quality of your breath.
Is it shallow or deep?
The invitation is to be curious with the breath,
Not choosing to change it,
But to notice how it appears.
Gentle awareness.
Take a moment to scan your body,
Crown of your head,
Down to your forehead and eyes,
Cheeks,
Jaw,
Neck.
Noticing any tightness or sensations that you might be holding.
Gently inviting the breath into these areas as you move down your back.
And your arms and legs.
Taking a moment to connect with the body.
Notice if there are some areas that are calling for a little more energy and other areas that are needing some softness.
Take a moment to connect the presence of the mind with the presence of the body.
Noticing how the breath connects these two.
With your next breath,
Bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
If you're seated like I am,
Shift weight from one foot to the other to notice the presence of the ground supporting the weight of your body.
And as you feel yourself being held by the ground below you,
The earth,
Set an intention for today.
How do you want to show up for yourself,
For others?
When we set an intention,
It's an invitation to show up in a way that has us aware of the presence of our body,
Our mind,
And our speech.
So our intention can be one of clarity or presence,
Curiosity.
Just notice what resonates for you.
Take a moment to notice your underlying motivation.
What's guiding that intention?
And with this intention and motivation,
I now invite you to set yourself an aspiration,
A wish,
Prayer,
However you choose to place out to yourself and to the universe.
Notice the clarity of your intention,
Motivation,
And aspiration.
Now drop down from your mind back into the body,
Noticing the breath,
Noticing the rise and fall of your shoulders and your chest.
Take a few deep breaths to ground yourself.
Once more in the anchor of the breath and in the anchor of the body.
Know that you carry the breath and this anchor with you throughout your day.
And you can return to it at any moment,
Reminding yourself of not only your intention,
But also your aspiration.
When you hear the bell,
I invite you to take a few more deep breaths and close your practice with gratitude.
It's a beautiful way to start your day with some gratitude for practice and anything else in your life.
And as you close your eyes,
