Welcome to this morning practice.
We're just going to take a short time together to reset,
To carve out a better day ahead.
And this meditation was inspired by a wonderful quote I read over 20 years ago by Henry David Thoreau,
And in it he says,
So let's do just that.
So finding a comfortable position,
Whatever that means for you,
And when you're ready just closing the eyes down,
Or if you prefer just lowering your gaze.
And taking a moment now to allow everything to settle and go inwards,
Almost as if you're entering a quieter,
More peaceful room inside of yourself.
I'm just starting to explore the body from the inside out.
And as you scan your body,
Seeing if you can allow any part of the body that's perhaps feeling tense to soften a little.
So as you move through the body,
Scanning from head to toe,
And as you land on any area of tension,
Just using the breath to soften and ease those areas,
Bringing a lightness and a softer energy into your body from within.
And you might want to bring your attention to the area around the shoulders where we carry so much,
Our to-do lists for the day ahead,
Our responsibilities.
So just for this moment,
Allowing this area to ease a little,
To let go,
Bringing a real softening and melting into the shoulders.
And now moving your awareness down the body all the way to the feet.
And using the feet to really ground you here in this moment.
First we soften and then we ground.
So just really noticing the connection between the feet and the floor below,
Being curious about how it feels to touch the ground beneath you,
Noticing any sensations inside the feet,
And noticing how it feels for your feet to be supported from below.
So now that the body's a little softer,
Now that you're feeling a little more grounded and supported,
Now it's time to set your intention for the day ahead.
When you think about putting your head on your pillow tonight and looking back at your day,
How would you like it to feel?
And just thinking of the words that feel most right for you.
Maybe you're looking for more energy,
Maybe more calm,
Maybe more connection,
Maybe more steadiness,
Maybe more hope.
So just taking a moment to choose your intention,
Choose that tone that you'd like to colour your whole day and set it,
Seal it inside your heart.
And as you do this,
Noticing whether your body or posture shifts at all to reflect this new tone that you're going to carry into your day.
Perhaps there's an opening up,
An easing.
So just allowing your posture to reflect that sense of ease and hope and peace that you'll be carrying into the rest of your day.
And just taking a moment to notice how you're feeling after this very short practice.
And sealing in any benefits and remembering you can always change the quality of your day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to practice with me.
And if you enjoyed that and found it helpful,
Do take a look at my other longer meditations.
Wishing you a wonderful day ahead.
Take care.
Bye.
