Hi there,
I'm Lori James and I'm a certified somatic practitioner and coach.
And before you do anything else this morning,
I'd like to invite you to join me for a morning orienting practice.
So before you check your phone,
Before your mind begins its to do list,
I'd love to invite you to simply notice where you are.
It's morning and your body has been in a rest and digest state all night,
Quietly working while you slept.
Breathing,
Restoring,
Regulating.
And now let's gently begin to welcome in the day.
Start by staying where you are.
Maybe you're still in bed or you've moved to the couch or a chair Any of the above are okay.
But if you are in bed,
Don't sit up yet.
Just allow yourself to adjust in a position that is the most comfortable for you.
Just letting yourself be here in the bed,
In the moment,
In your body.
You And now take in one slow breath in through your nose.
And let it slowly exhale through your mouth.
Good.
There's nowhere you need to be right now,
Except right here.
Now I'd like you to bring your attention to the surface beneath your body.
Feel the mattress supporting you,
The couch,
The chair.
Notice how it meets you the firmness or softness of it the way it has shaped itself around you through the night.
And you don't have to think about this,
Just feel it.
Notice where the parts of your body that are heavier than others Just allowing yourself to scan your body and bring your awareness.
To where your body is making contact with the bed,
The mattress,
The couch,
Or your chair.
Now bring your awareness to the weight of the sheets or covers that are across your body.
Feel their warmth.
Feel the softness against your chest,
Your legs,
Your stomach,
Your feet.
Notice where you feel the warmth the most.
Maybe it's across your chest.
Maybe it's around your shoulders.
Or it could be pooling around your feet.
Taking a minute to notice.
We're not trying to change anything.
And now feel the pillow beneath your head.
The weight of your skull being held.
How it's supporting you in this moment.
Just allowing it to hold and support you without any effort just notice your breath allowing it to be natural in this moment noticing if your breath is deeper or more shallow.
Again,
Noticing the bed beneath you,
The warmth around you,
The weight of your own body being supported.
Now very gently I want to invite a little more sensation into awareness.
We're going to do that by wiggling your fingers slowly just enough to feel them wake up.
Wiggle your toes or gently curl and release them.
And now take a moment to feel the temperature of your skin where it meets the air on your face,
Your hands if they're outside of the covers.
Feel your breath moving through your body,
The rise of your chest,
Your belly,
On the inhale,
The soft fall,
On the exhale.
Notice the temperature of the air as it enters your nose.
Is it cool,
Neutral or warm?
We just want to notice without judgment.
And now take a minute to feel the temperature of your skin,
Where it meets the air.
That could be your face,
Your hands.
Or any part of your body that's outside the covers.
There's no right or wrong here,
Just noticing the sensations.
Noticing your body in this moment.
Allow your eyes to gently open.
Not all the way,
Just a soft gaze.
Like you're letting a little light in rather than switching on a lamp.
Let your eyes wander around the room slowly allowing your eyes to notice the colors the shapes Now very slowly let your gaze begin to move around the space you're in.
Not quickly,
But purposefully.
The way your eyes might move if they were watching something floating gently down the stream.
Let them travel across the ceiling.
Noticing light,
Shadow,
Color.
Noticing shape,
Texture.
The morning sunlight coming in.
If you have a window,
Maybe you look outside.
At any tree or plant.
That might be moving in the wind.
And as your eyes do move,
Notice what happens in the body.
Orienting eyes like this slow soft deliberate sends a signal to your nervous system that it is safe or safer in this moment that there is no current threat here.
That this is a known space.
Now let your eyes find something in the room that feels pleasant to rest on.
That could be a plant,
The green of its leaves,
Maybe a favorite photograph of someone you love or of a place that holds a special memory.
It might be a patch of morning light on the wall or the color of a piece of fabric.
There's no right choice.
Just allowing your eyes to wander.
And find what they're drawn to naturally.
And when they land there,
Let them stay.
Don't analyze what you're looking at.
Just receive it.
Notice what happens in your body as you hold your gaze here.
Does anything soften,
Shift?
Is there any sense,
Even the smallest sense?
Of something settling.
We just want to be curious.
We're not looking for anything in particular.
Just noticing what's present and true in this moment.
Take a moment and just take a breath here.
Slow and full.
And as you exhale,
Let yourself feel the ground of this moment.
Again,
The bed beneath you or the couch or the chair.
The warmth of the covers on top of you.
The familiarity of the room around you.
This is orienting.
This is your nervous system checking in with the present moment and finding it.
That you are here.
You are safe or safer and the day has not yet asked anything of you.
And before you move into your morning,
Maybe just put one hand on your heart.
Feeling the rise and the fall of your breath.
Maybe you can even feel your heartbeat.
And if you'd like,
Maybe set one quiet intention for how you'd like to feel throughout the day.
Not what you want to accomplish,
Not what's on your to-do list.
Just how would you like to feel?
And just hold that for a moment.
Allowing your nervous system to template.
What it is you'd like to create more of.
And when you're ready,
Gently begin to move.
Stretch out your arms and your legs if it feels good.
Roll to one side before you sit up,
Just letting your body lead.
Bringing this quality of tension,
This soft,
Curious,
Noticing with you into your morning.
Thank you again for being here.
And I'll see you next time.
