Hello,
And welcome to this short mindfulness meditation for creating a blissful morning,
Especially in the winter,
When you can take a few moments for yourself to start the day breathing,
Noticing any little bit of beauty you can find.
So,
Settle in now,
If you will,
Into a comfortable position,
And I'm going to invite you to sink deeply down through the sit bones,
Allowing the spine to lengthen.
You can also practice while lying down,
Stretching the spine from head to toe,
Allowing the shoulders to relax,
The knees and the ankles to release,
The face to let go,
Allowing the lips to part,
Letting the tongue rest inside the mouth.
And let's begin by making ourselves just five or 10% more comfortable,
Taking in a deep,
Slow inhale through the nostrils,
Allowing the air to fill up the chest and the belly,
Noticing an expansion or perhaps a rise in quality.
And as the exhale comes,
Allow it to stream lightly out of your parted lips or your nose,
Bringing with it a sense of release,
A sense of contentment,
Noticing the joy that can be felt with each breath,
Allowing gratitude to fill the body with the next inhale.
Bring to mind one thing that you can be grateful for in this moment.
Allow this thought to permeate the entire body,
Perhaps noticing if you can allow a small smile to begin playing on the lips,
Perhaps even stretching the mouth wide into a big smile,
Feeling the movement along the cheekbones and up into the ears,
Stretching the face,
Perhaps allowing the face to tilt up,
Imagining that warm sunshine is flowing down across the whole body.
Take a minute and imagine what this sensation would feel like on a cold winter morning,
The sun shining across your face,
Warming your cheekbones,
Warming the chin and the neck and flowing down across the shoulders,
Down into the spine,
The heart space,
The back,
The lap,
The hips,
The lower body,
The arms,
Legs,
Hands and feet.
Breathing in this delicious,
Warm sensation,
Allowing that smile to widen across the face.
Let's tell ourselves,
Thank you.
Treating yourself as if you were your best friend,
Thank you.
Expressing gratitude to yourself for taking the time to start your day by spreading a little bit of joy to yourself and your surroundings.
Whether your eyes were closed or open,
You can gently bring them back into focus.
Begin to take around your surroundings,
Noticing any small details that you might have missed earlier that could bring a smile to your face again.
Perhaps the color of a rug or a pillow,
Perhaps the thought of a steaming warm mug of liquid waiting for you,
Perhaps the warmth of a soft piece of clothing that you can put on today.
Just holding on to a little piece of joy and taking that into your entire day.
Taking one more deep,
Slow inhale through the nose,
Holding it briefly at the top,
Savoring the oxygen as it circulates through the whole body.
And then a deep sigh,
Letting all the air escape the body,
Releasing the whole body,
Relaxing the whole body.
Allow the shoulders to drop.
Sink deeply into whatever you are seated or lying upon.
Move gently and slowly and begin to move into your day with ease.
Namaste,
Friends.
