This meditation is the perfect meditation to try at the start or the beginning of the day.
Maybe even whilst you're still in bed or just simply as we're beginning to rise and wake.
My name is Lucy Stone and this is Meditation Rocks.
The beginning of the day is the perfect time to meditate,
To take a moment to pause and maybe even set an intention or mantra for your day ahead.
Depending on what kind of day you have before you,
This of course might change and your mood might be different each time you try this meditation.
So just take a moment now to get comfortable wherever you are.
Maybe you're still in bed or maybe you've risen and taken to a chair.
If you're in a chair,
Just allow a few moments to draw up through the spine and let your feet be flat on the floor.
Just placing your hands comfortably in your lap.
And although you may not long have been awake,
Just take a moment to close your eyes so that you can fully focus inwards on yourself before fully engaging with the day.
So just take a moment now to begin to connect with your breath.
So simply observing the rise and the fall of your breath within your body.
And if you can,
Just try and lengthen each breath that you take.
And let's take two deep breaths together.
So breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
And again,
Breathing in fully through your nose,
Filling your lungs.
And fully emptying the lungs,
Feeling lighter and released.
And now we close your mouth,
If that's comfortable,
And begin to breathe in and out through the nose.
So this is the Yuzhai breath.
And we use this breath to balance and calm the mind.
So as you breathe in,
Just having a moment of appreciation for this day ahead.
And breathing out,
Letting go of anything you're carrying from previous days that doesn't help you.
So breathing in appreciation and gratitude,
Pausing for a moment before fully breathing out,
Feeling released and ready.
And my mum always used to say to me,
A day is only 24 hours.
And whatever kind of day ahead,
You know the sun will set tonight and the sun will rise again tomorrow morning.
So I just want you to have a few moments to feel the cycle of your breath as if that breath cycle was a day in itself.
Knowing that each day will pass,
Each day is unique and each day is all we have to be grateful for.
Each day is full of new experiences,
Opportunities and hope.
You might like to say,
I am grateful for this day.
So as you watch your breath,
You might like to say the sun rises as you breathe in and the sun falls as you breathe out.
Becoming in tune with your own rhythm,
Your own breath pattern,
Your own cycle.
As you're breathing out,
Try to feel a little lighter every time you exhale,
Feeling the softness and this kindness towards yourself.
As a new day begins.
Now the start of the day is a good time to set an intention,
A thought or a mantra for your day ahead.
So is there something kind that you would like to say to yourself to set the tone,
The theme,
The mood or intention for your day ahead?
And just take a few moments now to repeat this little sentence or even just a word as you breathe in and out deeply and mindfully.
Feeling nourished by every new breath that you take.
As the world wakes up,
I am grateful for this day.
Let's take a few more moments here,
Feeling that sense of lightness and gratitude.
As we take these sensations or observations and your intention with us beyond this practice into our day.
So whenever you're ready,
Just beginning to breathe in a comfortable rhythm now for you.
Maybe taking a little stretch,
Wiggling fingers and toes,
Finding little bits of movement.
And then bringing your hands together and just giving them a little bit of a rub to create some warmth and some heat.
And just hovering your hands over your eyes,
Blinking your eyes open inside your hands when you're ready.
Bringing your hands down away from your face as you prepare for your day ahead.
And I hope you found today's meditation useful.
It's sometimes nice just to set a little intention for the day that you can repeat to yourself as you're out in the wild going about your everyday business.
I hope you have a lovely day and I'll speak to you again very soon.
