Good Morning Mother Earth

This is a gentle morning practice that helps you arrive in your body before the day begins. You will be guided through breath awareness, simple movement, and sensory grounding using the elements of earth, air, fire and water as anchors. The practice includes cyclic sighing to settle the nervous system and a visualization of nature to support a felt sense of safety and presence. It works whether you go outside or stay in. A good way to start the day with awareness and some ease.

Transcript

Good morning. Before we even get out of bed, It can be helpful to tune in to our body. Stretch. Take some deeper breaths. How do you feel this morning? Once we're up and moving about, One of the first things we could do is go outside. Depending on the weather and your circumstances, You might do this in your imagination. Visualize. Use your senses. Remember what it feels like to have your bare feet on the earth. Take deep breaths in of fresh air. If you could go outside, Do that. We greet Earth Mother each day. If you have any kind of nature or plants near you, Use your eyes to take that in. Otherwise, Remember all the beautiful scenes that have come into your eyes throughout your lifetime. Still lakes. Beautiful trees. Sunrise. Bring all of your sense perceptions into play. What does it feel like in your body to breathe more deeply? To take that fresh air into our lungs as we begin the day. Let your ribcage expand with a deep breath. Feel the air on your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun or a remembering a warm day when your body is just a perfect temperature. Let your body move. You might raise your arms and open your chest. Feel the coolness of the air as it comes into your nostrils. Move your shoulders. Move your hips. Let your body flow into a gentle movement as you come to life. Bring forward gratitude for this new day. Some of our days are very challenging. Some have more ease. And yet here we are in the morning greeting our day with awareness, Patience, Presence. Eyes open looking around or eyes closed absorbed in a remembering of being safe and in awe of the beauty of Mother Earth. Trees, Water, Fire, Air. All of the elements in Mother Earth that are also in our body. Fire of digestion and the fire of passion for life, Creativity, Meaning, Purpose. The flow of water through our bloodstream in all the tissues. The taste of fresh water on our tongue. Maybe a memory of standing in the rain as a child, Opening your mouth to the rain, Welcoming the juiciness of life. And the air we breathe, Cool as we breathe in, Warm as we breathe out, Carried by the waters of our blood to every cell in our body. The challenge sometimes and also the pleasure of deep in breaths. For a few breaths, Cyclic sighing, Deep double inhale through the nose until your lungs are fairly full. Breathe in and some more. And then push your lips like you're breathing out through a straw and let your exhale be long and smooth. Let your whole entire body relax as you breathe out. And the ground, The solidness of our body, Our bones, The earth element beneath our feet and in our body. Tuning in to what is below the soles of our feet, Going down into the earth, Through the soil, The pebbles, The water, The insects, The roots, Mycelium layer in the forest, Down into the earth, The solidness of earth. Bringing all of the elements into this space that our body is occupying. All of our sense perceptions, The air on our skin, The beauty in our eyes, The feeling of our arms open, Our chest open, Our heart open. Good morning, Earth mother. I am here. I appreciate you. I appreciate the blessing being here in a body on mother earth. Good morning.