Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Those of you who are in my group,
Meditation with Michael,
Will know that people requested that I do a morning meditation as much as possible like I do it each morning when I wake up.
I have a skylight over my bed,
And I often utilize that in my morning meditation,
But not always.
So this will be my morning meditation without using the skylight.
It will also have longer pauses in between words because I don't normally talk to myself in the morning.
Close your eyes now,
And roll over on your back.
Put your legs out straight,
And fold your hands loosely over your heart,
And then take in a deep breath through your nose,
And exhale through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
Now do it again.
Breathe in through your nose,
And exhale through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
Now just breathe normally,
And don't force anything.
Remember,
You're trying to breathe like you.
You're not trying to breathe like me.
Breathe,
Just breathe,
As we begin to scan our body.
Make sure your face is relaxed,
And your jaw isn't clenched,
And as you breathe,
Feel yourself sinking into the mattress with each and every exhale.
Scan your neck and your shoulders,
And look for any tension.
Maybe shrug your shoulders and let them drop back down.
Maybe raise your head just a little,
And rotate your neck,
And then rest it back on your pillow.
Look for any tension in your chest or belly,
And just sink deeper into your mattress,
Deeper into relaxation.
Scan your legs and your feet,
Your arms and your hands,
And just note any tension or discomfort you may feel.
We're getting ready to start a new day,
And all the while,
You're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
Just continue to breathe for a minute or so,
And I'll be back to resume.
Now,
With your eyes still closed,
Or open if you want them to be,
We're just relaxed and breathing and laying in our bed.
And now,
I want you to extend our senses out into the room.
You could do this with your eyes closed,
Or you can open them if you like.
We're just trying to sense what's going on around us.
Maybe a beloved pet that's snoozing on your bed,
Or nearby on the floor.
My dog Chip is often on the bed with me,
But sometimes I find him in his own comfy bed that's on the floor at the foot of my bed.
Just continue to breathe,
And sniff the air,
And see if you can detect anything in the air.
Maybe the smell of bacon,
Or coffee.
Maybe the faint scent of cologne,
Or aftershave.
Maybe the fragrance of incense left over from the day before.
Maybe you can catch the scent of flowers that are growing outside,
Lilacs or roses or anything else.
Just breathe here,
Sensing anything that you can detect in the air around you,
And I'll be back in a minute to resume.
By now,
You've probably identified any scents that are lingering in the room around you.
Now I want you to extend your hearing,
Listen,
Listen to the world around you.
One of the benefits of this morning meditation,
Before you ever get out of bed,
Is that you can be in this moment,
Before you face any distractions from your day.
So listen,
And see what you can hear.
The ticking of a clock,
The snore of your dog asleep on the floor,
The sound of a lawnmower from your neighbor cutting the grass.
The goal is to open yourself up to experience the world around you.
Listen to it.
Just lying in your bed,
Breathing,
Relaxed,
And listening to what's going on around you.
Maybe cars going down the street.
The music and the laughter of children playing outside.
Your neighbor with the hot rod,
Revving his engine before he leaves for work.
The sounds of birds singing in the trees.
So far this morning,
I've heard cardinals and doves and a blue jay.
Perhaps you can hear the padding of rain against the window,
Or the whisper of the wind in the trees.
Listen for what you can hear,
And I'll be back in a minute to resume.
And all this time,
We're just breathing,
Breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
We've scanned our bodies,
We've smelled the air for interesting scents,
And we've listened to what's going on in the world outside our room.
Now,
As we lay here in our bed,
We can think about all that we are grateful for.
The people in our lives,
Partners or children or pets,
Parents and siblings,
Bosses and subordinates,
Neighbors and friends.
The ones that you are glad you have in your life.
The wall in my room is full of pictures of family,
And I often turn my head to glance at their pictures,
Both those that are still here and those that have departed.
We can be grateful for all that we have,
Because we all have so much,
So much beauty and wonder in the world around us.
And you know what I always say,
Every day is a good day if you're there to appreciate it.
Just continue to follow your breath,
And let's say a few affirmations.
You can say them either silently or softly out loud,
And just follow me.
Today is going to be a good day.
Today is going to be a good day.
Today I will be kind to myself and others.
Today I will be kind to myself and others.
Now take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
Open your eyes and come into the room knowing that you have gotten the best possible start to your day.
Knowing that you are peaceful and centered and ready to begin another day's adventure.
It's time to rise and shine and get out of bed.
I hope this has been a beneficial session.
It's as close as I can get to what I actually do every single morning.
I've been meditating for 54 years,
But I've been doing this morning meditation every single day for at least the last 40 years,
And I believe that it helps me get my day off to the best possible start.
We'd love to have you in our group here on Insight Timer.
It's Meditation with Michael.
You can search for it.
And remember,
Every day is a good day if you're there to appreciate it.
Till next time.
