Good morning.
Welcome to this brand new day.
I'm sitting in the sun receiving helio-healing,
The warmth of the sun on my skin,
The sounds of birds in the sanctuary,
The fullness of the creek babbling in the background.
Such a gift to be here.
So I'd like to take this opportunity to,
Rather than sit right away with the meditation,
To share a simple little story that was shared with me about a little girl,
Cecilia.
So my friend that shared this story was a teacher at a Montessori school.
And one day the kids were out playing and it was time to go in so she called the kids in and many came running and running and lined up right away.
And there were some stragglers coming slower.
And there was one of these playhouses far off in the field and most of the kids had already gotten lined up and then there was a count done and not everyone there and then all of a sudden coming running out of the playhouse just like a bolt of lightning was this little girl with her ringlets bouncing as she ran and she said,
No,
No,
Wait,
Here I come.
Here I come,
The amazing Cecilia.
And she was like,
No,
You can't go without me.
And it's not just me.
It's I'm amazing.
And the teacher thought and what she shared with us when she shared the story was like,
What if we wake up each day and we say,
Hello,
New day,
Here I am and I'm amazing.
We tend to forget.
We tend to forget and get sunk into negativity that our bodies are amazing.
Our minds are amazing.
Our capacity for creativity,
So amazing.
And this natural land,
This woodland where I'm getting to visit right now,
Oh,
It is so amazing.
And everything that it's made of,
We're made of too.
So we get to choose in the morning how we want to start our day and choose the attitude that we step into.
We may not always feel amazing,
Right?
But having that mindset can really shift things.
So I invite you maybe to practice that,
To come to a morning with that attitude.
So today's meditation for this brand new day that I'm welcoming in,
I want to share with you.
And so find a seat or if today is a day you need to lie down,
Lie down.
Or you can even stand for this.
It's not going to be very long.
And whatever position you choose,
Be intentional about the choice of what you really need.
So I invite for you to first simply place one hand on your heart and the other hand on top of it and just feel your heart beating.
Practice your breath as it flows in and flows out of your nostrils.
And from hands on heart,
Notice if you're leaning way forward in your seat,
If you're seated or if you're leaning back or to one side or the other.
And see if you can find where neutral is for you without it being a sense of rigidity.
If you're standing or lying down,
Standing you can shift your weight around through the feet until you kind of pendulum back to center.
And if you're lying down,
Just notice the distribution of your weight on the earth.
Is there one part of you pulling away with tension on the other side,
Relaxed more?
So just with awareness,
Invite the back body to settle into the earth a little more.
So whatever orientation we're in,
We can always shift and attune to that sense of neutrality,
Which brings us out of any traumatic habits in the body.
So releasing the hands from the heart,
Placing them on the thighs if you're seated with palms up or turned down,
Your choice.
If you're lying down,
Palms up.
If you're standing,
I'd invite you to roll the shoulders down and let the palms face forward.
Today we're simply going to inhale the awareness,
I am,
And exhale,
Amazing.
So thinking that in your mind,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Feeling the breath in,
I am.
Breath out,
Amazing.
One more time,
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out,
Amazing.
And continue breathing in,
Breathing out.
And we're going to shift the words now to breathing in,
Amazing.
And breathing out,
Saying your name to yourself.
We don't say our names to ourselves very often.
So with your own timing,
Breathing in,
Amazing.
Breathing out,
Saying your name.
Maybe the body pulses with the breath a little forward and back.
And this can be ujjayi breath if you're familiar,
Allowing there to be a soft ocean-like paw at the back of the throat,
Very subtle.
Or just easy in and out of the nose.
Bring that back a little.
And now letting go of the mantra.
Simply staying with the breath,
Flowing in and flowing out.
One of your mind drifts and simply reorient to here,
Now.
Letting go,
Knowing that is natural.
That is the practice.
Letting go,
Knowing that is natural.
Letting go,
Knowing that is natural.
Letting go,
Knowing that is natural.
Letting go,
Knowing that is natural.
And let us now return awareness to that heart center.
Imagining a soft smile at the heart.
Knowing the body is receiving that message,
But it is amazing.
And notice if the heart is offering any other seeds that you would like to plant for this day,
This new day.
Perhaps how you would like to show up for yourself,
For others.
How you would like to feel at the end of your day.
And knowing that in practice we recognize there are others with the same desires and our action of practice.
This is a Kriya,
This is an action.
Benefits not only ourselves,
But benefits all and benefits all.
So with the heart smiling now to the face,
A little smile,
And the eyes gently also turning upward at the corners.
Breathing in a little joy for this new day.
Gratitude.
Palms come together at the heart and just bow chin to chest.
And bringing the head back upright and if you would like you can rub your palms together.
And place palms over the eyes.
Just gentle covering here.
And allowing the eyes to open under the protection of the hands.
Returning to your space and just looking around,
Maybe with a new sense of awe or amazement about what's around you.
And brand new eyes for this day.
Thank you so much for practicing.
Namaste.
