Hello,
My name is Matt.
The following meditation is a morning practice that's designed to help us to centre the day and to also enter it into a thoughtful way.
I normally start my practice by making myself a cup of coffee and then once I've drunk that in a mindful quiet way I then enter my practice.
But please feel free to use this meditation in whatever way works for you.
To begin the meditation bring your awareness to the rhythm of your breath.
So we start by watching the journey of the breath up through the nostrils,
Into the lungs and into your belly.
We're not trying to speed up the breath or slow it down,
We're just allowing the breath to be at its natural pace.
And as you do this notice the movement of your chest and the ribs and the upper back.
Just allowing the natural rhythm of your breath to bring you into a place of stillness.
And then when you are ready bring your awareness to the sounds around you.
Bringing your awareness to what you can hear in the room where you are.
The sounds that you can hear outside of the room.
Whatever is there do this with a sense of acceptance.
Just accepting whatever sounds are around.
And then when you're ready return your awareness to the sensation of the breath moving your body.
Feeling the sensations of whatever you are sat on.
Whether it's your bed or chair or cushion.
Just bring your awareness to the sensation of being supported.
Just noticing the places of contact.
And then when you're ready start to think about your day.
What you plan to do.
What is it that you hope to do.
Just take this moment just to think through the day ahead.
Then having thought through your day start to bring to mind any intentions you would like to set for your day.
By intentions I mean what sort of qualities that you would like to see happening in your day.
For example you might want to be kinder to yourself.
Or maybe you would like to be more patient with others.
But just bring into your mind whatever qualities that you would like to see manifest in your day.
Once you have made these intentions in your mind bring them into your heart centre.
The centre of your chest as you breathe.
So picture these intentions,
These qualities moving into your body with your breath.
Flowing down into your heart centre.
Just allow them to settle there.
Trusting they will come up as and when you need them in the day.
And then return your awareness back to your breath.
Watching your breath flowing into your body.
And just watching the lovely gentle movements that occur as your breath comes in and out.
And then as we approach the end of this practice just gently say these words quietly to yourself three times.
I am grateful for this day and the opportunities it will bring.
I am grateful for this day and the opportunities it will bring.
I am grateful for this day and the opportunities it will bring.
And then to close our practice before we open our eyes we will take two lovely deep breaths.
Breathing in through the nose and sighing out through the mouth.
So take a lovely deep breath in through the nose now.
And take another breath again.
And then when you are ready just open your eyes and take a moment to notice the room around you.
Sensations of the chair or the cushion or the bed that supported you as you practice.
And then when you are ready just close your eyes and take a moment to notice the room around you.
And then when you are ready just close your eyes and take a moment to notice the room around you.
And then when
