Good morning.
How are you?
Welcome to this morning mindfulness meditation.
Let it be your time to start the day by setting an intention of having the day in peace,
Clarity and beauty.
So wherever you are,
Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down.
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Let's begin by fully arriving into this moment.
In the words of Mary Oliver,
Our very beloved poet,
She says,
Hello,
Sun in my face.
Hello,
You who made the morning and spread it over the fields.
Watch now how I start the day in happiness,
In kindness.
We wake up in the morning expecting the same.
Desire to have happiness,
Ease and kindness.
And a lot of time day turns out to be totally opposite.
So it is extremely important that we set our intention in the morning,
That we invite this beauty in the morning.
This beauty that can allow us to notice whatever else that comes up in the morning,
Whatever else shows up throughout the day with comfort,
Ease and compassion.
So just take a comfortable position wherever you are.
Are you waking up or are you still lying in your bed and wondering how the day is going to be?
So just take a deep breath and exhale.
Deep breath.
And exhale.
One more time,
Taking a deep breath in and exhale.
And feel the air moving through your nose,
Filling your lungs.
How does it feel like?
The morning aliveness which runs through your body,
Through your cells,
Through your tissues,
Through your skin,
Through your organs.
Softly invite your presence to your breath and with each breath just notice how does it feel like when you bring your attention to the breath.
There is nothing you need to change.
Just simply,
Gently observe.
Are there any sensations you feel around your breath?
Warmth,
Coolness,
Relaxation,
Tingling,
Tension.
What is it like?
Without any judgment,
Without any story making,
Just notice and observe it with kindness.
How does my breath feel like,
My bare breath?
Without any kind of alterations to this breath.
As you breathe in,
Gently notice I am breathing in and I welcome this new day.
As you breathe out,
Softly breathing out,
Notice and tell yourself,
I release the past,
I release the yesterday,
I release the night,
I release the day gone by.
Here is the new day,
Here is the new breath,
Here is the new me.
Continue breathing naturally,
Softly as you are.
And it's okay if your mind takes you to any kind of storytelling about what is going to happen today.
If your thoughts go around some meetings,
Some work,
Some crisis,
Or what happened yesterday,
Or how did you sleep last night?
It's okay if your mind goes there.
Just like a baby,
Like a pet,
We invite ourselves back to the present moment.
This present moment,
Which is now softly connected to our breath,
Where our gentle focus is on the breath.
Breathing in,
I welcome this day.
Breathing out,
I release the past day.
Breathing in,
I'm here and now.
Breathing out,
I let go of the past day.
Pay attention where do you feel more comfortable with your breath.
Is it in your nose,
Is it in your chest,
Or is it in your stomach?
And it's okay if you're not able to quickly figure that out.
It's absolutely okay.
There is nothing right or wrong.
You are alive,
You are beautiful,
And breath is a witness to that.
Breath is a witness to your aliveness.
Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh had a quote about morning.
Waking up this morning,
I smile.
24 brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
To look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
So may we not forget that when we look at all beings with eyes of compassion,
Our compassion also includes our own self.
May we all support our own cup of kindness,
Our own cup of joy and ease.
And whenever something happens that fears draining us,
That fears triggering us,
Let's go find our breath during the day.
Take another deep breath.
And let's set our intention right for the day.
May I welcome my day with kindness,
Joy,
And presence.
May I find refuge within myself.
May I be eased.
May I be happy.
May I be present with myself.
And at the sound of the bell,
You can gently,
Slowly open your eyes,
Stretch your body,
And invite yourself to the beauty of morning,
Wonder of morning.
Thank you.
