Morning Intention

The word 'intention' comes from Latin, intentio, to stretch or to reach or, as in this morning practice, to direct one's attention toward something.

Here we try to utilize the very special and delicate mood in which we wake up.

Regardless of whether we wake to inner and outer light or darkness, the atmosphere of waking is delicate for most of us. Vulnerable. The morning atmosphere is the doorway into the coming day. So how we pass through it is important.
In this guidance we receive support in several ways, a helping hand at our back.
Support to sense the body. From sleep's almost disembodied dimension, it's important that we land in our physicality in the best possible way. Take possession of our body.

This meditation is recorded in collaboration with Kontemplation, and Kontemplation's January Practice, 2026.
Kontemplation also has a profile here with guided meditations, and a very comprehensive practice library on their profile.

Transcript

Good morning,

And welcome to a 7-minute morning meditation,

Where we use the soft and open quality of the mind that can be present just after waking to arrive gently into the new day.

So,

Begin right where you are,

Sitting or lying down,

By sensing and feeling your body.

How does your body feel this morning?

First,

Sense the body as a whole,

And then a little more systematically,

From the feet,

The soles of the feet,

Through the ankles,

The lower legs,

Knees and thighs,

Hips,

Groin and buttocks,

Moving up through the body,

Both front and back,

Right and left side,

Up to the shoulders,

Out through the arms,

Elbows,

Forearms,

Hands and palms,

Then from the neck up,

Past the mouth and tongue and all the muscles around there,

The eyes and small muscles around them,

All the way up to the top of your head.

Now you can explore how your breath moves your body.

Notice if there is a place where you can feel the breath clearly in the body,

Without changing anything or trying to control the breath,

Just gently allow your attention to rest on the place in the body where the breath is most noticeable,

And let your focus arrive there and rest for about a minute.

I'll keep the time.

Great.

And now you might explore whether in general,

Or just while your attention was resting in the breath,

If there were any thoughts or patterns of thinking that you don't really need to bring with you into the new day.

And if there is,

Then perhaps see if you can find a gentle intention that just today you will,

To whatever degree is possible,

Refrain from spending your time,

Energy and attention there.

Next see if it's possible to find a positive intention for today.

Perhaps a positive quality resource in yourself that you would like to express more today.

Positive intentions might be,

Like today I will be calm,

Or try to be clear,

Try to keep an open heart,

Be loving,

Courageous,

Joyful,

Free,

Inspired,

Or whatever might make sense for you.

And if you were able to find such a positive intention,

Then see if the feeling behind that intention can become present right now.

For example,

If your intention for today is to be joyful,

Then try to see if a sense of joy can be felt right now.

Just a simple sense of joy,

Allowing the feeling or expressions of joy to be present in your mind and body.

And if it comes naturally,

You may also connect with a feeling or a sense of gratitude.

Life is mixed,

And there might be things to feel dissatisfied about,

But perhaps it's also possible to find something to be grateful for.

So if that's possible,

Then also allow that,

And allow the feeling of gratitude to fill up your mind and body.

Then again,

Allow your attention to gently spread throughout your whole body,

And sense,

Feel your whole body,

Sensing what is here right now,

Just as it is.

And we can let the body wake up with a few good deep breaths,

And you might want to stretch a bit,

Slowly,

Gently,

And consciously.

And when you choose to get up,

You can do so with calmness,

Intention,

And perhaps a soft echo of gratitude.

Have an amazing day.

Thank you.

Reviews

I really appreciated this meditation - from the subtle music and bird song, to the soothing cadence of the teacher, and the gentle direction of intention and gratitude. Well done, thank you 🙏