Morning before the day begins,
Before you check your phone or think about what needs to be done.
Just take this little bit of time for yourself.
To arrive,
To breathe,
To be here.
This is your time.
A few quiet minutes to begin your day from the inside out.
With gratitude,
With compassion.
With a genuine sense of love for yourself and for your life.
To find yourself somewhere comfortable to sit.
It's good to have your back tall and straight if you can,
So that you feel fresh and awake.
But please don't be too rigid.
Allow a sense of movement in your body.
And gently close your eyes.
Give yourself a moment to really arrive.
Arriving in the room that you're in.
Arriving in your body.
In this morning.
And in the present moment.
As you begin to settle,
Bring your awareness gently to your breath.
Not trying to change it or control it.
Is noticing the natural rhythm of it.
The air coming in and out of your nostrils.
A gentle rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe in and out.
Let's take a few deeper breaths together to help your whole system ease and settle into the morning.
A deep breath in through your nose,
Really filling your lungs.
And a long,
Slow breath out your mouth,
As if you're breathing out through a fine straw.
And as you breathe out,
Feel your whole body soften and relax.
And again,
A deep breath in.
And a long,
Slow breath out.
Feeling yourself settling and arriving more fully with each breath.
One more time,
A deep breath in.
And a long breath out.
Your whole body softening with it.
Relaxing into the morning.
And now just breathing naturally.
Begin to feel yourself really arriving in your body,
In this moment,
In this day.
As you breathe naturally.
Bring your awareness to the ground beneath you.
Whatever that is this morning,
A chair,
Cushion,
The edge of your bed.
Notice the feeling of the ground supporting you.
Holding you,
Just as it always does.
Without asking anything of you.
Just steadily.
And reliably there.
Feel the weight of your body resting into that ground.
And with each breath out,
Allow yourself to sink a little more fully into that support.
Resting it.
Letting go into it.
And as you rest there,
Notice how it feels to simply be alive in this morning.
To be breathing.
To have a body.
To have this moment.
Whatever yesterday brought,
Whatever today may hold.
Right now in this moment you are here You are breathing.
You are alive.
And that matters.
And now as you rest there feeling grounded and present.
Let's gently turn our attention to gratitude.
Not as a mental exercise and not as a list,
But as a genuine felt sense.
Something you allow yourself to really feel in your body.
Rather than just think about it.
Begin by noticing where you are this morning.
The roof over your head.
The warmth around you.
The bed or chair that holds you.
Quiet of this mourning moment.
Really let yourself feel what it means to have these things.
Not to tick a box but genuinely feel it,
The comfort of them.
The support of them.
The way they quietly make your life easier and more nourishing.
And notice the fact that you are alive this morning.
That your heart is beating.
Your lungs are breathing.
That your body,
Imperfect as it may be,
Is here,
Carrying you through your life.
Allowing you to see and hear.
And taste.
And feel and move through the world.
If you can allow a sense of real appreciation for your body.
All it does without you ever needing to ask it.
The beating of your heart.
The rhythm of your breath.
The warmth of being alive.
Now bring your mind to someone in your life that you love.
Partner,
A friend,
A family member,
A pet.
Someone whose presence in your life brings you warmth.
Really let yourself feel what it means to have that person or being in your life.
Not just thinking about them but to feel the love and warmth of them in your heart.
What is it about them that you are grateful for?
The way they make you laugh.
The way they understand you.
The way they are simply there.
And let yourself really feel that warmth.
Let it spread a little through your chest and through your heart.
And if there are others too,
Others whose presence in your life enriches you,
Bring them to your mind as well.
Your community,
Your friends,
Those who show up for you.
Those who see you.
Those who love you in their own way.
Really letting yourself feel the gratitude of not being alone.
Of being loved.
Mattering to someone.
Now take a moment to bring to mind something in your life that you genuinely value.
Anything that you're grateful for.
It could be something big,
Like an accomplishment that you're proud of.
An experience that changed you,
A path that you've chosen.
Or it could be something quiet and simple,
A practice you've built,
A skill you have.
A memory you treasure.
However small or whatever arises,
Let yourself really feel the value of it.
Not in your head but in your body.
In your heart.
Let it touch you.
And now think about something you are looking forward to.
Something that is coming,
However big or small.
It brings a sense of hope or excitement or warmth.
And let yourself feel that too,
That quiet sense of possibility of something good waiting ahead.
And now,
Gently and without any forcing,
Let's bring that attitude inward,
Towards yourself.
I know this can sometimes feel a little harder.
We can be so much more ready to appreciate others than to appreciate ourselves.
But stay with me here,
Because this part matters.
Take a moment to think about a quality in yourself that you value.
Something about who you are that is genuinely good.
Something you bring to the world.
Or to the people around you.
It doesn't need to be something extraordinary.
Maybe it's your kindness,
Your honesty,
Your resilience,
The way you care for others.
Your sense of humour.
Your creativity.
Your gentleness.
Your determination.
Something that is genuinely yours.
Whatever comes up for you,
Let yourself feel some appreciation for it.
Not with arrogance or self-congratulation,
But with simple,
Honest warmth.
You have good in you and you deserve to feel that.
Now think of something you have overcome,
Something in your life that was hard but that somehow you found the strength to keep going.
Even if you didn't do it perfectly.
Even if it was messy.
Even if you are still in the middle of it.
You are still here.
You are still showing up.
Giving yourself this time.
Which is in itself an act of self-care and courage.
Let yourself feel some real compassion for how hard life can be sometimes.
And some real recognition for how much strength it takes to keep going.
If it feels right,
You can gently bring your hand to your heart,
Just resting it there softly.
Notice the warmth of your own touch,
That simple act of kindness towards yourself.
And as you breathe,
Allow yourself to feel some genuine care for yourself.
The same warmth and compassion you would offer a dear friend who was struggling.
Offering it to yourself now.
You are doing your best in a life that's not always easy.
In a world that can be demanding and exhausting and confusing at times.
And you are worthy of love.
Not because of what you achieve or how much you get done or how perfectly you show up.
It's simply because you are here.
Because your life has value and your presence in the world matters.
Allow that feeling.
Whatever version of it is there for you this morning.
To expand a little from your heart.
Bearing through your chest.
Through your whole body.
A warmth,
A gentleness.
A quiet sense of being on your own side.
And now as this practice begins to draw towards a close.
Let's finish by setting a gentle intention for your day.
Not a to-do list,
Not a plan,
But more of a feeling.
Quality you would like to carry with you today.
Maybe it's an openness or patience.
Courage,
Kindness towards others or towards yourself.
Or maybe it's a sense of presence.
Whatever it is,
Let it arise naturally.
Instead of just thinking it,
See if you can really feel it.
Right here in your body,
In your heart.
Let that intention settle into your body like a seed,
Settling into nourished ground.
As we bring this morning practice to a close,
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Perhaps a little more settled.
Perhaps a little more open.
Perhaps with a quiet warmth in your chest that wasn't quite there when you began.
This is what gratitude and self-compassion does.
They don't change your circumstances,
But they change the ground from which you meet them.
You are going into your day already a little more resourced,
A little more connected to what is good in your life and in yourself.
A little more on your own side.
So go gently today,
Be kind to yourself,
Notice the good,
And know that you are enough,
Exactly as you are.
Have a beautiful day.
