Morning Meditation For When You Wake Up Feeling Off

Good morning,

Shanti here.

This meditation is for the mornings that feel heavy,

Before they even begin.

A gentle practice to meet yourself with grace,

Breath through the fog,

And remember that even cloudy skies are part of the weather of being human.

So wherever you are,

Whether still lying in bed,

Or if you've made it to your yoga mat,

Maybe even the couch,

Just take a moment to settle in,

To be where you are.

You woke up today,

And maybe everything feels a little sideways,

Like your thoughts didn't stretch before getting out of bed,

Like your heart's still curled up in a corner somewhere,

Not ready to face the world.

And that's okay.

Let's not force anything today.

Just sit or stay lying down.

Let your breath be how it is.

If it's short,

Then it's short.

And if it's deep,

Then it's deep.

Deepen it lightly.

This practice isn't here to fix you,

It's here to meet you just as you are.

So inhale gently,

Feel the breath arrive,

And exhale softly,

Feel the breath leave.

Nothing needs to be perfect.

There's no need to perform.

You're allowed to feel off,

To feel crooked,

To feel like a mosaic of mismatched pieces.

And still,

Your breath keeps showing up.

Your body keeps holding you,

And the earth keeps saying yes to you.

So maybe today,

You don't have to make your bed,

Or write the list,

Or chase the light.

Maybe today it's about grace.

Grace for the you who's still waking up.

Grace for the heart that's tender before coffee.

Grace for the human who's doing their best.

Even if your best today looks different than yesterday.

Breathe again,

And let that be enough.

You woke up.

You're breathing,

You're here.

You don't need to be the sunshine.

You are the sky,

And the clouds are allowed.

So today,

Walk gently,

Speak kindly,

And if you can't do that yet,

Then just breathe.

That's more than enough.

Now maybe go and start the day.