Let's start the day with a three-part breath.
You can be sitting or lying down.
As you breathe in,
Let your belly relax and expand,
Allowing your diaphragm to drop so that air fills your lungs.
And as you continue to breathe in,
Let your ribs widen and create even more space for breath.
Then let the breath fill up even more under your collarbones and into your upper back.
And exhale.
Again inhaling,
First the belly relaxes,
Then the ribs widen,
Then you fill all the way up to the top.
And exhale.
Continue in this way with a sense of welcoming in the day as you energize your body with breath.
While you breathe,
There are three things I want you to know.
First,
You belong.
And everyone loves you.
Or as the very wise Byron Katie puts it,
When I walk into a room,
I know everyone loves me.
I just don't expect them to realize it yet.
This logic implies that we love everyone else too,
Even though we might not know it yet.
In fact,
It may be that love is the one and only most important real thing.
And the whole universe is a giant science project or interpretive dance meant to express and experience love itself.
And we are all part of it.
Keep this possibility tucked away somewhere inside,
Like in the back pocket of your heart.
We may need it later today,
But for now,
It's early.
Let's just focus on the slow,
Steady breathing.
Second,
Whatever you do or don't do today,
It will be enough.
Third,
To paraphrase a famous Zen monk,
You are perfect just the way you are,
With plenty of room for improvement.
I tell you this as good news.
It means you can love your perfect self fully,
Without qualification or restraint.
And also,
It means that you get to play our number one favorite human game,
Which is getting a little bit better at stuff.
Improving is what we do for fun.
So continue with deep,
Full breathing as you consider,
How would you like to improve today?
Would you like to be a little more easily delighted?
A little kinder to yourself?
A bit bolder?
Might you fortify your sense of awe at the strange miracle of being alive in this improbable,
Mysterious world?
Do you want to be more deeply,
Profoundly contented with things as they are?
Do you want to sharpen your skills,
Improve your efficiency,
Broaden your impact?
Do you want to lead and inspire positive change better today than ever before?
Do you want to beat your high score?
Do you want to sing along in the car with maximum enthusiasm and peak emotional commitment?
Yes,
Please.
Those are the three things.
Everyone loves you.
Whatever you do will be enough.
You are perfect.
And just for the joy of it,
How would you like to improve today?
Pause here to feel into the space of your heart.
Sense into a connection with everyone else who is waking up,
Intending to enjoy the day and do some good in the world best we can.
Let's be happy to see each other out there.
One last thing,
And this part is important and fun and also a little bit out there.
Imagine you have an unseen team of helpers,
Powerful,
Benevolent beings standing by to help you,
To smooth any bumpy spots in your day,
To line up green traffic lights for you,
To make sure any collaborative work goes surprisingly well,
To choreograph synchronicities,
Good fortune,
And excellent timing.
Ask for and welcome their support.
Okay,
You can shift to normal breathing now.
Let's step into the flow of this day and light it up with our love and enthusiasm.
