Morning Meditation For Balance And Vitality

Good morning,

Welcome to your practice.

Today's practice is designed to bring you into your day with a clear and balanced mind and a refreshed vitality.

So when you're ready you can make your way into a comfortable seated position,

Making sure that your spine is tall and then allowing your shoulders,

Your face,

Your jaw,

The whole outer shell of the body can soften.

If you haven't already you can allow the veil of the eyelids to softly close.

Just gently let your hands rest down on your knees,

Your left hand can rest,

Palm facing down with your right hand.

I'd like you to take a Vishnu mudra,

So turn the palm to face up and fold the first two fingers down towards the base of the thumb so your thumb and your index,

Excuse me,

Your ring finger are free.

We'll come back to that a little later on for some pranayama.

And with the body soft and the eyes closed,

Feel your breath.

Not needing to change anything just yet,

Just feel how your breath moves.

Pay attention to the part of the breath that feels like it needs support so that your breath can become its most clear,

Its most vital.

Steady even breath.

Take a deep breath in through the nose.

Open your mouth,

Let it go.

Twice more,

A deeper breath in and a longer breath out.

This time your deepest breath that you've taken all day,

Let it fill you up.

Big sigh out,

Make a noise if you need,

Let it go.

Seal your lips,

Let your breath return to a natural rhythm.

From here I'd like you to take your tongue and place it on the roof of your mouth behind your two front teeth.

From that point draw a line directly backwards until you arrive at the soft squishy upper palate.

And with your tongue there you can apply a little bit of pressure so that your attention accumulates and then you can let your tongue fall back into the mouth naturally.

And from that point,

From that soft upper palate,

Move your attention directly vertically until you arrive in the middle,

Middle of the brain,

The very center of the brain.

And here at this point you might feel or sense or see just a warm light.

And allow your breath to move in through the nose up to the middle of the brain to the warm light and from the middle of the brain back out the nose.

So you're starting to feel or sense the breath moving in through both nostrils to the middle of the brain and from the middle of the brain gently back out the nose.

Very clear,

Very directional breath.

I'm just allowing your attention to rest,

To ride on the breath.

Very gently you can empty all the air out and take a deep breath into the middle of the brain.

A long breath out the nose,

You next inhale lift the right hand in Vishnu mudra up to the face,

Use your thumb close the right nostril exhale through the left two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Inhale through the left nostril two,

Three,

Four,

Five close the left exhale right two,

Three,

Four,

Five inhale right nostril two,

Three,

Four,

Five close right exhale left two,

Three,

Four,

Five inhale left two,

Three,

Four,

Five close left exhale right nostril close right exhale left inhale left close left exhale right inhale right close right exhale left inhale left close left exhale right inhale right close right exhale left inhale left close left exhale right continuing on your own breathing like this.

You can adjust the length of the count to better suit your lungs but make sure that you keep it even on all sides.

I'd like you as you continue breathing like this to bring your attention back to the middle of the brain and as you breathe in through one nostril let the breath move to the very middle of the brain and as you exhale you exhale from the midbrain out the alternate nostril and back in through that nostril to the middle of the brain and from the middle of the brain out the opposite nostril.

So you start to get a sense of directing the breath with your mind and it's almost like this upside down V.

The breath is traveling in accumulating at the center of the brain and from the center of the brain out the opposite nostril and just continue like that on your own.

Being very clear very directional with your breath and letting all of your attention ride the waves of the breath.

Okay?

Your attention has wandered elsewhere and gently guide yourself back to the clear breath moving in through alternating nostrils to the middle of the brain and gently back out each time you breathe in the light in the middle of the brain gets a little brighter a little warmer cultivating clarity cultivating focus,

Dana,

Attention,

Concentration finish the round that you are on take one more full round after that in and out through each nostril eventually you will finish with an exhale on the right side when you do you can release your hand but I'd like you to continue alternate nostril breathing in your mind so mental nadi shodhana as you breathe in the breath again moves in through the right nostril to the middle of the brain from the midbrain out the opposite nostril still there is that upside down V without your hands you are directing the breath in through one nostril to the middle of the brain the middle of the brain out the opposite nostril when you've built this neural pathway you know the direction of the breath you got to feel a sense for what it is to direct prana to direct energy with your mind keep the breath even,

Keep it moving keep it moving if you find yourself distracted just gently guide yourself back to this upside down V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath and each time you lose focus just gently guiding yourself back feeling the breath move with your attention another minute or so here V the direction of the breath V the direction of the breath finish the round your arm take one more full round after that in and out one time through each nostril and then eventually without rushing finishing with an exhale on the right side letting go of your breath letting go of your technique and just breathing naturally no effort no force just a really gentle even breath notice if there is a quiet a calmness comes over the mind and perhaps a sense of balance in your physical body very gently place your left hand on your heart and place your right hand over with your palms against your heart press in so that you feel the impression of a boundary you feel the breath in the lungs the vitality that exists within you as you press in press also down so that you feel the weight of your body grounded heavy on the earth and take a few breaths that reach right down into the belly filling the lungs filling the chest and in this moment with your mind calm and your body soft consider what it is that you would like to bring into your day with you and then gently little tiny smile on your face bow your chin down towards your chest in gratitude for the most spacious practice for the truth of the practice and the teacher in all things thank you for joining me this morning have a beautiful day