Good morning.
Well here we are.
A new day.
A brand new page.
A new blank slate.
24 hour period with literally endless possibilities in front of us.
So why don't we start that 24 hour period with a little silence,
With a little calmness.
It's too often that we get caught up in all the things we need to do before we're done with the day.
And we put on that weight first thing in the morning.
So instead today,
Let's start slow.
We can gradually work up to the day.
But not now.
Now we'll breathe.
Go ahead and take a deep breath with me right now.
And straighten up.
We need to exhale to sink down.
Let's take one more.
Inhale,
Rise up.
Exhale,
Just melt down.
One more.
Inhale,
Straighten up towards the sky.
Exhale,
Really sink everything down towards the ground.
Great job.
So this morning,
Since we're going to start off slow,
We're going to start off silent.
We're going to listen to the one thing that's always continuous.
Our breath.
It's been taught in meditation for centuries.
So let's take their advice and let's listen to it this morning.
Just go ahead and breathe normally.
Slowly close your eyes.
Make sure you're comfortable.
Don't use force to sit up straight.
Don't put too much emphasis on how you should be sitting.
Use balance to sit up straight,
Not your muscles.
And then just breathe naturally.
As you inhale,
Try to feel the sensations.
Maybe your ribs are expanding.
Maybe your stomach is going in and out like a balloon.
Maybe your shoulders are rising.
Maybe you feel the air through your nostrils.
Cool air when you breathe in.
Maybe you feel it in your throat,
Moving up and down.
The sensations are there.
They're always there.
But are you able to slow down enough to be still enough to hear them and feel them?
The breath doesn't work to breathe.
It's effortless.
That's exactly how we should be throughout the day.
You don't have to think about breathing.
You don't have to work to breathe.
It just happens.
So as it happens,
Focus on one specific sensation that you're feeling.
The nose,
The throat,
The chest rising,
Whatever it is.
Focus on that one specific sensation.
Really try to feel it.
Just breathe naturally.
I'll mind the time.
Just focus on that sensation as the breath goes in and out.
Now you may notice that as you attempt to focus on that specific sensation,
Your mind starts to wander.
But of course it does.
It's doing what it's built to do.
So notice where it wandered to.
All you have to do is say,
Hmm,
I'm thinking about that right now.
Okay.
That's interesting.
Now I think I'll go back to the breath.
Back to that singular sensation where I feel the breath in my body.
And that's meditation.
Just doing that over and over and over again.
Some mornings it'll be 10 times that you have to guide your thoughts back to your breath.
Sometimes it'll be a hundred.
There is no bad meditation.
That's okay.
A busy mind,
A calm mind,
No matter where you are this morning,
It is okay.
So go ahead and tune back into the breath now.
Keep that focus on that sensation.
All right.
Go ahead and soften your focus now.
Just notice the sounds around you.
Maybe feel the weight of your body pressing into the ground.
The morning time is sacred.
Buddha once said that every morning we are born again.
And it's so true,
Isn't it?
Really think about that.
Every morning we're giving a new slate,
A clean slate.
What happened yesterday is all wiped away.
The momentum of whatever went on in your life yesterday,
It was stopped in its tracks as we slept.
And now we have a brand new day full of decisions.
We can make the decision to approach it however we'd like.
It's easy to feel like you're a victim of a bad day.
But we always have the decision to choose what kind of day it will be.
Not what kind of day do you want it to be?
Do you wish it will be?
Do you hope it to be?
But what kind of day will it be today?
Because that's the decision you have.
So ask yourself right now,
What kind of day will it be today?
If you make that decision,
Then it will be.
So be on the side of positivity today.
Be on the side of relaxation.
Be on the side of power.
And when you catch yourself in that contrast where you feel not powered,
When you feel maybe insecure or worried or overwhelmed,
Bring yourself back just like we just did with the breath.
Bring yourself back to the side of feeling good today.
Today's going to be a great day.
If you want to get started on that journey,
Go ahead and open your eyes.
Otherwise,
Feel free to sit here as long as you'd like.
Thank you for joining me this morning.
Namaste.
