Hello and welcome.
My name is Larissa Hall Carlson.
Today's morning meditation focuses on enhancing awareness and clarity through a spacious breath-based meditation.
To begin,
Find a comfortable,
Steady seat and take some time to elongate the spine,
Taking a position of poise,
Alertness,
And receptivity.
Rest the hands comfortably on the lap.
Soften or close the eyes.
And begin to relax all the muscles in the face and jaw.
You might allow a little bit of space between the teeth.
Allow the tongue to rest heavily at the base of the mouth.
You might even feel the root of the tongue hanging heavily down the throat.
Soften and relax the shoulders and the belly,
Inviting the entire body to become still and comfortable in this morning seat.
Take a few deep,
Refreshing breaths,
Enlivening the system,
Drawing more air into the lungs,
Inviting more oxygen into the bloodstream,
Taking more prana,
More life force energy into the channels to enliven and refresh the mind.
As you breathe and relax and settle into your seat,
Notice how you're feeling this morning.
Be aware of the qualities that are present in the body and mind.
Notice the types of thoughts and feelings that are present today.
How have you woken up?
What is the state of the system?
Set your intention for this morning's practice.
How might mindfulness bring you more balance and ease today?
To begin,
Settle the mind's attention down into the belly,
Down into the abdomen,
Around the navel.
Without changing the breath,
Without controlling the breath,
Start to observe and witness the natural movement and sensation of breath around the belly.
Observe the breath around the whole abdominal area,
Noticing all the places reached by the natural breath.
Follow the morning breath at the belly.
Whenever you notice the mind wandering,
Wandering into restlessness,
Sloth and torpor,
Or agitation,
Gently guide the awareness back to the natural,
Refreshing morning breath in the belly.
Stay with the breath at the belly.
Invite the awareness now to float up to the ribcage,
To the heart space.
Without changing or controlling the breath,
Start to observe the natural movement and sensation of breath around the ribcage.
You may begin to notice the space between the ribs during each natural inhalation,
The warmth of the chest during each relaxed exhalation.
Follow the morning breath around the ribcage.
As you observe the morning breath around the ribcage,
You might become aware of the natural rhythm of the heartbeat.
Be aware of where the natural breath is landing in the ribcage.
Are the front ribs expanding?
The side ribs?
Is it possible to sense the natural breath in the back of the ribcage between the shoulder blades?
What's being opened and awakened with the morning breath?
Bring the awareness now up to the tip of the nose,
To the rims of the nostrils or the upper lip.
Begin to observe the natural movement and sensation of breath there.
How is the morning air meeting the nose?
You might sense the cool nature of the inhalation,
The warm nature of the exhalation,
The tickling of the breath against the hairs in the nose or the upper lip.
Follow the morning breath at the tip of the nose.
If you've begun to slouch,
Lengthen again the spine,
Taking a seat of poise and alertness.
Anchor the mind's attention on the natural morning breath,
Renewing and refreshing the body and mind.
Stay with the breath at the tip of the nose.
Like the returning light of dawn,
Again and again,
Return the light of awareness to the anchor of meditation.
Investigate,
Observe,
Witness the morning air at the tip of the nose.
In these remaining moments,
Perhaps inviting awareness to expand throughout the entire body,
Sensing the entire body being breathed,
Feeling for the entire body basking in the morning air,
The entire body being rejuvenated.
Gradually begin to deepen the breath,
Refreshing and enlivening the body with a deeper,
Fuller breath,
Releasing the meditation.
On the whole system,
Notice what has changed.
Is there more space,
More lightness,
More brightness in the body and mind?
Gradually allow the eyes to flutter open,
Taking in the morning light and color.
Invite this enhanced awareness into your day.
May your day unfold with ease.
