Good morning.
You're up.
That already counts for something.
Before the phone, before the news, before anyone needs anything from you...
let's take six minutes that are just yours.
Sit up in bed, or on the edge of it, or wherever you are.
Let your feet find the floor if they can reach.
You can close your eyes.
Or keep them open and let them rest on something soft, like the light
at the window.
Your body might still feel a bit heavy.
That's fine.
We're not forcing anything awake.
We're just going to invite it.
Let's start with the breath.
Nothing fancy.
You've been breathing slow and shallow all night, so let's give your lungs a
proper stretch.
Breathe in through your nose...
a little deeper than you did all night.
And sigh it out through your mouth.
Let the night go with it.
Again.
In through the nose...
filling up the belly, then the ribs.
And out...
slow and easy.
One more, and this time lift your shoulders up toward your ears as you
breathe in...
And let them drop as you breathe out.
Heavy.
Loose.
Now picture a warm patch of morning sun.
Maybe it's real, coming through your window.
Maybe you're just imagining it.
Let it land on the top of your head.
Warm, like a hand resting there.
Feel it slide down over your forehead...
your eyes...
your cheeks.
Your face might soften a little.
Maybe even a small smile.
You don't have to mean it yet.
The warmth moves down your neck and across your shoulders.
Anywhere that feels tight, let the light sit there a moment longer.
It fills your chest.
Your arms.
All the way down to your fingertips.
They might tingle a bit.
That's your body waking up.
Down through your belly...
your hips...
your legs...
and into your feet.
If your mind has already wandered off to emails or errands, that's normal.
Mornings are busy in there.
Just notice it, and come back to the warmth.
You're lit up from the inside now.
Nothing dramatic.
Just warm, and awake, and here.
Let's give today a direction.
Just three words for how you want it to feel.
Not a to-do list.
A feeling.
Maybe "calm."
Maybe "kind."
Maybe "brave."
Whatever comes first is probably right.
Say the first word to yourself, quietly.
And the second one.
And the third.
Picture yourself later today, in the middle of something ordinary.
Making coffee.
Answering a message.
Sitting in traffic.
And those three words are right there in your pocket.
If the morning gets loud, you can come back to them.
One word is enough.
Even just one breath and one word.
Things won't go perfectly.
They never do.
But you know which way you're facing now,
and that helps more than you'd think.
Stay here for a few You breaths.
don't have to do Just anything.
feel the warmth, and the quiet, and the day waiting kindly for you.
Notice how your body feels now compared to when you first sat up.
Even a little lighter counts.
Okay.
Let's bring some movement back in.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Roll your shoulders back once or twice.
Take a big stretch if you want arms to, up over like your head,
a cat in a sunny window.
And when open you're ready,
your eyes.
Let the light in slowly.
Blink a few times.
Look around the room like you're seeing it fresh.
You've already done something good for yourself today,
and it isn't even breakfast yet.
Have a bright one.