Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Meditation Mini - Guided Breathing

Episode Date: February 6, 2020

In this first meditation mini episode, we will practice a simple breathing technique. It's great for calming stress and anxiety. Welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast where morning people are made �� Don't waste your morning hitting the snooze button. Turn on an episode of Wake Me Up, and just follow along. In no time, you'll be relaxed, focused, and excited about your day. If you're enjoying Wake Me Up, be sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you use. Share it with friends and family as well. A great morning is a wonderful gift! Please share your thoughts and ideas at www.wakemeuppodcast.com. There's truly nothing better than hearing from you! If you're enjoying the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wake-me-up-guided-morning-mindfulness-meditation-motivation/id1493287286). And find the podcast on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/wakemeuppodcast/. Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hi, and welcome to Wake Me Up. This is the podcast where morning people are made. I'm really glad that you're tuning in today because I have an exciting announcement. By popular demand, I've decided to start doing two episodes a week. So I want to thank all of you who've left a review or sent me a message through the website. Your outpouring of requests for more episodes and your love and support has encouraged me to up my ante. I hope it helps you to keep blossoming into the awesome person that you are destined to become.

Now, the first episode each week will remain in the same morning routine format, like all of the prior episodes of Wake Me Up. But for this second episode each week, I'm going to try something a little bit different. These will just be guided meditations. And I'm calling them meditation minis. I hope that it gives you a bit more variety. For example, on mornings when you may be a bit more rushed, or if you want to meditate at other times of day. And hopefully, it will help you develop your meditation practice as well. So please reach out to me and let me know your thoughts, stories, questions, and ideas.

As you can see, Wake Me Up is all about you, the listener. Your feedback really does shape what this podcast becomes. So leave a review and send me a message through the website at wakemeuppodcast.com. And of course, don't forget to subscribe or follow. the podcast on whatever platform you use so that you never miss a great day. Now let's get started. Since this is the first meditation mini, we're going to keep it pretty simple today and just do some guided breathing. This is one of the best ways to start developing your meditation skill. Meditation is a practice after all and nobody masters it overnight. Having a

foundation is crucial. So go ahead and find a comfortable seated position. I recommend meditating in the same place each day, if you can, because your mind associates different states of being with different locations. So by sitting in the same place to meditate, over time, your mind will fall into a meditative state more easily. If you can't make that happen, Of course, it's totally fine. Just don't meditate in bed to avoid falling asleep. Now, close your eyes. Let your hands rest gently on your lap or on your thighs, wherever it feels comfortable.

Roll your shoulders up and back, letting them settle down, and allowing the tension to dissipate. Draw your attention to your sternum. the bone right in the center of your chest. Feel how it rises and expands forward slightly with each inhale and then releases back down with each exhale. Each time it expands out, count one. And each time it relaxes back down, count two.

So inhale, one. Exhale, two. Inhale. One. Exhale, two. Inhale, one. Exhale. Exhale.

Two. And just maintain a steady breath at your own pace. Counting each time, one, on the inhale, and two on the exhale. There's no need to use any force, and if you can, allow your exhale to be just a bit longer than your inhale. If your mind has drifted, that's perfectly fine. Just let that thought go and bring yourself back to the rise and fall of your chest, counting one on each inhale and two on each exhale.

Just keep counting your breath in this way for another minute or so. Allow yourself to draw within, letting go of your physical surroundings as you focus on the rise and fall of your chest. Now, you can stop counting and release your focus on the breath. Start to bring yourself back into the present moment. Feel the chair beneath you.

Feel your feet on the floor. Notice any sounds around you. Begin to gently wiggle your fingers and toes. And when you're ready, You can open your eyes, taking a moment to pause and collect yourself. Thank yourself for taking a moment to care for your mental health and well-being. So that counting technique may be really simple, but it can be extremely effective if you're feeling anxious or stressed. The breath is the only thing in our body that is controlled both consciously and so.

subconsciously. So it allows you to control your emotional and physical states very quickly. When we're stressed, what tends to happen? Short, fast breaths, tension in the muscles, an increased heart rate. And when you're relaxed, it's the opposite. So by controlling your breath rate, you'll in turn start to control your stress and increase. And, anxiety levels. And I hope you find that really helpful. That's all for today, my friends. I really appreciate you tuning in.

And if you're enjoying the podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with one of your friends. I'd also love to hear from you. So send me your feedback at wake me uppodcast.com. I hope you have a fantastic. day. And I'll talk to you tomorrow.