Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Meditation Mini - Releasing Bad Thoughts

Episode Date: February 8, 2021

We all get stuck in bad thought patterns. This meditation can help you get rid of them. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** 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 everyone, and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm Tyler, your host, and this is the podcast where morning people are made. Today, we've got a simple meditation in store. And this is a really good one if you're stuck in a bad thought pattern. Maybe you got some bad news, you're stressed about something, or even if you woke up from a bad dream. This meditation can help you to break away from those niggling thoughts that keep coming up.

A special thanks goes to Maya for requesting this episode. All right, now let's get started. If you're joining us from bed this morning, then take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, roll over, and make your way to stay. Before we sit down for meditation today, let's take a big stretch. And we'll start standing up and reach your hands as far as you can towards the sky. Reach, reach, reach, all the way out of your shoulders. And then on your next exhale, fold forward at your waist. Have a gentle bend in the knee.

And just hang out here for a second. Let everything relax. The reason I wanted to do a stretch before we meditate, before we meditate, it's because a lot of times negative thought patterns can actually create corollary tension in the body. So it's helpful to try to loosen that up a bit first. And now you can slowly roll back up all the way to standing. When you get there, roll your shoulders out a couple of times.

Just let them loosen. All right, now go ahead and find a seat that you want to do this meditation in. And it can be anywhere in your home, can be on your couch, can be at your desk chair, you can sit on the floor. Just don't sit in your bed. Today we're going to do a really simple meditation that's helpful for clearing your mind of bad thoughts. And this meditation is really about what we do when thoughts arise. Because when we meditate, they inevitably will. And these thoughts might be about all kinds of things.

random wanderings of the brain, a memory from something funny the other day. And there might be some bothersome thoughts, too. All of that's very normal, and they will all come up at some point. Bothersome thoughts can have a way of really sticking, though, such that we can't let go of those thought patterns. And we all have this happen, so there's nothing to be worried about or ashamed of, but we can improve how we deal with them. And that's by simply acknowledging that all of these bad thoughts don't come from right now.

They are thoughts about the past and the future, memories and expectations. They are projections that we're experiencing right now. And by focusing on them, we're missing out on what's actually happening right now, the live feed of life. And that's the only place where we can actually do something. So when you find that a thought has come up, be it positive or negative, you can simply say to it, thank you, but I have something more interesting that I'd like to do right now.

And after you've said that to your thought, you can just bring your focus back to the present to the live stream of life, noticing whatever sensations you're having, following your breath. And on that note, let's go ahead and get started. So take a very deep breath in, all the way down into your belly. And on your exhale,

gently close your eyes. Let's take a few more deep breaths together. So inhale, and as you do, collect any tension and thoughts, and on your exhale, release them. just letting them go out of your body with the air. Inhale again, collecting those thoughts and tension, and then exhaling and releasing them.

Inhale, collecting, and expelling on the exhale. You can breathe at your own pace now, and as you do, focus on sensing. What's happening right now? What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you smell? and don't forget that every second your breath is happening.

And so you can always follow that. And if you do, it will help you to draw deeper and deeper within. As you begin to settle in, remember that when a thought arises, you can simply say to it, thank you, but I have something more interesting I'd like to do right now. And once you've said that, you can bring your focus back to the present.

So let's try that for a few minutes. Right, we're about halfway through our meditation now. So just keep your focus on the here and now. And as any other thoughts come up, just thank them and release them. Wherever you find yourself right now, bring your attention back to your breath. notice the sensation of the chair beneath you and give your fingers and toes a little wiggle. Take a deep breath in

and as you exhale, open your eyes and just take a second to come out of that and collect yourself. So by repeating that very simple mental suggestion to pay attention to what's happening right now, we're training our brain to let go of things that aren't presently happening. And if you're focused on the here and now, then you're not lost in some negative thought pattern.

We can't change the past, and we can't control the future. We can affect the future, but the only way to do that is by changing the present. So whatever you're worried about, whatever bad thoughts are getting stuck in your mind, just remember to stay tuned in to what you're, you're experiencing right now. The live feed of life is the only option you have. And if you're

not paying attention to it, then you're missing more and more of that opportunity to do something about the past and the future. Plus, the present is where all of the fun happens anyways. Well, that's all we've got for today, friends. I really appreciate you tuning in and joining me here today. I'll talk to you all soon. And until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.