Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine - Giving Thanks, Part 2

Episode Date: November 22, 2021

This morning, we begin our day by remembering a few of the many things we have to be grateful for. 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. 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. Good morning and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm Tyler, your host. And this is the podcast where morning people are made. It's Thanksgiving this week in the United States, and it's by far my favorite holiday. Because it's not about buying stuff.

Doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are. It's just about being grateful for what we have by sharing a meal with people we love. And on a very deep, human level, there is nothing more fulfilling than good food and community. So following on last year's Thanksgiving episode, I've decided it's a good time for us to give thanks once again. Before we begin, I want to give a very special shout out to Shireune, who just signed up for the Wake Me Up Patreon community. Thanks for your support of the show. Now, let's get started. Maybe you're in bed, maybe you're up and about already.

It doesn't really matter. But wherever you are, just pause. And let's all take a big breath in together. So inhale, filling all the way up. Hold it, and then exhale. Let's do one more just like that. So inhale, hold, and exhale. Now, you can feel free to roll around in bed,

stretch yourself out, or just enjoy this last moment of peace and quiet before the day begins. While you do that, let me tell you how grateful I am to share this morning with you. I started this show almost two years ago on a whim, to test out an idea I'd had. I was a terrible narrator back then, and if you don't believe me or you don't remember,

go back and listen to the first episodes of Wake Me Up. You will see what I mean. I cringe listening to those episodes now. I can't believe what this show has become. And that's all thanks to you. I find so much pleasure in guiding you out of bed and through a positive morning. and I feel lucky to live in a time where it's possible

to beam a piece of audio all the way across the earth so that we can start our days with a smile together. So I hope you take this moment to accept my sincerest of thank you's. And I hope you also send a smile out to everyone else across the world who's listening to this today just like you. We're all on this mission together. and we all just want something very simple to make our days a little brighter,

to spread love a little farther. So thanks to all of you for being involved. Now, we've got another beautiful day lying ahead, full of opportunity, brimming with possibility. It is truly a gift. So let's not waste another moment in bed. Take a big breath in, filling all the way into your belly. And as you exhale, roll over in bed, and make your way to standing up.

All right, now that we're all standing, let's do a few stretches and take care of our bodies for a few minutes. Of course, only join if you're able, and if you want to do something else, by all means, go for it. But our bodies deserve a little love and care. They do so much for us. So, begin with your arms down by your sides, and we'll start with the right arm. Begin to draw big circles with your arm, going all the way around the range of motion of your shoulder. Like your arm is a windmill. Go nice and slow, there's no need to rush.

And once you've gone a few times around in one direction, pause, and then go in the other direction. Okay, you can let your right arm fall back down by your side now. and we'll switch to the left side, drawing those big circles once again, going all the way around your range of motion, nice and slow. And once you've done that a few times, pause and go in the other direction.

All right, relax your left arm back down. Take a big inhale and reach both hands to the sky. Reach all the way out of your shoulders. Try to touch the ceiling. And on your exhale, fold forward at your waist. Let everything hang towards the ground. We'll do this forward fold a couple of times to give the body a little extra love,

and each one will be a little bit faster than the one before. So inhale and roll all the way back up to standing, reach your arms up to the sky, and on your exhale, fold forward again. Try to let everything release down to the ground. Now inhale and slowly roll all the way back up one more time, all the way to standing. Stretch your hands to the sky, reach as far as you can, and then exhale and fold at your waist.

Again, letting everything hang. Relax. All right, now slowly roll all the way back up to standing. And when you get there, roll your shoulders up, back, and down. Okay, fantastic. I hope your body's feeling a little bit looser and a little bit warmer now. Let's take a few minutes for a bit of meditation. So grab a sip of water and find your way to a comfortable seat,

anywhere in your home, just not in your bed. And you probably guessed, today's meditation will be centered on gratitude. But we'll make it unique and new. Don't worry. So take another moment to find your seat and get settled. And if you're already there, that's great. just go ahead and make yourself comfortable. So by now, hopefully, you found a seat,

and you want to be seated upright, but allow yourself to relax. Let's all take a deep breath in together, so inhale, and on your exhale, just close your eyes very gently. Take this first moment to settle in, and make sure you're comfortable. Let your face soften.

Let your shoulders relax. You can breathe at whatever, pace feels right to you. But just follow that rise and fall of your breath, and slowly it will take you deeper and deeper within. All right, now that you're settled in, I'm going to give you some simple topics, ideas, things to be grateful for. So first, a friend that you're grateful for.

Think of them. See their face. see them smiling at you. Appreciate all this person has done for you. And how lucky you are to be alive with them. To know them, the likelihood of crossing paths with any one person is infinitely small.

But you lucked out and met this person. So send them a big thank you. And then you can let the image of that person go. And next, think of a challenge you've faced. that made you better, encouraged you to be a better person. This could be at work, in a relationship, in school. It could be self-imposed or not.

It doesn't matter. Just a challenge you faced that improved you as a person. See how you've grown because of this challenge. See how it's changed your life for the better and send out a big thank you to that challenge. And whatever brought it your way, and then you can let that go. And finally, think of an opportunity or an experience

that you can only enjoy because you live in the present day. Maybe something you're passionate about simply didn't exist a hundred years ago, like computers or the internet. Maybe it's travel. Maybe it's something as simple as listening to this podcast or another show you like. Send out a big thank you to this opportunity, this experience, for simply existing at the same time as you. All right, you can let that go.

Bring your focus back to your breath just for another moment or so. Okay, let's begin to bring ourselves back to the room. Feel your feet on the floor. Notice the chair beneath you. Take a big breath in, filling all the way into your belly. And when you exhale, slowly open your eyes and just take a second to gather yourself. My friends, if you choose to look, there is really so much to be grateful for in life. Sure, our world is laden with problems.

And just because there's plenty to appreciate doesn't mean we should sit. on our heels and let our problems fester. But maintaining an appreciative attitude helps us keep perspective. It helps us remember that despite our problems, we are always in a state of improvement. It may not seem like that every day, but when you look on a long enough timeline,

you can't ignore that we are constantly moving forward. So I hope you never forget that you've been gifted by growing up in a time where life is longer and easier. Peace is more widespread, and information is more readily available than ever before. We have a lot of room to grow, but we have the benefit of thousands of years of hard work by our predecessors. We owe them a big thanks for all that they did. let's own the responsibility we face, to carry the torch, to do what we can to make this world a better place, to give the generations that follow us another reason to be grateful.

We can do this, but we have to do it together. We have to appreciate each other's strengths, and we have to put our egos aside. If we do, then there's no limit to what we can accomplish on this journey of life. Who knows all of the wonderful things will do? But I know one thing is for sure. I am so grateful to be on this journey of life with you. That's all I've got for today's episode, friends. Thank you so much for tuning in and joining me here this morning.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to ask a favor of you. And that is to share Wake Me Up with someone you know who might enjoy it. Someone that you'd like to give the gift of a good day to. Who knows, maybe you'll even make their day. Now, I'll talk to you soon. And until then, go out, be grateful, and make the most of this absolutely beautiful day. Thank you so much for listening today. If you're enjoying the show,

I'd greatly appreciate you taking a second to rate it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It does wonders to help spread the show. You can find links to do that in the show notes. Thank you so much for your listenership, help, and support.