Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Routine - Removing the Blocks

Episode Date: April 12, 2021

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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, or stick around after the show and I'll tell you more about it. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to Wake Me Up, the podcast, where morning people are made. I'm Tyler, your host, and I hope you're doing well. Now, I'll be honest with you, I've been pretty stuffed up late. It's springtime here. The plants and flowers are blooming, and that's all great, but the pollen

has me sneezing and blowing my nose all day long. It's cramp in my style, and making me hesitant to do things that I love, like going outside. But the other day I came to appreciate that, while my allergies may hinder me from certain things at certain times, they also lead me to do other things with my time that I enjoy, albeit indoors. Though I'm usually annoyed during pollen season, this realization led me to appreciate it in a new way. And I found that to be a great perspective for viewing obstacles or setbacks in life. So that's what we'll do in today's episode. Now, let's get started. So if you're in bed, go ahead and go ahead and go ahead and open your eyes if you haven't done that already.

And let's take a big breath together. So inhale, hold it at the top, and then exhale. Today let's do a simple stretch in bed. And if you're already out of bed, that's okay. You can join in too just from somewhere else around your home. Of course you should only do stretches I suggest if you're physically able. And if you prefer to do something different, then by all means, go for it.

For this stretch, we'll be lying on our backs. Whether that's in bed or somewhere else, it doesn't matter. Start by bending your knees and bring them in towards your chest. Wrap your arms around your shins and give a gentle squeeze. Now release your arms and let your legs fall over to the left side. They might go all the way over, they might not. Just do what feels comfortable for you. but try to keep your shoulders flat on the ground for this

so you get a nice and easy spinal twist and while you're settling into this stretch let's take a second just to appreciate that we've done it we've made it to another day a brand new opportunity to make the most out of life whatever happened yesterday let's leave it to yesterday And whatever might be coming tomorrow or next week, let's leave that for the future.

Today is a day to be enjoyed all on its own. And that's something to be grateful for. All right, now bring your knees back to center and just reset for a second here. And then when you're ready, let them fall over to the right, doing that same spinal twist on the other side now. And remember to keep your shoulders square on the ground. and make sure you keep breathing. That will really help to maximize your stretch. Now, whatever you have going on today,

whether it's a lot or a little, you're bound to have setbacks. Obstacles and roadblocks show up all the time in life and in all kinds of ways. And that could be frustrating because they prevent us from doing things as we planned. Maybe you get pulled away from away from your usual tasks and responsibilities because you have an obligation to something or someone,

and because of that, you fall behind. Perhaps you don't feel well, or you have seasonal allergies like me. Whatever your roadblocks may be today, try to accept them for what they are. Temporary obstacles that you are capable of overcoming. I think, it's helpful to find something to be grateful for in these kinds of obstacles because it helps to dispel that frustration. So today, why not give that a try and see whether it helps you deal with your setbacks more effectively. Now, on that note, it's about time to start this great day. So bring your knees back to center and reset just by giving them another big squeeze into your chest. Great. Now you can release them back out long and flat. And let's take a deep breath in,

and as you exhale, roll over in bed, and make your way to standing up. All right, now that you're standing, let's take one more quick stretch to help wake the body and loosen it up a little bit. So take a deep breath in and reach both arms to the sky, reaching. Reaching. all the way out of your shoulders. And then on your exhale, fold forward at the waist. And just slowly lower your head and your shoulders towards the ground. You can let everything hang, relax your neck, and your arms. And I find that it's nice to keep a gentle bend in your knee,

since it's early in the morning and we haven't quite woken up the body fully yet. You can sit still here if you'd like, But you can also feel free to sway a little side to side. Do whatever feels right for you. All right, now slowly begin to roll back up to a standing position. And when you get there, roll your shoulders up, back, and down. In fact, let's do that shoulder roll just a couple more times. So forward, up, back, down, forward, forward,

Up, back, and then let them settle down. Great. So if you want to do more stretches, then be my guest. Otherwise, we're going to go ahead and turn to our meditation for today. So find a comfortable seat somewhere in your home. You can sit anywhere you'd like, just don't sit in bed. And of course, feel free to grab a sip of water, use the bathroom, do anything like that along the way. Today's meditation is pretty simple and straightforward.

And if you've been listening to Wake Me Up for a while, you know that's how I like to keep it. For the most part, this will just be a few minutes of quiet time to help your mind unwind before you set out on all of the great things you're going to do today. Those few moments of personal time are really so important. But we'll also we'll also we'll also, in a quick bit of gratitude that is designed to help you deal with the blocks and setbacks that will inevitably occur during your day. So by now, hopefully you've found a nice comfortable

seat and you want to be sitting upright, but try not to be tense, so let your shoulders relax, let your hands rest gently on your legs, and take a deep breath in, and then as you exhale, close your eyes. these first few seconds with your eyes closed, just check in with your body. Make sure that you're comfortable. Let your face soften. Let your jaw relax. And let's take one more deep breath together. So inhale, hold it just briefly at the top, and then exhale. And now you can breathe at your own natural pace. There's nothing special you need to do it. with it. The most important thing is that it feels smooth and effortless. So why not just

follow that breath, gradually allowing it to become smoother and smoother. And as you do that, you'll begin to draw deeper and deeper within. Now that you're settled in, think about a setback or obstacle that you might encounter as you go through your day today. It doesn't need to be complicated. It can be as simple as a traffic jam on the way to work. Or realizing you forgot an ingredient to make your dinner. Whatever that obstacle might be. Find at least one reason that you can be grateful for it.

Maybe it means you get to take the senior, route to work to avoid the traffic, or you get to be creative and cook something new for dinner. There's always something to be grateful for in every situation. So try to find that in this likely obstacle in your day right now. And once you've found that reason to be grateful, send out a silent thank you to that obstacle. for the good that it did provide to you. And now you can let that go and just bring yourself back to your breath

and allow your mind just to continue unwinding here for a moment. Now slowly begin to bring yourself back into the room and back into your body. You might notice any sounds going on around you or the sensation of the chair beneath you. Give your fingers and toes, a little wiggle, and then take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, open your eyes. And take a second here just to gather yourself and come out of that.

Friends, there is always something good to be found in everything. Sometimes it might be a little bit of a stretch, but I promise you it's there. Being able to find the good in anything isn't an innate talent that some get at birth, and others don't. It's a skill. And like all skills, it requires intention and practice to get better at it. So hopefully,

that quick meditation will set your mind up to see the good in everything that happens today. It's time for today's send-off. Obstacles, roadblocks, setbacks. We all face them every single day. They are inevitable. And yes, they can be frustrating. But when you really get to thinking about it,

most of our greatest ideas, achievements, and decisions come about in part due to obstacles we face. When your path forward is blocked, you are forced to get creative, to think outside of the box. And oftentimes, that you are, It means you get the chance to forge a new path forward. An obstacle is only an obstacle because we perceive it that way.

You can choose to perceive an obstacle as a hindrance, or you can choose to see it as something that encourages you to take a new approach. And one of these outlooks is much more positive and productive than the other. I'm sure you've heard the saying, when one door closes, another one opens. And that's what this is all about. But I'd venture to say that when one door closes, ten more open. You just have to open your eyes to the possibility of it.

So my friends, as you go through your day today, don't be anxious or afraid of obstacles that might arise. You know they will. So just try to accept them for what. they are, a temporary obstruction. You can choose to see them as a roadblock, slowing you down and making you frustrated, or you can see them as an opportunity. A chance to try something new, to see something different, to stretch yourself in a way you

might not have otherwise. Because looking for the good in a roadblock is the best way to get rid of it. Well, that's all I've got for you today, friends. Thanks so much for joining me here this morning. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you're feeling energized and ready for a fantastic day. Now I'll talk to you all soon. And until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day. Are you enjoying wake me up?

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