Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Wake Up & Stretch - Being More Objective

Episode Date: September 12, 2022

This morning, wake your mind and body with mindfulness and yoga that will encourage you to see things more objectively. 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. Hey there, good morning. Welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm your host, Tyler, as always, and I'm so thrilled that you're here with me today. This is a wake-up and stretch episode, where we'll get out of bed and prepare the mind and body for a great day. This week's episodes are all based on the theme of objectivity, going through life with an open mind and not being swayed by our own personal subjective views. The goal of any mindfulness technique is focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment.

And this week is that last part that we'll really focus on, being non-judgmental, being objective. not only towards others, but towards ourselves too. Studies have shown non-judgment and objectivity through mindfulness practice, helps improve relationships, reduces anxiety, and improves our ability to deal with changing circumstances. So I'm sure this week's episodes will help you grow as a person. And after all, that's what this show is here to do.

Now, I recommend you start this episode in bed, but if you're already up and about, don't worry, that's just fine too. Wherever you find yourself right now, just pause for a moment. And let's take a couple of deep breaths. So fill all the way up, deep into your lungs and your belly. Hold at the top. And then exhale, release. No need to force it.

Just let the air fall out. Once more, inhale, even deeper this time. hold and release. And wherever you are, just do a quick scan of your body, starting from your toes and moving upward all the way to the top of your head. There's no need to rush, take your time.

And try not to assign a label or a cause or a meaning to any sensation that you notice. Simply acknowledge it and move on to the next part of your body. body. I'll give you about 30 seconds or so to do that now. So you've scanned your whole body, and you have a sense of how you're feeling right now. And naturally, we all want to compare this in various ways to how we felt yesterday or a year ago, and we will often try to compare it to how we want to feel. Now, those aren't necessarily bad comparisons, but for the time being, just try to avoid

them. Accknowledge that however you've felt before or however you'd like to feel, this is how you feel right now. This is the state that you're in. You most certainly can change this state, but this is where you're at. And that's okay. You're living, you're breathing, and you have the opportunity of a new day. Those are all really wonderful things to appreciate. So with that sense of appreciation, that acknowledgement of where you are and how you feel right now, that fresh opportunity at life, let's get the day started. So take another big breath in. And as you exhale, roll over and make your way to standing up. All right, now that we're all up and out of bed, let's take some time for a little stretching to wake the body.

And as always, just a quick word of warning. Don't do any stretch if it doesn't feel good. My stretches are just suggestions. You should always do something else if you'd prefer. If you're ever confused about a stretch or you'd like to see a visual guide, you can find a link in the show notes to see images of all the stretches IQ on the show. Now oftentimes when we wake up, our neck can be a little tight. height from being still and asleep throughout the entire night.

So let's start with some really gentle neck stretches. And all you need to do is stand up straight. Relax your shoulders down. And then slowly drop your head over your right shoulder. You'll feel that stretch down the left side of your neck. If you'd like to deepen this stretch a little, you can look up to the top of the corner of the room you're in. That will help extend the stretch through your neck. But still keep your head over your right shoulder. One full round of breath here. So inhale

and exhale and relax, come back to center, reset. Now we're going to stretch the other side. So drop your head over your left shoulder and you'll feel that stretch down the right side of your neck. Again, if you want to take this a little bit deeper, you can turn your gaze upward. Just simply looking up will extend this stretch. But again, make sure you keep your head over your left shoulder. One more round of breath, inhale to exhale, and come back to center. Now we're going to do one of my favorites, a forward fold.

It really helps to wake up the whole body. So inhale and reach your head. hands to the sky. Reach as far as you can. If you want to take it a little farther, you can add a back bend at the top. On your exhale, fold forward at your waist. Let everything hang towards the ground and just relax for a second. You can modify this stretch in any way you'd like. A couple of things that I like to do are bend one knee and then the other alternatively. That helps to open up each leg. or you can have a slight bend in both knees at the same time and that will really help to open up your lower back.

But you do whatever feels best for you. Let's take another round of breath here, so inhale and exhale. Now on your next breath in, slowly roll all the way back up to standing. And when you get to the top, reach your hands to the sky again. Reach all the way out of your shoulders. And then exhale, fold forward at your waist. We're going to take this to the ground now. So carefully, bend your knees and place your hands on the ground

and make your way to all fours. So your hands are directly under your shoulders and your knees are on the floor directly under your hips. And from here, we're just going to sit back into child's pose. So press your bottom back to your feet, resting as far back as you can. stretch your arms out on the floor in front of you. Really extend through your spine.

And just relax here. Sink in. Breathe at your own pace. And you can even close your eyes if you'd like. Appreciate this time to yourself. And use this moment to check in again. Notice yourself, your own body, and your own thoughts. And try as best you can to take it.

a step back from all of that. This is just one moment, one morning in your lifetime. You've had many before this and many to come. Some moments and some days will seem better than others. And that's okay. With good must also come some bad. That balance is critical. If we didn't know what bad things felt like, then we wouldn't be able to distinguish the

good moments either. all of the ups and downs, all of the joys, all of the problems. That's all part of the journey of life. So now, I'll leave you here. It's time to go out there and make the most of this day. I hope you're awake, your body is warm, and you're ready to take on the world. I'll see you back here tomorrow for this week's meditation. And until then, I hope you have a fantastic day.