Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Wake Up & Stretch - Listening

Episode Date: September 5, 2022

This morning, wake your mind and body with mindfulness and yoga that will encourage you to listen to and care for yourself. 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 and listen on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Amazon - 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, and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm your host, Tyler, as always, and 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 a common theme, listening. Oftentimes, life is so go, go, go, so productivity-based, that we often get lost in a world of telling ourselves what needs to be done,

rather than listening to what we want and what we need. An old Arabic proverb says this. The smarter you get, the less you speak. Friends, we don't learn by talking. We learn by listening. People will tell you how to make them happy. and so will your own heart. So this week, we'll start our days by listening.

Now, let's get started. I recommend you start this episode in bed, but if you're already up and about, don't worry. That's just fine. Wherever you find yourself right now, just pause for a moment. Take a deep breath in, fill all the way into your belly.

Hold it at the top, exhale, Enjoy that long, slow release. Once more, inhale, feeling even deeper this time. Hold, exhale. And while you're here in this moment of peace and quiet, just listen to yourself. Listen to your body. How do you feel physically?

How do you feel mentally? What's going on in your mind? No need to have all the answers right now. Just listen. Where are your thoughts wanting to linger? Ask yourself what you need today. Some rest? Some excitement?

To get something off of your mind, maybe. And what do you want today, too? All right. Now take another big breath in. And as you exhale, if there's anything bothering you, just blow it away. You don't need that. Anything you feel like you should do, but you don't want to. just let it go.

Once more now, inhale even deeper this time. And then exhale and blow away any worries or concerns. Free yourself of them. Today is your day. And this is your life. Choose to listen to yourself. What you need and once you want to make of it. So why don't we get up and start the day by doing something good for ourselves?

A few gentle stretches to wake the body. And we'll practice a little listening while we do that too. So take one more inhale, deepest one you've taken yet. And on your exhale, if you're in bed, roll over and make your way to standing up. All right, friends, now that we're all up and out of bed, let's turn to some stretches. And as always, just a quick word before we do that. Don't do any stretch if you're not able. I don't want you to get hurt.

And on any day in this show, but especially today, I want to encourage you to do whatever stretch feels right to you. Mine are always just suggestions. If there's a variation you want to take or something completely different altogether, then by all means, please do that. And if you're ever confused about a stretch that I'm leading, feel free to check out the link in the show notes to see a visual.

Today, we're going to keep our stretches really simple. And that's on purpose because I want you to have the time, space, and freedom to listen to yourself. I'm going to guide you, don't worry, but I'm going to stay out of the way as much as possible. And I'm going to offer some different variations, too. The point being that you can listen to yourself, your body, and focus on taking for yourself, whatever would be best for you right now. This is your time, your body, and you know far better what to do with those two things than anybody else. So listen to yourself.

We're going to start with two rounds, a forward fold. So start standing up straight, feet flat and sturdy on the ground. Take an inhale and reach your hands up towards the sky. Maybe you want to add a little back bend at the top. But as you exhale, fold forward at the top. your waist, and just let everything hang towards the ground. And you can do all kinds of things in this forward fold. You can sit perfectly still if you'd like.

You can bend your knees to help open up your lower back. You can spread your legs apart, if you'd like, and open up the inner thighs a little bit more. You can sway side to side. Whatever you want to do, go for it. but whatever you choose to do, do what's right for your body. And make sure that you just take time to relax into this pose. Let's take one full round of breath here. So inhale as deeply as you can.

And then exhale, release. Now slowly begin to roll all the way back up to standing. And when you get there, inhale again, reach your hands up to the sky. Add in that back bend if you'd like. And on your exhale, fold forward once more. Let everything above your waist relax towards the ground. Soften your face. Relax your neck.

And maybe you want to try something different this time around. I'll give you about 30 seconds to listen to yourself and take whatever you need. All right, let's take one full round of breath here. Inhale as deeply as you can. And then exhale, slowly. roll all the way back up to standing, one vertebrae at a time. And once your head comes up straight again, roll your shoulders up, back, and down. All right, for this last minute or two, make your way to the ground, to all fours. So hands and knees are on the ground,

hands directly below the shoulders, knees directly below the hips. And when you get into that position. Just pause for a second. Close your eyes and ask what would be good for my body right now. What is my body asking for? Do your hips feel tight? Well then you can sit back into child's pose by dropping your bottom back towards your feet and reaching your arms out in front of you. Or maybe you need to loosen up your neck and your back. And if so, you can do a couple of cats and a couple of cows. For cow, all you do is arch your back down towards the ground and reach your gaze and your head up. And then as you exhale, you do the opposite.

You drop your head and arch your back up. And that's cat. That's really great for loosening out the back and the neck. Maybe your wrists feel tight, in which case you could roll them out. These are just suggestions you can do something completely different to or some combination. Whatever your body needs,

take the time to give it that right now. I'll get out of your way for about a minute and just let you enjoy this time to yourself, to relax, to breathe, and to listen. All right, friends, it's about time to wrap up now. I hope your body is feeling nice and loose and you're ready for a great day. And today, I hope you listen to yourself.

Really stop and listen to what makes you smile. What causes you pain and confusion? What makes you feel like a good person and a bad person? And what makes you feel inspired? If you hear anything pointing towards the ladder, I hope you listen closely, and I hope you chase it with passion. But that's all I've got for now.

I'll see you back here tomorrow for our meditation. It's going to be a fun one, and I think you'll enjoy it. Until then, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.