5-Minute Morning Meditation

Welcome. For the next five minutes, we're going to try a simple morning meditation. This meditation is meant to help you wake up and take on the day. The goal is to stimulate your body and mind in a peaceful way. We'll start with a breath exercise. Then we'll loosen your head and shoulders. And finally, we'll end with an intention for your day. Are you ready? Let's begin. First, find yourself in a seated position. Back straight, head high, arms to your sides. Close your eyes. Let your body settle. Let your mind relax. If you've just woken up, you might still feel a bit sleepy. Maybe you notice some soreness or stiffness in your body. Or maybe you feel nice and rested. However this meditation finds you today, simply notice how you're feeling. Now let's start our breathing exercise. First, just pay attention to your breath. No need to slow down or speed up your breathing. Simply notice how your body pulls in air, how it lets it back out again. Notice the feeling of air in your nose and mouth. How it feels in your throat and lungs. Focus only on the breath. Now we're going to change the breath. There's a type of breathing that can stimulate your nervous system and help wake you up. In yoga, this breathing style is called Simhasana, or lion's breath. The trick is to breathe in deeply through your nose, filling your belly and lungs with air, and then when you exhale, you'll breathe out through your mouth. You'll open your lips wide and stick out your tongue flat, like your doctor is asking you to say, ah. Exhale with a raspy sound, fast and fiery, like this. Try it along with me. Keep going, inhale through the nose, and exhale that lion's breath. It may feel silly, but this type of breathing is great for filling the body with energy. One more big inhale, and big exhale. Very good. Notice how you feel. Can you notice a difference? Now comes the second part of the meditation. Let's engage the body even more. If your body feels up for it, give your shoulders a little roll. Try rotating them forward, gently and slowly. Now roll your shoulders backward, nice big slow circles. Let your shoulders fall down and back. If you're able, very softly lean your head toward your right shoulder. Let it dip down slowly. Don't force it, just let gravity do the work. Feel a slight stretch on the left side of your neck. Then lean your head to the left, just as gently. Don't push to the point that it hurts, just feel that slight stretch on the right side of your neck. Gently shake your head to loosen up your neck and shoulders. We've now made it to the final part of our meditation. Before you start your day, let's set an intention. Think of one word to describe how you want to feel today. What intention would you like to set for yourself? Let that word come to you, then hold it in your mind. Take it with you throughout the day, so you can stay focused on your intention. Now one last deep inhale, and back to normal without the lion's breath. Give a nice steady exhale through the mouth. Well done! Thank you for joining us today. We hope you feel refreshed and energized after this meditation. Try this exercise often so you can rise and shine in every sense. Take care and be well.