Chapter 2:

MINDFUL MORNING

You can start your mindfulness practice from the moment you wake up. I would encourage you to do that because the way you start your morning will reflect through the rest of your day.

You can develop a morning routine that best suits you. Try to do it every day for a week or two and see how you feel, observe what is changing in your inner and outer world. If you need, alter it according to your lifestyle and preferences. After you see the results and benefits it brings, this will become a positive habit that you will not want to change.

Mindful breathing

The first simple thing you can do in the morning is breathing. You breathe anyway so this is not something new or complicated or something that requires a big effort. However, mindful breathing or intentional breathing requires your presence in every breath. It requires for you to focus on your breath and observe it.

You can do this before you even get out of bed but if you feel more comfortable you can sit upright.

First, bring your attention to your breath. Breathe in and out, in and out and in and out some more. Just let yourself breathe as you normally do. Do not try to slow your breath or speed it up. Let it be natural and just observe it without any judgment or story about it. There is no wrong way of doing this. If those kinds of thoughts come up just let them pass without engaging with them.

Observe your breath and how it flows through your body – your nose, chest, abdomen.

You will probably notice that with every breath you get more and more relaxed and more and more peaceful.

After a few breaths set your intention on your abdomen, you can even place your hand there to help you focus. Start taking deeper breaths through your nose and fill your whole lungs and abdomen. Hold your breath for a few moments, however long it feels comfortable to you, and then slowly exhale through your mouth. If you feel up to it you can also add some sound when exhaling, such as “Ahhh” or “Ommm”.

If you find it difficult to focus on your breathing and your mind becomes overactive you can attach your breath to a simple word or a mantra. This can be simple as “In” or “Inhale” when you breathe in and “Out” or “Exhale” when you breathe out. This can help your brain to calm and focus easier.

Do this for however long it feels comfortable. Maybe you can set a timer for 3 or 5 minutes or you can count your breaths.

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This is something you can do at any time and any place throughout the day but by doing this first thing in the morning you will start your day in a calm place, more relaxed, peaceful and stress-free. You will also fill your body and your brain with more oxygen.

Over time, you will notice that you are breathing more fully and deeply most of the time and this will have long-term positive effects on your body, mind and spirit.

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindful meditation

When you finish your mindful breathing exercise you can from there just slip into the meditation.

You can return to your normal breathing and observe it. Again, just follow your breath as it goes in and out. You can then expand your awareness to your whole body. Observe how you feel, start from the top of your head and proceed down to your feet. If any part of your body feels tight just consciously relax it. Release all of the tension from your body.

There are many ways that you can meditate and you should find the one that suits you, one that feels best for you.

If you want, after relaxing your body, you can return to your breath and just observe it. When thoughts appear just let them go, let them pass through you like they are clouds and you are the sky. If you engage with them do not judge or blame yourself, just gently return to your breath again.

Thoughts will not disappear, that is not the point of meditation. The point is to observe them and remain neutral. This is something that will happen with time and practice and it is nothing that you need to force.

If you like, you can again add some simple word or mantra to your breathing to help your mind stay calmer. You maybe want to try Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono in your meditation by simply using “Thank you” or “I love you” as your mantra.

Maybe you wish to add relaxing music to your meditation, binaural beats or different healing frequencies such as 432 or 528 Hz. Another great way are guided meditations. You can find some amazing free meditations on the YouTube.

One example is the YouTube channel “The Honest Guys ” where you can find free high quality guided meditations for every occasion. If they do not resonate with you try to find someone that does, or simply practice breath meditation.

If you like, you can again set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes or you can simply let your inner guidance let you know when you had enough.

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Benefits of meditation are incredible. To name a few, meditation can reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and concentration, bring calmness, happiness and acceptance, increase your health, quality of life and well-being.

Try different ways of meditating so you can find what best works for you.

“Life is a mystery – mystery of beauty, bliss and divinity. Meditation is the art of unfolding that mystery.”

~ Amit Ray

Sun Salutation

The Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, is a yogic technique that contains series of postures, or asanas, that are practiced in a consecutive sequence. There is a whole science behind this ancient technique, as it is behind yoga in general, but we will not go into that now.

The Sun Salutation can be a warm up for a yoga routine but it can also be practiced on its own and this is one more morning mindfulness technique that I recommend. Practiced on its own, this is a complete exercise that engages every part of the body, energize it and helps start the day in a mindful, aware and positive way.

Do it at a pace you feel comfortable and do not worry about doing it perfectly. There is no need to force anything. You can repeat the sequence as many times it feels good for you.

Yoga is a great mindfulness practice because it can help you be in the moment, in the movement, in the breath. As you move through the postures try to observe your inhales and exhales and feel your body’s movements.

• Start by standing upright with your feet together and balancing your weight equally on both feet. Relax your shoulders, expand your chest. As you inhale, lift both of your arms up from the sides. As you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in a prayer position.
• As you inhale, lift the arms up and back, keeping the biceps close to the ears. Try to stretch your whole body up, from the heels to the tips of the fingers.
• As you exhale, bend forward at the waist, slightly soften your knees and fold forward with your hands down to the floor, beside your feet.
• As you inhale, flat your back and lengthen the spine with your hands on the fingertips on the floor in front of you.
• As you exhale, push your right leg as far back as possible, put your knee to the floor and look up. If you feel more advanced you can also jump back, directly into the next posture with both of your feet (as explained in the video below).
• As you inhale, plant the palms and put your left leg back and bring the whole body in a straight line.
• As you exhale, bring your knees to the floor, slightly take your hips back, slide forward, put your chest and chin on the floor.
• As you inhale, roll forward and upwards, keep your elbows bent and shoulders away from the ears. Keep the back of your neck long and look up.
• As you exhale, ground your hands and feet into the floor, lift the hips up and put your chest downwards. Take a few deep breaths.
• As you inhale, put your right foot forward in between your hands, left knee down to the floor and look up. If you feel more advanced you can jump forward, directly into the next posture with both of your feet (as explained in the video below).
• As you exhale, put your left foot forward to join the right. Keep your palms on the floor.
• As you inhale, roll the spine up, put your hands up and bend backward a little bit.
• As you exhale, straighten your body and put your palms together in front of the chest in a prayer position. Relax and observe the sensations in your body.

You can search the YouTube for visual guidance. I recommend video from “Yoga by Candace” – “For Beginners - Sun Salutation A - Each yoga pose explained “ because every Sun Salutation posture is shown in a slow motion, well explained and everything is easy to understand.

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When done regularly, Surya Namaskar can help your nervous and digestive system, improve lungs function and blood circulation, correct hormonal imbalance, help with weight loss, strengthen muscles and joints and maintain overall health. Every part of the body can benefit from this practice.

The Sun Salutation is one more way to boost your body, mind, and spirit.

“Yoga does not remove us from the reality or responsibilities of everyday life but rather places our feet firmly and resolutely in the practical ground of experience. We don't transcend our lives; we return to the life we left behind in the hopes of something better.”

~ Donna Farhi