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00:00:01 Good morning and welcome to your 15 minute ikigai morning practice for autumn and winter months. My name is Sarah and I'll be guiding you through. I wanted to create this offering because this time of year where we have darker, colder mornings, it can be hard to create space to want to get up and listen in, it can be hard to create space to want to get up and listen in, rather than just kind of curling up in bed for a little bit longer. And yet, this is such a powerful time of year to go in and listen
00:00:45 and be intentional in how we live. Ahead of the year closing out in December. So the short practice should support you with that. So finding a comfortable seat and support you with that. So finding a comfortable seat and you can do this from anywhere, so it can be from your bed, or maybe a comfortable seat on the floor, sitting on a cushion, or your sofa lifting hips up slightly with a cushion so that you can be in this seat for roughly 10 to 15 minutes. And you really want to cultivate
00:01:23 a long, tall spine here. So thinking about the crown of your head reaching up and your seat bones rooting down, your head reaching up and your seat bones rooting down, but then your torso is relaxed so you're not straining or creating unnecessary tension, but there's a sense of awakeness in your seat. So finding that seat now and also making sure you're warm. So maybe a nice blanket over your shoulders. Closing down your eyes. And once you've closed down your eyes, just take a few deeper breaths
00:02:09 to almost welcome yourself into this new space you're creating. So breathing in through your nose. And maybe a sigh out through your mouth. A couple more like that in your own time and in your own way. And taking a final one. And with the exhale, just notice if you can kind of drop down and back a little bit. So maybe shoulders drop down a little bit. And you notice this easing of tension and gripping.
00:03:00 So now you find yourself in your seat bringing your awareness to your physical body. And we're just going to invite in a little bit of gentle movement to just ease into our body this morning. So gently dropping right ear to right shoulder, feeling a stretch down the left side of your neck. Staying like this. Or you might use your right hand to just encourage your head a Or you might use your right hand to just encourage your head a little bit deeper over, but be really gentle with yourself.
00:03:36 Handle yourself with the care that you would, um, an animal you love or a child. Go really softly, gently. And then rolling your chin down through your chest, bringing left ear over to left shoulder and just take it on the other side using your left hand. Once again, if you would like to. And try to just notice the Once again, if you would like to. And try to just notice the sensation you feel, rather than allowing your brain to instruct what should happen here. And now just move your neck in a
00:04:17 way that feels good. So organic stretching that feels like what you need this morning. You might hold in a particular area. It might be nice to bring chin down towards your armpit when you're It might be nice to bring chin down towards your armpit when you're on one side, to create more of a stretch down the back of your neck. Allowing this movement to really nourish any aches or pains from the night before. And then gently allowing that to stop and you'll just start taking some rolls through your shoulders.
00:04:59 So bring your shoulders up to your ears and then rolling them So bring your shoulders up to your ears and then rolling them down your back and keep going with these shoulder rolls. And then eventually reaching arms up overhead. And catch your left wrist with your right hand and take a side stretch over to the right. Breathing into your left side body. Big. Inhale. And exhale. Couple more like that. Big. Inhale. And exhale. Couple more like that.
00:05:37 And then take it over to the other side. So left wrist catches left hand catches right wrist. And you stretch over to the left curving like a banana through that right side of your body and breathing into your right ribs. Any breath that feels supportive here, that feels good. It. Any breath that feels supportive here, that feels good. It. On more like that. And then coming back to center and let your hands slowly drop down and just walk them out in front of you so
00:06:22 that you just fold over your legs, taking a fold in your seat here, dropping down and likely in the morning. dropping down and likely in the morning. Your back body feels a little bit tight after your night of sleep, so maybe you don't fold down really deeply, but you just hang a little bit chin to chest, and you allow your breath to breathe into the space around your shoulder blades, your back rib cage. And you just take care of your own body with your beautiful Breath.
00:06:57 And you just take care of your own body with your beautiful Breath. And then, with your hands still dangling down in front of you, you might slightly reach them over to the right hand side. Change that stretch slightly, and then you might slightly reach them over to the left, just exploring that in your own body, reach them over to the left, just exploring that in your own body, just once again observing physical sensation rather than instructing through your brain. I should stretch like this.
00:07:45 And then in your own time, slowly rolling up to a seat and sitting back and now welcoming in a little bit of stillness. Taking a pause, a rebound from your stretching. Taking a pause, a rebound from your stretching. And bringing your attention back to your physical body. How does your body feel today? Are there any parts of your How does your body feel today? Are there any parts of your physical frame where you can feel obvious tension or gripping?
00:08:41 And can you just lovingly observe those places? And maybe back off slightly from the gripping? So soften the edges. Release any frowning around forehead, jaw your shoulders. Release any frowning around forehead, jaw your shoulders. And then bringing your attention to your stomach area. And if it's all right for you, just place your palms face down on your stomach, anywhere on your stomach that feels good. And just see if you can release your tummy into your hands so that
00:09:25 you're not holding around that area, but you're allowing your stomach to you're not holding around that area, but you're allowing your stomach to be full and just rest in your palms. How does it feel to release gripping around your center? And just notice if your breath can softly breathe into your hands. And then just noticing how your emotional body feels today. What's going on in your internal environment? How are you today? Trying to just allow whatever comes up to be enough.
00:10:49 To be what is without creating stories. How do you feel today? And as you sit here with the gentle touch of your hands on your stomach, making space for how you feel. Just allow whatever comes to come. And create this warm, loving place. For you to be you. loving place. For you to be you. And from this space. Just noticing what you would like to bring into your day. How do you want to feel moving
00:11:53 through this day? What would you like to welcome in? And whatever comes to mind? Just setting that as an intention. It's not something else on your to do list. Don't need to work out how you're going to incorporate it and just allow it to be an intention. Allow yourself to receive that wisdom. And then just let any effort around that go. And then just let any effort around that go.
00:12:32 Release your hands from your stomach and place them somewhere on your lap, either palms facing up or down, whatever feels intuitively nice. Drop any effort from this practice, and it's almost like you're taking a seat at the back of your mind as you rebound and you just observe. seat at the back of your mind as you rebound and you just observe. Sitting back in your rebound in a sense of nothingness. We'll sit in silence for just a few moments now to allow that space. And then, in your own time, bringing your hands together at
00:13:58 And then, in your own time, bringing your hands together at your heart center. And we'll take three final, deeper breaths together to close this practice. So breathing in. And any exhale out. Big size, small sigh. Whatever. Two. More like that. Or maybe let us sound out. Ah. Two. More like that. Or maybe let us sound out. Ah. We'll bow our heads, our brains to our hearts. Bringing hands down to the ground in front of you to just
00:14:43 close that out in gratitude. Thank you very much for joining me for your morning practice. And now just moving into your day. Try and go slowly for the first few moments. Maybe if you can avoid looking at phones or to do lists immediately, Maybe if you can avoid looking at phones or to do lists immediately, and just give yourself a little bit of time for this practice to integrate. Thank you and wishing you a lovely day.
