Whether you are working late nights, running around with the kids, have a new baby to care for or you simply can’t fall asleep, you can sometimes wake up feeling groggy, sore and just plain exhausted. My first instinct is to run to the coffee pot for some liquid energy- which of course helps, but another great method is to start a daily practice of morning meditation and vocal toning.
Even if you don’t think you know how to meditate or you’ve tried and couldn’t sit still, just 5 minutes in the morning is a great way to begin, which can eventually increase overtime. Meditation comes in many forms, joggers say they enter a meditative state on their runs and caregivers say they can enter a meditative state when washing the dishes or folding laundry – menial and repetitive tasks – but what they do is help clear the mind through moving the body. This form of morning meditation requires stillness, breathing and using your vocal chords – which is great because who wants to immediately jump out of bed and do chores when we are already feeling tired.
Upon waking, sit upright in your bed, you can have a pillow behind your back or you can find a comfortable place on the floor, place a pillow underneath your bottom or even go outside if you have a backyard and the weather is nice. Sit crossed legged and take 3 deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your chest and belly swell with each inhale and on the last breath blow out as much air as you can.
You may start to feel tingly and relaxed, you may even want to go back to sleep but this is when the fun part comes in. On the fourth breath you inhale deeply and upon exhaling – let out a giant “AUM,” or “OOOOOOOMMMMM.” Let it out for as long as your exhale is, then inhale again and repeat. The sound “OM” is a powerful mantra and upon saying it especially as loud and openly as you want, its vibration recharges your mind and body and wakes up the senses in an organic and calm way.
This mantra increases concentration, rejuvenates the mind, clears away negative or obsessive thoughts, removes toxins from the body, decreases stress, anxiety and blood pressure. Once you have sufficiently repeated this mantra – sit in silence for several minutes. You will find your head is clearer, your body feels more awake and the grogginess and sleepiness has dissipated.
This is great to do as a daily practice but sometimes I forget and honestly – sometimes I just don’t feel like it – but whenever I do take the time to do this short morning meditation and vocal toning, I feel calm, collected and focused throughout my day and things flow more smoothly.
Here is the original post: sixdifferentways.com
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