As a collective, we’re facing unprecedented challenges, heightened stress, hyper-awareness and fear. The outside world feels overwhelming and beyond our control right now.
But while we might not have much control over our outer world, there are things we can do, and practices we can cultivate to allow us to control the quality of our inner space.
This practice will support you in setting your energy for the day so you can gain control of your inner landscape, before stepping into your day.
How it Works
Think about a normal morning. What usually happens? We wake, rollover and pick up our phone to see what notifications we have. And before our head even leaves the pillow, our day is controlling us. From the first moment we open our eyes, we’re in reaction mode.
When we start our day in reaction mode, what we’re actually doing is activating the sympathetic nervous system in our body – more commonly known as fight or flight response. Our nervous system thinks the threat is real. And because our bodies can’t tell the difference between what’s happening in our mind and what’s happening in real life, that can be a pretty stressful start to the day.
The good news is, whatever is going on, we have the power to decide how we respond.
So being able to wake up and do this practice before you pick up your phone or turn on the news or go see what’s happening outside of your ‘space’, will set you up with a whole different energy to your day.
It’s a way to exercise control in a time when we don’t feel like we have control.
For me personally, it allows me to enter my day feeling more spacious, like there’s more possibility, the day begins a little lighter. I don’t feel so overwhelmed.
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus Aurelius
Here’s how you can begin this practice at home…
This two-part practice commences with gentle breathwork and moves into a visualization, a guided meditation of light.
Check-in with yourself
Take those first few moments when you wake up to do a check-in with your inner landscape.
Gently start to pay attention, when your consciousness starts to come into the world.
This can be as simple as three deep breaths in and out…
Your first breath is about observing how your physical body is feeling. Scan your physical body and how it feels.On your second breath, notice the quality of your thoughts and where your mind is going. Observe whether there’s a particular thought that seems to be more present. (Especially at a time like this, you might even observe emotions or thoughts that are “all-present’’. Don’t judge, just observe.)
And on the third and final breath, check-in with your heart space and emotional landscape.
For me, it’s that part of me that feels connected to spirit, something brighter. Perhaps you might feel emotions of love, or gratitude. Simply bring your awareness to them.
Visualization/Guided Meditation
From this awareness, I move into a practice where I visualize points of light that move through different points of my body. One by one, visualizing and feeling all the points in my body illuminated.
These visualizations can draw your awareness to your own self-luminous essence and allow you to weave yourself a field of self-luminous energy in which to rest and heal.
So, you create your luminous container before you do anything else with your day.
It is a beautiful and powerful way to cleanse and purify your inner reality, washing away any mental or emotional heaviness. while fortifying and strengthening your heart space of the heart.
For me personally, I feel myself as a constellation of stars in the universe. Luminous and energized.
And the best thing? This whole practice can be completed in ten minutes, before your head even leaves the pillow!
It will allow you to move into your day from a place of balance, and allow you to begin the day from a place of feeling spacious, light and in control of your day.
Start Your Day Luminous and Energized
I’ve created 5 FREE guided meditation practices to support you.
Give yourself just ten extra minutes in your bed upon waking, and allow these short, accessible meditation practices to cultivate a lighter, brighter space of mind and each morning, before you begin the work of your day.
Create your own field of clear and luminous energy to carry you through your day.
My gift to you in these uncertain times, with love…
Your Guide, Stephanie Chee Barea
