Meditation · Focus
The Morning Thaw
Aya Fujimoto · 9 min
9:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–1:48Sit or lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed. Let your shoulders drop, close your eyes or soften your gaze, and take three slow breaths.
2. Follow the breath
1:48–3:36Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath — that's what calms the nervous system.
3. Scan and release
3:36–5:24Move your attention slowly from your jaw to your shoulders, hands, belly and legs. Wherever you find tension, breathe into it and let it go.
4. Rest in stillness
5:24–7:12Stop steering. Let thoughts come and go like passing traffic — when you notice you've wandered off, that noticing is the practice. Return to the breath.
5. Come back gently
7:12–9:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
A slow warming of attention before the day asks anything of you.
Sit where you can feel the air on your face. Let the first breath be longer than you expect. Notice how the body is still partly asleep, and let it be. Attention arrives the way light arrives — edge first, then everywhere. When you are ready, open the eyes and keep the slowness with you.