The Best Way to Great a New Day: A Microdose Meditation for Mindfulness, Gratitude and Resilience

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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In this week's microdose meditation from the Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, Michael guides you through his own morning ritual, a practice he returns to each day to greet the day with clarity and purpose.

Starting with a few generous, expansive breaths, you're invited to check in with your body, release any tension held in the shoulders, forehead, or jaw, and arrive fully in the present moment.

From there, Michael leads you into the heart of the practice: setting an intention for the day, the half day, or even just the next hour and visualizing yourself showing up exactly as you wish to be.

It's a simple, judgment-free practice you can do in bed, seated, standing, or on the go, designed to help you put a little more of the ripple you want to see out into the world.

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Hey there, it's Michael. On Mondays, I love sharing a microdose meditation with you to help you start the week off on the right foot. And today, I have one of the meditations that you can find on my Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, which is free to download. It's a practice I do each morning, and it's all about setting your morning intentions, and I hope you find it to be meaningful When you're ready, come into a comfortable position.

You may still be in bed, which is totally cool. This is a judgment-free zone here. You could be seated. You might be standing or even out and about

As you come in to your position, you can close your eyes or you may wish to keep them open And let's drop in Let's greet the day with a few generous inhales, breathing up fully through your nose if you can, and feel that expansive quality of your breath

And then let that breath release. You can do it slowly. You can sigh it out. Do whatever feels most natural to you

Nice full breath in

And a full releasing breath out

And as you come into the natural rhythm of the breath, offer your attention to the body. Check in with it as you greet a new day Noticing how it feels

And if there's any body parts that feel tense or stressed, you can invite them to relax. You can soften your shoulders, maybe relax your forehead, or bring some openness to the jaw, especially if you clenched it last night during your sleep

And if it feels appropriate, you can put on your best Mona Lisa smile as you come into the new day

And now I'll invite you to set your intentions for the day ahead Or if that feels too long, it can be simply a half day or the next hour or even the next moment

As you think about how you wish to show up and the type of ripple you wish to put into the world today, how do you wish to be? What's your intention?

And as it comes to mind, begin to visualize you're showing up in alignment to this intention Like you're watching yourself in a movie

noticing or witnessing what it looks like to show up in the way that you desire

When you're ready, you can begin to ease your attention. You can open your eyes if you had them closed, and maybe give your fingers and toes a little wiggle. And may our practice together benefit all living creatures. I hope you found this meditation to be meaningful, and if you did, I would love it if you shared it with a friend who might also benefit from it.

You can find this meditation, as well as over 700 different micro-dose meditations, on my Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, which is free to download in Apple's App Store and on Google Play. And until Wednesday's episode, let's remember to celebrate our scars as golden symbols of our strength and resilience. And don't forget to have fun storming the castle.

Key Takeaways

The Whole Again Podcast airs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with microdose meditations, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday episodes featuring 'A Perfectly Imperfect Union' series about Americans reflecting on the country at 250 years.

Michael's morning ritual involves expansive breaths, body check-in, releasing tension, setting an intention for the day or next hour, and visualizing how you wish to show up.

The practice can be done in bed, seated, standing, or on the go and is designed to help create positive ripple effects in the world.

The Pause Breathe Reflect App is available free on Apple's App Store and Google Play, offering microdose meditations and emotional wellness tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does The Whole Again Podcast air?

Microdose meditations air Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am. 'A Perfectly Imperfect Union' series airs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

What does Michael's morning ritual involve?

It includes expansive breaths, body check-in, releasing tension from shoulders/forehead/jaw, setting an intention, and visualizing yourself showing up as you wish to be.

Where can I find the Pause Breathe Reflect App?

The app is available free on Apple's App Store and Google Play.

What topics does the podcast explore?

The show covers mindfulness, resilience, kintsugi wisdom, trauma healing, overcoming self-doubt and perfectionism, stress management, breathwork, grounding techniques, and digital wellness.