Calm and Settle Meditation - Morning Mind

Settle in and find your calm through this guided meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation by reading a self-composed poem, "Morning Mind".   Morning Mind Flow, by Julie Potiker The first thing  I notice is the sound. A wall of high fidelity sound. I fold myself into the pale turquoise cushion on the chair and let it in: There’s twilling, tweeting, and something that sounds like call and response singing, an octave above high C. Underneath, or on top of all that sound is the constant gentle roar, yes, a roar but sweet, of the river - sort of like a white noise machine, or maybe it’s pink noise, or brown noise. I feel my palms and the underside of my fingers getting hot, wrapped around my white ceramic mug, with the artist rendering of an elk, his antlers partially covered by my thumbs. The next thing to come online is my vision. The bright green heart shaped leaves of the Aspen Trees are shimmering and quaking on their delicate stems. Bugs, flying things, butterflies and bees are flitting around in the sunlight slanting through the shadows of the trees. I rest my mug on the arm of the chair and pull my cozy flannel pajama top around me in a hug. The thin bamboo hot flash preventing nightgown isn’t enough to keep off the chill of an Idaho summer morning. My fleece lined slippers enclose my feet, as I notice where the fresh cool air is making contact with my skin. I’m reminded of summer camp, cool mornings in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, using a rake to make patterns in the dirt in front of our cabin at Interlochen National Music Camp, red knee socks pulled all the way up to my worn navy corduroy knickers (pants that button below the knee, not underwear for my U.K. friends!), hoping to win the best cabin award each week. My mind back now to the present, a carpenter ant, running across the rough stones. How does he move so fast? There must be some small animal in the eaves, because there are crumpled dry leaves and stems arranged haphazardly on the stones below the roof, right next to the sliding doors to the breakfast room. Perhaps a soft furry little house guest is joining me for breakfast, while I enjoy my coffee in her world.   Get the latest on mindfulness and meditation by subscribing to Julie Potiker's YouTube channel and Facebook page at Mindful Methods for Life. You can learn about mindfulness at www.MindfulMethodsForLife.com and also in Julie's newly released book, "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't Have To: Mindful Methods For Staying Calm In The Midst Of Chaos", available on Amazon.com. Her podcast is "Balanced Mind with Julie Potiker", available on iTunes, iHeart and everywhere you listen to podcasts.