‘Morning Coffee’ integrates practice into an activity of everyday living.
The bedroom window is open just enough to carry a breath of the morning breeze and the racket of birds competing for mates and territory.
Hands and arms escape the envelope of warmth under the down puff inviting feet and legs to join them, as they explore a new day.
Sunny nuzzles in, relishing the morning greeting. Paws and feet begin the journey to the kitchen, the cool smoothness of the maple planks, the plush softness of the carpet, and then the unevenness of rough grooves between the the kitchen tiles. Yawning, two beings stretch. Sunny does a downward dog.
Can you take a moment to stretch right now? What do you notice in your body. When you yawn, you may notice increased saliva in your mouth. Notice it’s coolness.
Like Tea Ceremony in Japan, Morning Coffee has become a time of mindful awareness. Notice body alignment, notice placement of feet , notice release of tightness from neck and shoulders. Notice and follow the breath, releasing the tension in the abdominal muscles. With awareness, the non-dominant hand reaches up to open the cupboard. The stretch reaches down past the sacrum, down the back of the legs. The pads of the feet are anchored, toes slightly curled to grip the floor. Easy actions are relegated to the dominant hand; those that require fine motor control or strength are done by the non-dominant side.
As the steamy water begins to flow, eyes are closed to again notice body alignment, to hear the sound of water dripping first into the bed of coffee and then into the pot. There is awareness to the shift in temperature near the coffee maker and of the complex scent of coffee. The pads do feet are anchored, toes slightly curled to grip the floor. The weight of the body, of burdens, are dropped through the feet into the floor. Notice and follow the breath.
The air is filled with richness and the coffee is ready. A cup is filled, a sip, another breath. The rest of the day begins.
For more on the idea of Day Long Practice, be sure to read Peter’s Blog here: https://bodymindscience.info/blog/