The Morning Begins with Awareness of Your First Breath
The first breath of the morning is a doorway. On one side lies sleep, on the other, the day. What we do in that threshold matters. If the first thing we reach for is a glowing screen, we lose control of our mind. This happens before we even know where we stand. But if we begin with presence—with a pause, with breath, with awareness—we reclaim that fragile space between dream and duty. In Buddhist practice, this is the essence of sati: remembering now.
Start Your Day Off-Screen and On-Purpose
When we speak of sati—mindfulness—we mean more than simply paying attention. It is the power to remember this moment, to meet it without distraction.
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Our phones train us to forget. Online, we are constantly asked to prove we are not robots: Click here to verify. Select all the images with bicycles. The irony is that by living automatically—rising, scrolling, reacting—we risk becoming robotic. We forget that we are incarnated beings, tender and raw, living in the flesh.
Remember Now: Reclaim Your Humanness from Autopilot
The body is not who we are, but it reminds us. To incarnate—in carne (Spanish)—is to dwell in the flesh. The warmth of a cup between your palms, the stretch of muscle, the cool air of morning on your skin—all of these are invitations to remember our true essence.
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Without judgment, with upekkhā—equanimity—we can simply allow what is here, neither clinging nor pushing away. This is how I guide my live meditation classes, always returning to the steadiness of equanimity.
Anchoring Your Morning Practice
Try beginning your day with just ten minutes of this remembering. Direct your awareness towards your breath as it is, without changing anything. Just be with what is. Make a warm drink and notice the weight of the cup in your hands. Stretch gently, as though greeting your body anew.
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Then step outside. Feel the elements on your skin—the touch of wind, the smell of rain, the warmth of sunlight. These are not trivial sensations. They are reminders that you are alive, that you are connected to the fabric of the earth itself.
Your Steady Morning Rituals Shapes Your Mind
Write down the first things that come to mind without judging it. Write in a journal: a dream, a thought, or one clear intention. Let it be one sentence you can remember and repeat every morning. Not as yet another robotlike sure, but as a vow springing from kindness.
Examples:
- I vow to bring patience into this day.
- I shall care for my own heart so I may care for others.
- Today I wish to do no harm.
When such a sentence arises, it becomes both anchor and compass. Journaling is not just a quaint practice; it is a powerful way of meeting your own mind. In my digital courses, writing is an integral part of meditation training, because it deepens awareness and gives shape to what otherwise slips away. Explore my courses here →
This simple ritual is not only where Buddhist practice may begin, but also how it is sustained. Remembering now, through our thoughts, words and actions. Like water dripping steadily on stone, each morning of mindful presence wears a path deeper into the mountain of our habitual mind. Over time, what seems immovable—the stone of distraction, restlessness, and reactivity—yields. Practice makes its way to the core.
Let Presence Be Your Compass
So tonight, make a small preparation. Put your phone somewhere other than your nightstand. Place a notebook there instead. When you wake, write, stretch, breathe. Remember now.
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This is not self-improvement; it is remembering to live. Not as a performance, but a return to humanness. Begin your day not as a machine proving you are human. Instead, start as a being who has incarnated tender and raw. You have the chance—every single morning—to touch the essence of who you truly are.
Yours on the path,
Lama Chimey
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Lama Chimey 