A Coffee Meditation with LILAS Ambassador Liz Christensen
The world of coffee is full of skilled people from farmers to baristas who work hard to bring you your favorite morning beverage. Start your day grounded and full of gratitude for all the hard work that has gone into your warm mug of coffee. This morning meditation is just under 5 minutes, short enough to add into any morning routine.
Written and recorded by Liz Christensen
Meditation
Hello and welcome! My name is Liz and it is my honor to guide you through this short morning meditation. Grab your mug of coffee and let’s get started.
As we begin to settle into our time together, I invite you to find a tall but comfortable seat that will allow you to hold your warm mug close and with ease. If you need to try a few positions first, that is perfectly okay.
If and when it feels comfortable, close your eyes.
Notice your body in this space and in this shape. Take in the smells and sounds around you. Take 3 slow deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth to ground yourself in the present moment.
Continue to breath here with all your attention on your breath, noticing without judgement how it feels flowing in and out of your body.
Allow your attention to come to your mug of coffee. Feel it’s warmth, notice it’s aroma, maybe you blink your eyes open and see milk swirling or notice a reflection on top of its smooth surface. How does the mug feel in your hands?
Take a deep breath.
I invite you to approach this morning cup of coffee with a sense of gratitude.
Farmers worked for years to nurture the plant that would eventually produce small sweet fruit, and when it came time, the ripe red fruit was hand picked and carefully processed to reveal the coffee bean nestled inside.
Deep breath.
Later on, roasters expertly brought the rich aroma out of the raw bean, opening up the bean’s tiny pores so that this morning a barista or you could introduce the grounds to hot water, releasing delicious and complex aromatic compounds into the mug you’re holding now.
Deep breath.
So much care and skill has gone into each step in the life of your coffee, take a slow sip. Allow yourself to really appreciate the flavors on your tongue.
Deep breath.
One more.
Take another sip.
Take another big inhale taking in the sweet aroma of your coffee one more time.
Spend the next several moments bringing your attention back to your breath, letting its pace be natural but your mind focused.
We’ve spent the past few minutes cultivating gratitude for the people and work that have taken place to bring us this morning cup of coffee. As you prepare to move through the rest of your day, I encourage you to return frequently to this sense of gratitude, whether it’s for the people in your life, for the food you eat, or for the bright sun coming through your window.
Thank you for joining me this morning; may you go in peace.