Morning mindfulness

I thought I'd share a new practice I've been using over the last few weeks.  I've been starting some mornings with a meditation outside in my backyard using my senses.  I've been enjoying sitting on the ground, using touch to feel the earth beneath me which some mornings feels cool.  I've been listening for bird calls and the morning soundscape more generally.  Whilst avoiding getting too "in my head," I've been counting the number of different types of birds I can hear and, because I am a bird watcher, I identify the bird by it's call.  I've been finding that my experience of being present is enhanced further by sensing their distance and direction from me.  If I wake with any sensations I associate with agitation or anxiety I bring curiosity and turn toward them.  It is so easy not to like these, something I also notice in clients.  Bringing compassionate, kind attention to agitation in my nervous system is a practice I have deep trust in.  I will bear witness to quivering, quaking or tremoring, sensations which I associate with anxiety.  I know from experience that these sensations start to metabolise with kind, compassionate and curious attention. I am so grateful to this practice for consistently showing me that when I turn toward myself even very uncomfortable sensations will move through me.