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From Rabbi Bill

Dear Ahavat Achim Family:

This prayer is short, but very sweet. It is said first thing in the morning. For those who do not read Hebrew, I will put it into transliteration below. (The first word is pronounced "modeh" if you are male, and "modah" if you are female.)
Modeh/Modah ani le-fa-necha, melech chai ve-kayam, she-he-che-zarta bi nishmati be'chem'lah, rabah e-muna-techa.
 It means: "I give thanks to you, O living and enduring sovereign, who has mercifully returned my soul to me; great is your faithfulness." Traditionally (and, you might discover, existentially/ psychologically) it is best said (or chanted) the very moment one awakens: the covers still in place, before thoughts of any other kind, including going to the bathroom, enter the mind... certainly before any thoughts of the

day's schedule of responsibilities. Before dream images have faded, before one allows any possible morning mood of anxiety to take over.
The point is simple: to make room for gratitude and hope and joy before any other emotional context establishes itself. To connect with God before connecting with any mundane task. To ground one's self in the peace of the universe before descending into the chaos of the local. The point is simple, but actually accomplishing the point is not. It may take many days, even weeks, of diligently trying out this little prayer each morning to notice an effect. But eventually you will notice one. This is one tiny part of Zen Judaism, and like any other meditative or ritual exercise, it take practice.
If your Hebrew abilities are small, try the prayer in English for a while. But try to eventually get the Hebrew down as well; somehow, a Jewish soul soars higher on the wings of the Holy Tongue.