A Morning Routine



I have started my day in a variety of ways over the years, from bounding out of bed late from hitting the snooze button too many times, to meditating, to sitting in the hot tub at an ungodly hour with my husband.  I have discovered through this process that how I start my day has a significant impact on not only how the rest of my day unfolds, but my how my life unfolds as well.

Several years ago, I began creating a morning spiritual practice, or sadhana, to support me in my desire to live a more authentic and peaceful life.  This practice has evolved to meet my needs, and has included various types of meditation, sipping a cup of coffee watching the sunrise, yoga, drawing, and journaling morning pages. The unifying element is more important than the activity; the unifying element is aligning body, mind, emotions, and spirit to support me in my daily life.

My current routine has several components that support me:
  1. When I first awake, I connect to the deep stillness that abides in each of us by sensing my inner body, my presence. This is a practice I started after reading, “The Power of Now,” and only takes a minute or so.  It connects me deeply to the present moment and relaxes me.
  2. I then gently rinse the sleep out of my eyes and mouth with an Ayurvedic tradition of washing face and mouth. 
  3. After that, I go to my own sacred space and read a daily lesson from “The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have,” by Mark Nepo.  This was one of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things, and I have to agree with her – it is one of mine as well.  The lessons are poetic, beautifully written, thought provoking, and short. Great for a little self-reflection.
  4. Next, I read a passage from “The Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle.  This was the book that sparked my spiritual transformation, and I return to it because it still resonates so deeply with me and returns me to that place of utter peace and gratitude each day.
  5. Then I capture what I am grateful for in a gratitude journal. I list at least 6-7 things for which I am grateful. In my experience, gratitude is one of the most powerful states of being, one that heals, calms, and creates more good in my life and that of others. 
  6. Finally, I spend 5 minutes doing the Nia 5 Stages, a routine that stimulates all major joints in the body, aligns chakras, creates space in the vertebrae, and prepares the body for movement throughout the day. See a video of it here.
Together this practice takes me about 30 minutes and I don’t feel like myself if I don’t do it. Sometimes I go through a phase where I abandon my sadhana for a time, and I always notice that the quality of my life very slowly but perceptibly declines without it.  I start to feel dis-connected, dis-satisfied, and dis-eased in my body, mind, emotions, and spirit.  So, inevitably I return, and re-connect to that which is larger than me.

Posted by Stephanie at Monday, October 24, 2011 8:53 AM
Categories: Happiness, Nia Lifestyle, Relaxation, Pleasure, Aging with Grace
Tags: sadhana Nia 5 Stages morning routine
 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this post
  • No trackbacks exist for this post.
Comments
Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

Leave a comment

Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.