getting in touch from the get go
All that we are is the result of all that we have thought.
Buddha
Are you ever disheartened by the daunting task of self-care morning rituals [How am I going to fit in meditation, journaling, exercise, and breakfast before work?]? Do you ever feel overwhelmed just at the sound of your alarm going off [How am I ever going to get everything done today?]?
Even as a wellness professional, I teeter-totter between these self-inflicted stressful scenarios. I do not wake up glowing and greeting the morning like Snow White [well, except when in Costa Rica…], nor do I always have time for all of my beloved intention-based morning practices.
As the wellness industry continues to promote and research the benefits of self-care habits based on ancient rituals and teachings, our work is to adopt them in ways that can be infused into and sustained by our modern day lifestyles.
For example: I wholeheartedly believe in Ayurveda’s healing powers, but there are days when I cannot get up early enough to take my time or prep each meal for the day. When I went to teach in Costa Rica I told Divya that I would try my best to keep up with my Ayurvedic food and lifestyle regimen, to which she advised that I enjoy and not worry about it too much.”
I had the pleasure of attending Robyn Youkilis’ breakfast this week to celebrate the launch of her book, Thin From Within [thin as in light/weightless/free of self-judgement], who also studies and teaches Ayurveda. We shared briefly about how not everything we did was not 100% by the proverbial Ayurvedic book; that in the long run it is more important to not stress about checking off our morning ritual to-do list or making ourselves anxious about the food we eat, because stress is also unhealthy.
At Robyn’s gathering, my dear friend Ksenia of Breakfast Criminals led us in a brief practice to get in touch with our intention for the day. We let go of our expectations of what we should or should not be doing and just sat quietly for a few moments, envisioning how we wanted to feel throughout the rest of the day.
Some questions Ksenia asked were: How does our desired feeling resonate in the body and mind? What is a word that encapsulates that feeling? How can we allow that intention and its corresponding sensation guide us through our day?
When we begin the morning with at least one positive intention, it acts like a road map for the remainder of the day, or a North Star to return to when we get distracted by the brain instead of living from the heart.
Intentions create a space of possibility in place of judgement or anxiety, and remind us that we are the creators of our experience. Even in undesirable situations, we can choose to bring our attention back to our intention and in turn cultivate that feeling as often as possible.
So how do we start our morning in this positive light, even when we feel quite the opposite?
Here are a few intention-based practices I love to pick and choose from, depending on how much time I have in the morning:
- Upon waking: take a nice breath or several, say one thing I am thankful for, set an intention for how I want to feel that day, and put my feet on the ground. All in that order. I borrowed this from a psychologist I heard speak on a podcast recently and have loved this quick yet intentional morning moment, all before I get out of bed.
- Meditate. This has been a non-negotiable for me for over a year now. I take 10 minutes to be quiet with myself so that – throughout the day – I can remind myself to return to my Self and/or my intention.
- Ayurvedic boiled apple. Divya says “Single foods eaten at the right time can have the most profound effect on our health.” This boiled apple preps the gut for digestion and soothes the body into the start of the day – like setting an intention for the gut to function and fuel us properly. Simple recipe by Divya Alter here.
- Journal. Nothing sets an intention like writing down thoughts [whether painful or painless] and desires. Putting pen to paper helps to set in motion the most heartfelt intentions. When we see a written intention with our eyeballs they not only become more tangible, but can can also help us get clearer on what we desire and why.
- Nourishing breakfast. This does not require slaving in the kitchen – it can be as simple as overnight oats [which I now love to warm on the stove with ghee and a bit of water or organic whole milk, if I don’t have to eat on the run]. I also obviously love my warm homemade matcha latte, which I blend with ghee when I have time.
What can you do today to set an intention for how you desire to feel, or how you would like the rest of your day to unfold?
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Photo by Grant Henry Media.
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