"Good Morning Yoga Mat. Didn't I see you here yesterday?"
Lately I’ve been exploring the concept of rituals. I’ve always been someone who thrived on the variety of life and the unexpected so I suppose up until this point, I felt that rituals = BORING. The idea of doing the exact same thing every day was such a turn-off so I’ve rarely even entertained the idea.
I recently had a trip out to Calgary and visited with some old friends. Both have a strong yoga practice and start almost every day with time on their mats. It’s very inspiring but the idea of getting up even earlier than I already do to drive to a studio to practice yoga, just didn’t appeal no matter how many ways I tried to look at it. In the end, I knew I wouldn’t stick with something I had to push myself to do.
Then it struck me that they have created rituals that work really well for THEM. I need to create rituals that work for ME.
I have started with combining these activities every single morning to create a customized ritual:
Leisurely exit from bed which means setting my alarm for a little bit earlier
Drink a big glass of water
20 minutes of yoga. I only do my favorite poses to keep myself motivated.
Steep my tea while I cut up oranges, apples and sometimes an avocado
Drink my tea while on the back porch checking in on my potted garden
Light breakfast
15 minutes to tidy up
Work day begins
When I sit down to start reading and composing emails, it feels good that I have taken this time for myself in the morning. I see it as a gift of kindness I can give to myself.
There is a book that I’ve recently added to my reading list,Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. It details nearly 200 routines of some of the greatest minds of the last four hundred years – famous novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists and mathematicians. It sounds fascinating to me so I’ll definitely be incorporating a page or two soon into my own daily ritual.
A blog post I recently read by a woman by the name of Kathryn Nulf had this to say:
Rituals can have a profound impact on us, they calm and ground us, soothe the spirit, slow us down, remind us to live in the moment, nourish our soul and remind us we are responsible for our own well-being. Rituals have a calming effect on our nervous system because it gives us something to look forward to, that is at once both freeing and grounding. It brings us out of our heads and back into our bodies. It gives us a break from the overthinking mind and lets us rest right here, right now.
COACHING EXERCISE FOR YOU
Create your very own morning or evening ritual. I find morning is a little easier to control but it’s up to you. Set your alarm clock for 30-60 minutes prior to when you normally wake up in order to start giving yourself this extra time. If you are having a hard time figuring out what ritual might work for you, think about what grounds you and brings more balance into your life. Start by choosing one activity and doing it every day for 1 week to see how you feel. If it’s positive, try another week, if it’s not your thing, try a different ritual.
I’d love to hear your thoughts so be sure to leave a comment below.
To your authenticity,
Love, Christine