By Lori Lynn Smith
How do you find time to create a little piece of calmness in your world?
For me it is mornings. I purposefully wake up an hour before I need to be a wake. This allows me to take the time to get up … I am not rushed … I get my 15 or 20 minutes shower. I mean, how often does that happen when you have teenagers in the house? I get to eat wonderful raw breakfast smoothie. I can make the most delicious lunch which is both good for me and saves money.
Better than all that though, I am able to spend 30 minutes just being quiet. I am able to write in my journal, I am able to set my intention for the day. I can think about all the things and people that I am grateful for in my life. I often use visioning, where I sit and think about what my ideal life is going to look like when all my goals have been reached, you know when I am 101 sitting in my rocking chair …
You may be thinking “I am not a morning person” or you may have small children, that is okay, the time of day doesn’t really matter. I do recommend the mornings though; I have found this was the easiest time strategy that didn’t interrupt the flow of the family during the rest of the day.
Really though, the most important part is how you are feeling and that you make it a part of each and every day. I wish there was a way that I could share the feeling, just for one day. So you could just see and feel the value of your quiet time. It is the most amazing warm, nurturing feeling, like you are wrapped in a warm blanket all day. I am sure if you could feel that you would make the run to set your alarm 20 minutes early every day.
One of the outstanding benefits of this personal quiet time is that you are so much more appreciative and compassionate to the people around you. Trust me everyone else in your life will appreciate it as much as you do!
Taking the time to de-stress and recharge your own body and mind will allow you to nurture other relationships and make them even stronger.
So how do you go about creating this peaceful, calm morning ritual?
Step 1) Create an environment that will recharge you! – Everyone has their different happy place. Some are lucky enough to live where it is sunny all year and they can pick a hammock in the back yard. Some have busy houses where finding just one chair in a quiet corner is enough. My personal favorite is a reading chair in the corner of my office, I like the feeling of being in a big library surrounded by books, and everyone knows that you need to be quiet in the library!
Step 2) Get comfy! – Make sure your chair/couch is comfortable, dim the lights, turn down the lights, put on music, light some candles. Choose the things that add to your feeling of calm. Or the opposite, head out on the deck in the bright morning sun and bask in the early morning glow. Sit with your morning cup of coffee or tea, read an inspirational book or just meditate. There really is not wrong answer here… just make sure YOU feel wonderful.
Step 3) Relax! – Sit in your chair, take a deep breath. Allow all of your muscles to relax think about each muscle and just focus on relaxing it, starting with your neck and shoulders, working your way down to your arms and legs. Start with 5 second breathing, count to 5 as you inhale, count to 5 as you exhale. Focus completely on your breathing. Allow thoughts to pass through your mind briefly, focus back to your breathing. After a couple minutes allow yourself to vision your most favorite place, is it a warm white sandy beach, is the top of your favorite mountain retreat. And just relax…
For me the practice of a Nourishing Morning Ritual has been a GREAT enhancement to my personal life. Start with 15 or 20 minutes this Morning Ritual, honestly though I am sure you will be looking for ways to make it an hour or more in no time.
I do know that any time you start creating a new habit it can be hard. Hard to know what to do, hard to create the momentum and motivation to continue on when it gets a little tough. I have put together a few more strategies that will assist and support you while you are working through finding your personal ritual.
Additional Strategies Include:
- a copy/template of my personal morning rituals with general time lines
- my favorite Centering ritual
- two meditation strategies
- 9 Minutes To Sanity – a quick way to start your day!
- Morning Ritual Worksheet
These are the exact items I use every day, feel free to use this or to customize it to best suit your desires. Click Here
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Lori Lynn Smith is a passionate and an authentic teacher who shares her real life experiences about creating a more nurturing and fulfilling lifestyle. On her blog LoriLynnSmith you can follow along while Lori continues on the path of transformation from Chaos to Calm.
Photo credit: Gabriela Camerotti
By Lori Lynn Smith
How do you find time to create a little piece of calmness in your world?
For me it is mornings. I purposefully wake up an hour before I need to be a wake. This allows me to take the time to get up … I am not rushed … I get my 15 or 20 minutes shower. I mean, how often does that happen when you have teenagers in the house? I get to eat wonderful raw breakfast smoothie. I can make the most delicious lunch which is both good for me and saves money.
Better than all that though, I am able to spend 30 minutes just being quiet. I am able to write in my journal, I am able to set my intention for the day. I can think about all the things and people that I am grateful for in my life. I often use visioning, where I sit and think about what my ideal life is going to look like when all my goals have been reached, you know when I am 101 sitting in my rocking chair …
You may be thinking “I am not a morning person” or you may have small children, that is okay, the time of day doesn’t really matter. I do recommend the mornings though; I have found this was the easiest time strategy that didn’t interrupt the flow of the family during the rest of the day.
Really though, the most important part is how you are feeling and that you make it a part of each and every day. I wish there was a way that I could share the feeling, just for one day. So you could just see and feel the value of your quiet time. It is the most amazing warm, nurturing feeling, like you are wrapped in a warm blanket all day. I am sure if you could feel that you would make the run to set your alarm 20 minutes early every day.
One of the outstanding benefits of this personal quiet time is that you are so much more appreciative and compassionate to the people around you. Trust me everyone else in your life will appreciate it as much as you do!
Taking the time to de-stress and recharge your own body and mind will allow you to nurture other relationships and make them even stronger.
So how do you go about creating this peaceful, calm morning ritual?
Step 1) Create an environment that will recharge you! – Everyone has their different happy place. Some are lucky enough to live where it is sunny all year and they can pick a hammock in the back yard. Some have busy houses where finding just one chair in a quiet corner is enough. My personal favorite is a reading chair in the corner of my office, I like the feeling of being in a big library surrounded by books, and everyone knows that you need to be quiet in the library!
Step 2) Get comfy! – Make sure your chair/couch is comfortable, dim the lights, turn down the lights, put on music, light some candles. Choose the things that add to your feeling of calm. Or the opposite, head out on the deck in the bright morning sun and bask in the early morning glow. Sit with your morning cup of coffee or tea, read an inspirational book or just meditate. There really is not wrong answer here… just make sure YOU feel wonderful.
Step 3) Relax! – Sit in your chair, take a deep breath. Allow all of your muscles to relax think about each muscle and just focus on relaxing it, starting with your neck and shoulders, working your way down to your arms and legs. Start with 5 second breathing, count to 5 as you inhale, count to 5 as you exhale. Focus completely on your breathing. Allow thoughts to pass through your mind briefly, focus back to your breathing. After a couple minutes allow yourself to vision your most favorite place, is it a warm white sandy beach, is the top of your favorite mountain retreat. And just relax…
For me the practice of a Nourishing Morning Ritual has been a GREAT enhancement to my personal life. Start with 15 or 20 minutes this Morning Ritual, honestly though I am sure you will be looking for ways to make it an hour or more in no time.
I do know that any time you start creating a new habit it can be hard. Hard to know what to do, hard to create the momentum and motivation to continue on when it gets a little tough. I have put together a few more strategies that will assist and support you while you are working through finding your personal ritual.
Additional Strategies Include:
These are the exact items I use every day, feel free to use this or to customize it to best suit your desires. Click Here
Photo credit: Gabriela Camerotti