The First 30 Minutes of the Day…
The transition back into the school year can be a bit sticky. Shifting from the flow of Summer and into the structure and routine of the school year can feel like a drag in some ways and a relief in many others.
Getting ourselves, our kids, and families back into a way of functioning that is more organized and productive can be daunting after the months of more fluid and playfully long days. This, of course, is not applicable to everyone reading, yet there is a palpable shift in energy at this time of year that, without a doubt, can be felt by many.
Those of you whom I have had the privilege of working with know that I am passionate (and a bit obsessed!) about the importance of morning practices and the tremendous impact that they have on our days and lives.
How we begin our days, specifically the first 30 minutes upon awakening, creates the ridges for and shapes our days in profound ways.
If we, for example, grab our phones immediately and begin scrolling social media or reading the news mindlessly before we even get out of bed, imagine how that impacts us once we do emerge (and, I am sure many can relate to first hand!). Our brains have been influenced by this outer noise that does not serve. We may feel foggy upon emerging from bed, cluttered in the mind, anxious after reading whatever it was that we did, and already on a particular trajectory of thinking and feeling.
We are not necessarily with ourselves, but rather have been pulled outward by these outside sources.
Conversely, if we choose to not engage with our phones and the outside world upon awakening, yet rather make our way out of bed and to our meditation cushion or yoga mats or another form of connection to self, and remain in that space of connection for about 30 minutes before beginning to take in the outer world, imagine how different one feels.
We have the opportunity to feel grounded in our bodies, soft in our hearts, alert and calm in our minds, and present on the whole to begin our days.
I have shared snippets of this piece of my story before around the life-altering shifts that I began experiencing when I chose to get myself up earlier than my young son and sit in meditation before jumping into the day. When my son was about 3-years old and I was deep in the trenches of solo mom-land, with a special needs kiddo who did not sleep well, and would awaken for the day at ridiculously early hours…I hit a breaking point.
I felt like I was drowning and knew that I needed to do something drastic or I would go down with the ship.
That turning point in my life created such a profoundly rich relationship and connection with myself and truly changed everything. Sitting in meditation, sometimes with a little boy in my lap, before jumping into full-on mothering and working, changed the trajectory of how I moved through my days.
Was it easy to drag my exhausted self out of bed to sit? Absolutely not, and still demands effort….day-to-day effort…to get up when my alarm goes off in the wee hours of the morning. Yet, I know how profoundly impactful this practice and way of beginning my days is and I crave it.
Perhaps today’s message is the nudge that you need to start getting up before your family, your children, your partners, even your roommates…to sit quietly with yourself. To drop into your breath and your body. To connect to your own inner stirrings and workings before engaging with others.
It is not easy, but I promise you is so well worth the effort and missing that extra 30 minutes of sleep. I was running on absolute fumes when I declared this as a part of my life and way of existing…I always say that if I can do it, anyone can!
As always, I am out here for any support and/or connection. Please reach out anytime!