“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Let’s face it- it doesn’t take much for our day to start bad. You wake up and discover you have no clean underwear, it’s a bad day. You wake up and remember you have unfinished homework, bad day. You wake up and realize it’s monday, bad day. You wake up and it’s raining, bad day.
I think we all know that mornings set the mood for our whole day. That’s why it’s important to develop a strong morning practice. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated or even take up much of your time. It can be anything as simple as 5 minutes of meditation or prayer. Just something to get you in the right mindset to face the world. Remember, it’s a jungle out there and we need to be ready physically and mentally to smile for the debbie downers.
What is a Morning Practice?
I like to think of mine as a set of rituals I do between getting up and starting my day. I have a long commute to work so I use that time to meditate and talk to God. I know you are probably thinking how the heck do you meditate in the car? Honestly, it’s the best and only time I have to clear my head. On the way I drink either coffee or orange juice. After I’ve had a good 10 minutes of God time I listen to music that makes me happy. This playlist changes very often. I highly recommend a merry morning playlist.
Yoga is a popular morning practice. One day I will love yoga. I have this serene image of waking up and doing yoga on the beach and feeling amazing afterwards, but right now I am too impatient for yoga. Exercise is the best way to wake up your body. Although, for some people (myself included) exercise before lunch just sounds far too ambitious. I have always been envious of the people who could wake up before dawn for their morning run. If you can do this, power to you! Start your day off with a cup of endorphins. I’ll start mine with a cup of coffee. 🙂
Creating your practice
If you do not currently have a morning practice, start small. You don’t want to attempt something you can’t handle and eventually give up after a week. Begin with a manageable chunk of time. I would suggest 5-15 minutes and then add more time as the year goes on. If you can try to create a blend of physical and mental activities. Build your practice.
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