All too often it feels like life has got most of us on a never-ending-mouse-wheel. We grind sh*t up hill and often our souls in the process.
So I was thinking to myself… how on earth is it possible to get off and stay off? I know I have consciously tried many times but I always seem to slip back, and fall off all of my horses and wagons combined.
After some thought I decided that the best way would be to set meaningful rituals for myself. Things that fed my soul, calmed my mind and nourished my body. Things I really LOVE. I decided that it is an essential practice to HONOUR MY BLISS every day.
So what is my bliss? What makes me over the moon, out of this world happy? What lights me up? Reading, yoga, learning and writing.
I have two jobs, two children (one who isn’t in school yet), a hubby and a house to run. Oh yes and I’m studying too!! So when do I get to do all of this stuff that makes ME happy?
It’s actually not all THAT hard.
I get up at 5am Monday to Friday and I spend 5 minutes doing Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine Routine (simple and completely amazing), I do a 20 minute yoga class (YogaGlo is fab) and then I sit down with my coffee (how I love my morning coffee!). I start my reading or learning for the day, just for 20-30 minutes. This routine is less than one hour and I’m finished before the kids get up, so I start my day feeling really good about everything I have done for my mind, body and soul.
Getting up at 5am isn’t easy at first, it’s SO easy to hit snooze and grab an extra hour of sleep. I’ve done it a couple of times and have suffered a day of low energy. So I just remind myself of that feeling if I’m ever tempted.
I used to think that a 20 minute Yoga class wouldn’t really do anything, but to be perfectly honest I have achieved far greater results doing that than anything else I’ve tried in my life (and I used to teach classes and train in a gym 7 days a week, often for numerous hours a day). There is something truly magical about moving your body first thing in the morning, and being completely present rather than getting up and rushing to get ready. It doesn’t have to be Yoga, whatever it is that makes you smile will work best (and will help you get out of bed).
As mentioned I am studying and have been struggling a little with all of my commitments. My course has regularly gone on the back burner because it’s a little bit too easy to put aside being online and self-paced. It’s been upsetting me that I REALLY want to learn and I could never find the time to do it. 20-30 minutes each morning 5 days a week gives me up to 2 and a half hours of study time, pretty amazing really! I find it hard to do assignments in small blocks so I reserve this time for reading and watching course material, then when I have a larger chunk of time I get into my assignments. It’s amazing how good you can feel just doing a little everyday.
When it comes to writing, well I haven’t found a regular time slot for that, but when I’m waiting in line at school car pick up or if I’m on hold on the phone – you can bet I’m using that time to write words like these. These little pockets of time are all I can afford right now, but that’s ok, I’m very simply seizing every opportunity to Honour My Bliss. It makes me feel good. And what will 5 minutes of Facebook or Instagram really do for me in the long run?
At night I meditate for anywhere between 7-30 minutes, it is a beautiful daily ritual which helps to ground me, reduce my stress levels and best of all it gives me clarity of mind. I find it so much easier to act from the heart since I have made this a daily-light-me-up practice.
Of course there are other rituals I do like drink 3 litres of water a day, feed my body the best food I can and limit my chemical/toxin load by using natural products. That’s something I’ll be sure to write about very soon.
Have I got you thinking? What would YOUR routine be? How could you Honour YOUR Bliss? It doesn’t have to be an hour. It could just be 5 minutes. (In fact my routine started with my 5 minutes of energy medicine, then it grew organically.) Soon enough it feels so good you can’t live without it, and then you just want more.
Have a little think about it and jot down a couple of ideas. Find 5 minutes a day this week and do it. Start today!
With Infinite Love and Gratitude,
Lauren
lovejoybe.com 