(From 10/14/18)
Is your first thought in the morning something like "No, no, no...5 more minutes!"? Maybe it's bit of a drag to get the mornings started and sometimes it seems that the rest of the day has moments of lackluster drag. Perhaps it's a whirlwind from the second the alarm sounds. The day flies by and all the sudden it's time for bed...and back to wishing for endless hours of sleep. Continue reading if you'd like to hear a few of the ways that I have changed my mornings to allow more joy and energy to flow in and continue throughout my day! May it inspire you to make a shift in your mornings if you're feeling lower than you wish to feel when your day starts.
Most of my morning inspiration has come from the guidance of Abraham Hicks. If you have yet to know Abraham, I recommend a YouTube search! Or listen to a few of Abraham's rampages here.
The Shift Begins Before You Rise
I used to be someone who dreaded the alarm, and almost immediately felt unenthusiastic, world-weary, and at times just awful. Now, as my first alarm goes off, I know and acknowledge that a new morning is here, my new beginning of my new day. Instead of taking the snooze time to soak in any remaining moments to be elsewhere in consciousness, I now slowly begin to wake up my mind by acknowledging and feeling gratitude for what is right here, right now. A warm place to rest. The softness and comfort of my bed, the warmth of the sheets, my partner next to me on one side, my dog curled up on my other side and my cat at the foot of the bed. I feel thankful to be resting together as a family. Sometimes I'll snuggle up closer and think of how much I love to cuddle and exchange warmth and energy with my partner. Or I'll note that I was in a dream and have some memory of it, and I will feel thankful for my increasing allowance of my ability to recall dreams. Usually, I drift off for a few minutes until my final alarm; however I am now drifting off in good feeling thoughts rather than spiritless anticipation of the next alarm.
Once you're out of bed, do you take off running? Is it an almost instant a rush of to-do thoughts, email checks, rapid shower, massive amounts of coffee, and out the door (because who has time for breakfast, right?)? Is it an immediate thought of what may have been bothering you for some time? This used to be me...especially during my teaching days. Every now and then a day like this pops up, and it throws me off. The rest of my day feels un-grounded and chaotic, unless I find time some point later to re-center myself.
I began setting my alarm earlier - by an extra 15 minutes or half hour. Sometimes more, because I enjoy taking my morning slowly. While it felt difficult in the beginning, it is now rewarding and sets the pace and energy of my day.
My immediate go-to is making tea or coffee; a cup of warmth is most delightful to me!
Cork Float Meditation
Before checking my phone, before anything else, I flow through my morning meditation (while my steaming cup of tea is cooling).
For those of you familiar with Abraham, you may have heard the cork analogy before. Imagine your energy as a wine cork in a bowl of water; are you allowing it to float gently on the surface, ready to go with the flow? Or are you forcing the cork down with resistance? How your day goes is reflected by how your "cork" is.
My simple intention for my morning meditation is to allow my cork to float.
This isn't the time for those guided meditations, or guiding yourself through any type of intricate meditation; although if that is what is easiest for you, go with it. If you can though, let this time be a mostly silent meditation. Set your focus to some type of arbitrary noise...nothing that jostles any memories or rolling thoughts. A great example is a fan or the air conditioner running. White noise. When that isn't present or I find myself having more resistance to just letting go than normal, I inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 4 counts, slowing my breath each time. It's a slightly more active focus that brings me to center. Find what works for you. Thoughts may come, and when they do, that's okay. Remind yourself of your simple intention - allowing your cork to float - and re-focus.
15 minutes is all you need. Does that sound daunting? Begin with 5 minutes and ease your way up.
Quick Tip: A friend of mine shared the Insight meditation app. It is wonderful! I use the timer everyday for my cork-float meditation. There are also lovely guided meditations, meditative songs and courses to explore.
My Book of Positive Aspects
My what? This one comes from Abraham. I've done gratitude journals and they are lovely; however this type of journaling has been even more enjoyable for me!
Get yourself a journal, and call it "My Book of Positive Aspects". Just after your meditation, open it up and fill at least one page - two is better, and three is even better. Write about the positive and satisfying aspects of various subjects. Perhaps it's about your morning, your cup of coffee, your pet, a favorite activity, or a project you're excited about. Write about the subjects that are easy to write positive aspects about. Add in your gratitude here whenever you wish. Write a whole page about what you're grateful for - conditions and non-conditions. If for a few days you repeat writing the same positive aspect about the same subjects, or the same conditions and non-conditions you're grateful for, wonderful. What you're doing is training your vibrations to be in a higher, better-feeling place. That is the purpose here. As this type of writing flows with more ease, you'll discover there are more subjects to write the positive and satisfying aspects about, and more to be grateful for. As this becomes full of ease, you can begin to contemplate subjects that your have more resistance to or negative thoughts about. Begin to train yourself to find better-feeling thoughts about those subjects too.
Are you ready to give it a go? Try this morning flow for a week or two and see how you feel!
Namaste
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