Start Your Day Right.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Reach for the smartphone? I can't imagine any other device in history changing how we function, spend time, and relate to ourselves and others more than the smartphone.   

The word alarm is so appropriate, because it alarms us from the world of dreams and the unconscious, it always takes a few minutes to get fully back into our bodies. Some traditions teach that the soul travels between worlds when we sleep, and that the first words to break the silence each each morning should be... 

"Thank you for restoring my soul to me." 

This speaks to the fact that morning is a time when that gentle space between conscious and unconscious is thin and our minds are taking over.

Technology is 'in your face, demanding your thoughts and emotions meaning that the wonderful world of sleep and dreams is left far behind and forgotten. Then in that zombie like state we stagger into the routine that begins each day.

The harmony which we could have started the day with and continued to feel is left behind with the bed and that wonderful world we visited overnight. 

The way you begin your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. this is not a war so we don't need to be on high alert and experiencing adrenaline which will keep us pumped for a while the let us down later in the day. We're on the alert for anything and everything. 

It's as if you had a young child who wanted to snuggle and share her dreams in the morning but you were constantly pushing her aside so that you could read your phone. Would the child feel loved and appreciated or rejected and cast aside? That's what we do on the inner level: When we fail to give ourselves attention by spending a few quiet minutes attending to our inner world upon awakening, we send ourselves the message that everything else and everyone else is more important.

As an experiment try turning off the alarm. You'll be amazed how you can actually wake at a chosen time, or close too it, without mechanical intervention. This allows your mind to gradually 'feel' it's way into a state of full wakefulness. Creating a gentle gap between the softness of sleep and the act of becoming a human 'doing.'

1. Practice mindfulness.

Even five minutes of mindfulness practice can set a calmer tone for your day. Mindfulness helps you come into the present moment and ground yourself to the here and now (here I am in space; right now in time). Cultivating that pause each morning will help you anchor back into it if the busyness reaches a crescendo as your day progresses.

2. Write down your dreams.

Dream-tending is an art and science that may sometimes require the guidance. In the old cultures dreams were interpreted by the Shaman with the purpose of understanding and healing. Writing down last night's dreams can help you preserve the valuable space of morning and fill yourself with spiritual energy. Allowing you in the future to relive those 'magic' moments. Even if you don't understand what your dreams are trying to communicate, remembering even one dream and thinking about it throughout the day helps maintain a a connection to yourself and will serve you well.

3. Journal.

Journaling is one of the most effective ways to know yourself and fill your inner well with self-love and self-knowledge. Effective jounaling ins liberating as it frees up the mind and allows greater reflection on our lives. ly. You should feel clearer and more grounded when you're done. It's a great way to start the day. Even just writing down a few simple sentences of what you appreciate can set a positive tone.

4. Practice simple yoga exercises.

Yoga is a mind/body practice that is done in a quiet place with time and space for reflection and reconnecting with your body. Preparing it too for the coming day of action.

5. Go outdoors and let the light and air fill your senses.

There's nothing like fresh air and sunshine to reconnect to you to your essential nature, which is good, loving, and worthy exactly as you are.

Into the open vessel of our morning-selves we can pour technology or we can choose actions that will fill the inner well with positive energy. Which do you choose?

Source: MindBodyGreen.