Mindful Living: Waking Up Energetically

I’ve missed writing blog posts on this website, so you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of me these next couple of weeks. I’ve been struggling balancing my day ever since this new school year started. I wake up around 6:00 AM so I can be at work by 7:30 AM, with a driving commute of about 40 minutes.

Normally, I like to start my day slowly, with yoga, a walk, and reading/ writing. However, this new schedule has terminated it. I could wake up at 5:00 AM but being a school teacher is exhausting and makes waking up that early anxiety inducing.

So, how do I want to wake up and spend my mornings? At my core, I find it’s important to do so MINDFULLY through:

1. Movement
2. Meditation
3. Nourishing Meals

I don’t know how it is for others, but recently I’ve had nothing but negative emotions when I wake up each morning. It’s rather frustrating, especially when I compare these emotions to how I faced mornings only three or four years ago. I changed from a night owl to a morning person and I loved every moment of it. Now. . . mornings are a mere hurdle to crawl over every day.

But I want to change and gain back that love I used to have for my morning routines. I miss the feeling I used to have waking up every morning, like each day was a treasure. I know I can do this if I set for myself realistic and nourishing goals, despite my circumstances.

I’ve been reading Joene Hart’s Ignite Your Light (2020) on and off for the past few months and love the idea of igniting my life every morning, day, and evening in a way that nourishes my body, mind, and spirit. One quote that stuck out to me recently was,

As you open your eyes and regain alertness after sleep, concentrate first on a positive feeling.

-Jolene Hart, Ignite Your Light

So, I’m slowly but surely going to find a way to change this for myself, even through the gloomy winter months and monotony of work. The trick is, I need to do so slowly and methodically.

If you’re struggling with finding energy and purpose in the morning you are not alone! Perhaps we can figure it out together over the next few months. 🙂

I’ll leave you with another quote from Jolene Hart which I find is slowly becoming my mantra as the days go by.

Your body “hears” and responds to your mind energetically, giving even your unspoken thoughts, affirmations, and intentions power that can’t be overstated. In fact, your state of mind creates an energetic effect that sweeps over every cell in your body, producing dramatic changes in your personal energy. . . Practice making a wakeup routine that lets you savor that act of waking up, rather than rushing through it.

-Jolene Hart, Ignite Your Light

Yoga Inspiration: Day 2, Do you feel Stuck?

Universe Inside Your Head by Benjavisa Ruangvaree – Dreamstime.com

I might have had a slight break down today. I was slightly sore from my yoga practice yesterday, and my mood felt heavy. My morning mantra was, “I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I won’t have the will power to do yoga for the next 29 days and I will fail.” I find though, my true concerns tend to surface while I do yoga.

I’m not worried so much about not fulfilling my commitment to practice Ashtanga yoga this month. I FEEL STUCK. I have no job, no prospects, and no idea what I should do. That’s scary and overwhelming for me. I talked to my Mom a little about everything going on. It turns out I had been bottling up a lot of frustrations for too long.

I finally understand what my friend Carly meant several years ago when she said, “I don’t want you to try and fix my problems. I just need someone to listen.” I have a natural inclination to try and fix people’s problems, especially if they come to me to talk. Sometimes, however, they don’t need advice. They just need someone to listen.

That’s how I felt most of today. Thankfully, my Mom is very understanding.

God is very understanding as well. He helped me in a very subtle way. My Mom and I, right after I broke down and gushed about my feelings, went into the store Five Below. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. In fact, I was trying to distract myself and pull my thoughts together.

Feel free to check out this journal!

But then I found Johanna Wright’s journal The Magic of Mindset and I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought, “Thank Goodness I found you. I just need someone to listen.” I don’t believe it was a coincidence. I think God was looking out for me.

Anyway, after reading through the first few pages of the journal, I felt better about doing my yoga practice in the evening. Today for yoga, I was a lot kinder to myself. I still pushed myself hard, but at times I took time to be still and present in my breathing.

I think that is the real theme for today. It’s okay not to have all the answers right now. Yoga still hurt in a lot of ways but I was able to take time to accept my insecurities. The first step towards overcoming any problem is actually identifying there is a problem.

Thank you all for reading! See you tomorrow!