Mindful Morning Routine
Anyone who knows me know that I have a deep reverence for
mornings. My life at present is such that, if I rise early enough, I have
several hours of solitude before the work of the day begins and I must be in
the presence of others.
These few hours are priceless to me. My husband used to ask
me why I surrendered sleep to wake up before sunrise. Why not, he asked, just
sleep as much as possible, hop out of bed, shower, and head to work? It took
some explaining to help him understand why that’s not an option for me.
It was an option at one time, when I was younger. For years
I did just what my husband suggested: I’d hit the snooze button over and over,
then leap out of bed, grab some coffee, shower, dress hastily, and run out the
door to get to the newsroom.
My days began in tension and chaos. From the moment I was
actively conscious, I was going full bore. My adrenaline was pumping and my
thoughts were racing. I started worrying about the day’s deadlines and
remembering the prior day’s problems. I didn’t give myself the gift of even a
minute of peace.
This turbulent energy, which I created first thing in the
morning, every morning, always followed me throughout the day. It absolutely set
the tone for the day. I had no idea of the power of thought, and how a mind,
primed for imbalance and stress, would act as a powerful magnet for imbalance
and stress. The science of mind was completely foreign to me, and I had long
since bought into culture’s message about how a successful person’s day ought
to start.
Then, Buddhism found me. I began studying the science of
mind. I began meditating in solitude. The Buddha’s teachings on impermanence took
hold. I learned about the fallacy of self, the illusion of money, the lies
about ‘success’, the truth about compassion, the need for boundaries, the vital
need for solitude, and the importance of being of service.
The Dharma showed and continues to show me about solitude as
a requirement for the work of deep personal growth. Solitude encourages focus
and brings energy. It brings us back to center.
The more time we spend in solitude, the better. There are
Buddhist monks who go to the mountains and spend years alone, doing deep work.
Those who don’t, spend hours each day in meditation.
There are some lucky people who are natural entrepreneurs,
and who engage in work that feeds their minds. But the rest of us, the working
class like myself, have 9 to 5 jobs that we just don’t resonate with. Jobs that
are nowhere connected to nature. We’re not of service to the world with these
jobs, but we choose them anyway, and do our time each day.
That’s a reality many of us face. It’s so critical, then,
that we create a division between the reality of our days working for someone
else and sacred time alone, working on ourselves. Mornings are the time to do
this.
My morning starts with a hot tonic, usually involving
coffee, and a few minutes alone with my husband. Then, I go off alone. I do skin
work with essential oils (I’m passionate about the power of plants to heal and
rebalance us), water, charcoal, and other plant-based medicines. I deep clean
my skin in each morning.
Each morning, I read some of the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te
Ching is a beautiful book, full of insight and wisdom. I’ve been reading it for
years.
I meditate alone each morning. Fifteen minutes is about my
average: when I first started morning meditation, I thought the longer I sat,
the better. But after 30 minutes or so, my mind begins to wander, and the dogs
get restless waiting for me. Fifteen minutes turned out to be right for me.
I’ll poke around the house, clearing dishes from the night
before, emptying garbage pails, making the bed, watering potted plants, and
checking the garden. Sometimes, I’ll put in a load of laundry. Occasionally, I’ll
hop on the computer and check email or message a friend. When I feel like it, I’ll
do some easy yoga. Rarely, but sometimes, I’ll listen to music. My current
favorites are Swedish guitarist Arterium, New Zealand guitarist Matiu Te Huki, and fusion artist DJ Drez.
I dry brush, then shower, sometimes using the neti pot. I
love water. A shower in the morning helps me come back to center. Then I dress,
make a mineral-rich green smoothie, and start the day.
The routine is comforting. Meditation and reading starts my
mind off on the right foot. My skin care routine cleanses my body and rids
impurities. A hot tonic gets my body moving and creative juices flowing.
With this, the day starts - and ends - in mindfulness. The
morning has set the framework for it all. It’s a powerful practice that has radically
changed the way I experience each day. As I said, it’s priceless.
This morning, I found two green beans on our bean plants!
That’s super early in the season. I gobbled them on the spot, right in the
garden. Now that they’ve started, they’ll start coming in faster. My favorite
garden treat is a raw green bean, right off the vine, still warm from the sun.
Today is July 11. We’re in the heart of summer, and the
food gardens are about to start bursting with veggies. The squirrels haven’t
taken all the peaches off our trees, so we may get a crop. I found a great
recipe for garden-fresh salsa, and as soon as the tomatillos appear, that’s
what I’ll be eating. Our birdhouse is home to another young family (that’s two
so far this year), and the babies start begging for food at dawn. I love their
voices. Everything is good, loves.
Live in peace.