Intentional Beginnings

Intentional Beginnings

If you’ve ever been in a yoga class, you’ve probably heard the instructor tell everyone to set an intention for the coming hour. Whether it’s to be mindful for the hour or get in better shape there is inherent value in intentionally setting the tone for what we’re doing.

Now, let’s take this idea even further and apply it to life outside of a yoga studio… slowing down to look at our patterns can be extremely helpful in deepening our understanding of self.

Setting an intention in the morning before things get crazy each day can be helpful in managing the tone for the remainder of the day.

How do you start your mornings?

That crisp fresh time at the beginning of every day when things are new… how do you get started?

Do you wake up feeling good about yourself or do you wake up with the sense that you’ve already messed up?
Have you caught yourself thinking things like:
“Geez I woke up too late”; “I should have gone to bed earlier”; “I’m moving too slow”???

When you go into the kitchen, do you rush through your breakfast or do you take time to enjoy it?
Did you ever stop to think about how the nourishing act of feeding yourself is actually self-care?

Are you able to implement regular time for meditation/prayer/self-reflection (or whatever is your practice)? Even if it’s just for a short time on most mornings, regular reflective time is good for your mental and physical health in many ways.

Perhaps before tomorrow morning you can take some time to ask yourself:

                                                                                   How am I setting the tone of my day?
o Am I rushed/anxious/frustrated/mad at myself?
o Or am I able to structure my morning in a way that is nurturing and beneficial for me?