ESTABLISH MORNING RITUALS DURING QUARANTINE

How is everyone holding up during this COVID quarantine days?

Life seem to have changed in the last two weeks for everyone in the globe. It seemed to me that we were all put in a cosmic corner for a break much like we would do to our young ones when they misbehaved 🙂 

During this time of “break” although life still goes on- Just more online activities and screen time! I find myself having to structure my day to be on routine but leaving some time for flexibility for my family, yoga practice and meditation and some active movement and nature time. 

My two children and husband is at home also, we are all trying our best to navigate being around each other doing our normal work, school, activities without getting in each other’s way. It is a new world. Having said this, I find myself doing the normal things I do in the morning. That is to take care of myself first.

 I have learned many tools of self care over the years. Some stuck with me and some didn’t because some bacame automated and easy and some just didn’t work because of the amount of effort I have to do to accomplish them. I am a big believer on easefulness in all things in my life. I remain flexible and really hone in on what works for me in different stages of my life and my family. If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit. Rituals has to work for me to maintain its magic.

So here goes:

 1. Meditation- I maintain a consistent meditation practice regardless of  where I am. Whether it is 5 minutes or 30 minutes a day. The length does not matter in my opinion. It is the frequency of your activitity that will create the vibration. We know by now how meditation has many scientific benefits, just look it up and you will find a lot of beneficial proof for my claim. Be compassionate. If you miss one, just get right back to the band wagon. No one is keeping score. It is a practice, much like a basketball player practices or a medicine doctor practicing their craft. You don’t get better at meditation but clarity, calmness and insights become easy to access. It is also a way for me to connect to something bigger than what is happening now and bigger than myself. Prayers, journaling, listening to high vibrational music works.

2. Drinking warm water- It is called water flush in Ayurveda. It is a super easy habit to do as soon as you wake up. If you have lemon, squeeze a bit of lemon in your drink. 32 ounces. It hydrates you from dehydration of the night.

3. Eliminate- yes poop! Clears toxins physically and energetically, clears out energetic sh!t within.

4. Tounge Scraping- I learned this in Ayurveda years ago and it has stuck because it is super easy- I have a tounge scraper beside my toothbrush and I scrape my tounge every morning to get rid of the gunk of prior day. Our tounge is an extension of our digestion and is a visual of what’s happening in our gut. Different colors or gooey-ness represent something. So clear the gunk out. Food will taste fresh, breath will stay fresh. If you have it in you, drop a Peppermint Oil- I use either Doterra or Young Living because they are from a guaranteed source. I dont advise to use other brands.

5. Neti – Yes look it up- I use a Neti Pot to put warm salted water ( i boil water and mix it with tap)  in one nostril and drain it out of the other nostril. It’s an Ayurveda practice for thousands of years. It has so many benefits to it including keeping your nasal cavity moist. Here’s one that you may think is ewww- I drop oil in my nostrils after I clean it out. I use what they call Nasya Oil. The oil helps me to stay grounded literally because it is heavy. This is Ayurveda sh!t- but it works.

6. Abhyanga- self massage. Yes it’s Ayurveda. For my body type I use sesame oil to give myself some nourishing love- especially my feet and hands. So much about skin to skin contact that sends signal to your brain of nourishment.

7. Movement- of any kind. Yoga is one I typically do in the morning when i wake up. Then I do something that makes my blood pumping, such as dancing of any kind, or jumping, or running or hiking. It is that important. Energy moves forward and it likes to move so give that to your body. Especially when you are feeling stuck mentally, emotionally, energetically. Get that heart pumping. Shake, jump, let the lymphatic system drain. It is good for you, good for your heart and soul. I promise.

Why rituals? Because it is a sign that you are taking care of yourself so you can be of any good to others. That’s it. Prioritize yourself so you can serve in your very best. At some point, this becomes a habit of you and you will loose the magic and the honeymoon phase of something new. It’s alright! You always have awareness to bring the magic back, you are in control. If you find yourself just getting into the motion of things- it’s alright! Our subsconcious know that we are taking care of ourselves, trust me you will not take yourself for granted if you make these simple rituals a habit.