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Bring Ritual Into Your day

Each day has its own ebb and flow, and there is no set plan that guarantees us inner peace and tranquillity. But for when things get tough emotionally and mentally the ritual or rhythms that you have established very much become a framework to hold you, so that you don’t lose your connection to spirit and living with heartfulness.

 

As someone who has led a rather unstructured life – I have found refuge in rituals and finding my own rhythm. Here I share some of my daily rhythms…

 

Begin each morning, for however briefly intentionally.

I wake up, take a few breaths and feel into my body. Just these precious moments in the morning help me understand where I am at that day. I can then bring gentleness to my day in the way it is needed – rather than super imposing a to-do list on my day without consideration for how I am feeling.

 

Mindful morning beverage.

I am certainly not a dietician, so this is simply practice advice. But each morning I mindfully drink tea. Why? Because I love it. I try to have a glass of water first and then I drink a delicious, robust cup of tea. My mum in her very Irish way gave me tea in my bottle when I was a baby – and rightly or wrongly tea is something that helps me feel grounded when used as a practice. Perhaps there is a morning activity that can become a practice for you (maybe brushing your teeth)?

 

Practice

Whether it is morning or night, setting aside a dedicated time for yoga and meditation practice will transform your life. Not necessarily immediately – although certainly it is likely you will experience shifts in mood and general feeling simply from beginning a daily practice. But over months, years and decades your practice will indeed become a prayer and an invocation to a life of deeper encounters and love. Your mind will become more steady and you will experience more joy.

 

Nature

Take a moment each day to be outside, on the grass, under a tree, staring at the beautiful, expansive sky. Remember that you are deeply connected to all living creatures. You are not alone, you never have been, you never will be. We live in a sometimes unrecognised symbiosis with the earth, plants and creatures. Bear witness to the beauty each day.

 

Evenings are for quiet

Each evening be sure to put your phone on airport, disengage from technology completely and turn your attention to books, being still, or asking someone in your home about their day. We don’t need to be always ON. It fuels a deep-seated anxiety of thinking that more is better. Do less in the evenings: talk, read, rest, meditate.

 

Sometimes rhythms reveal themselves. When we feel steady and happy, we naturally find our way. Remember those moments when your rhythm naturally emerged. If you wish your practice to truly become prayer, and for life to have a certain element of peace – there are times when you need to super impose a set ritual onto your day, to help you remember what is important. This is when the physical and emotional imprint from these past rhythms can provide a reference point to bring our mind body and heart back into alignment, with love.

 

Sometimes we feel quite lost trying to find this rhythm in our practice alone, so I have been contemplating a solution. It has been a long time since I offered private classes as my children were young and usually with me. Now they are bigger and I see the need out there for a sadhana (practice) to sustain students when they can’t be at a school regularly.  Get in touch via email (info@yogaspace.com.au) if you would like to book a one off session, or to find out more on how, no matter your life situation, you might find a rhythm of practice which  is sustainable.

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