As we move into this New Year, I’ve been saying goodbye to some beloved practices (suspending my New Moon Zoom Circles until we can meet “live” and no longer blogging for YourTango) and initiating new ones for 2022 like re-vamping my website, including a page for my Mental Fitness/Positive Intelligence Coaching, and starting a new monthly series with The Wellness Universe on New Moon Rituals.
All of which has made me double-y appreciative of the spiritual practices that anchor and sustain me through whatever changes are swirling around me.
Until recently, I spread those practices throughout the day, figuring that they provided sweet breaks for me every few hours to go sit under one of my trees, or on my meditation cushion in front of the window. And I kept hearing the “experts” voices in my head saying that you should start your day with a solid meditation practice (yes, I was “should-ing” on myself!). After a few crazy days when I barely had time to breathe, much less meditate, I figured I’d give it a try.
So, I made a list of all those practices that I wanted to do in the morning before I looked at emails.
I jotted them down in a messy shorthand and labeled them “Morning Meds.” Then looked at it again. Well, clever me! Of course, that was short for “meditations”, but it really hit me that these are my own daily mediCAtions for mind, body and spirit. I’m sure someone before me has come up with that particular play on words, but I thought it was kinda fun!
Here’s what I came up with, most of which I’ve talked about here at some point:
Essene Book of Days morning meditation + journaling — I’ve been using this seasonal guide for 20 years now and it never gets old.
Body Prayer — a beautiful practice from medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, that I described in my 5/12/21 #innergoddessteam video — definitely check it out at https://youtu.be/dmXGAJC4Ngg
Kirtan Kriya — another body-oriented meditation, this one with chanting, too… my favorite combination. Here’s the “40-day Challenge” that got me started 18 months ago: https://jenniferhadley.com/kirtankriya
Abundance affirmations — a collection of powerful abundance mantras from my dear friend Barbara Biziou and a few others. Email me and I’ll pass them along.
PQ “Reps” — this is my daily practice from the Positive Intelligence coach training I’ve been in this year. Yet another body/sensory experience (are you seeing a theme here?!), this one helps me tame my inner “saboteurs” and beef up my “sage brain” with this powerful routine of mental fitness. If that sounds intriguing, reach out to join my upcoming PQ “pod” to take you through the 7-week program.
All that takes ~ 30 minutes… not bad.
Then I go into 45-60 minutes of yoga, pilates, or barre… or if I’m lucky and we’ve had a snow storm, some cross-country skiing in Riverside Park!
Now, I understand this schedule would be impossible to pull off if I didn’t have the flexibility of working for myself. But I promise, with a little ingenuity and commitment, you can create your own personalized spiritual practice by sprinkling lots of “mindful moments” throughout the day. I’ve done it with a bunch of clients — there’s definitely not a “one size fits all” mentality here!
I’d love to hear what some of your “Morning Meds” are – let me know.