Friday 29 March 2013

Rituals {in the morning}


A morning ritual is something I have always sought out.

My perfect morning begins with an affirmation, followed by yoga, then breakfast and a hot cup of lemon tea. It's full of calm, gentle and slow.

It rarely happens. The last time I was pregnant with my second child. She's now 18 months.

Instead I squeeze in glimpses of that morning. A little each day. In-between rushed and chaos.

Sometimes I just say the affirmation. Other times I wake to my two gorgeous girls sleeping beside me, and holding them and watching them as they sleep is meditation enough.

Then there are the mornings where I get woken by a three year old who is screaming and pointing to the window: "Mummy wake up! Look quick! Look outside, it's the morning! See the sun is up Mama!"

Or it's miss 18 months tugging on my fingers pulling at me as fiercely as she can. I take her hand and she leads me to the fridge, a smile on her face.

These times {and most mornings} I find myself bounding out of bed before I want to. My body startled from sleepy to active in a matter of seconds. Bounding to make the three rounds of breakfasts my hungry little people require.

The only real constant on those mornings is sitting {sometimes standing} to eat breakfast. A good healthy one that I give thanks for before my first bite.

It's usually mid-morning by the time I think to stretch or practise a little yoga, and sometimes afternoon before I get that cup of tea. And rarely is it drunk hot.

But lately I've been stepping outside once my girls start their breakfast and taking in a few slow and full breaths of fresh air. My eyes gaze at the sky, witness it's colour and contrast and give thanks for this new day.

Just a minute outside is all it takes for me to reconnect, still and just be. And that bit of calm, gentle and slow right there, that's ritual enough for me for now.

xx

 

{Gratitude for mornings with my girls - however they may go. For breakfast - and the one I've shared and one I'll be sharing with close family this Easter long weekend. For single whole minutes of stillness and meditation in my day. Elisa x}

~ Linking with two grateful communities: Maxabella's 52 Weeks of Grateful and Rachel's Finding Joy.

Do you have a morning ritual? What are you most grateful for this week?



 

14 comments:

  1. lovely way to stay connected to your ideal morning in bits and even those other mornings sound wonderful xx

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  2. Such a simple, yet wonderful way to reconnect and bring you into the moment. Perfect way to start the day.

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  3. I'm a massive fan of morning rituals Elisa :) My absolute favourite part of the day. For me, it's a huge glass of cold water, some coffee, meditation and a little writing. Sometimes it's for an whole hour, sometimes it's 10 minutes. Either way, it feels like I am gifting myself and the day with a little extra presence.

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  4. Hi, my morning ritual is a big cappuccino (can't start the day without caffeine) while I check my email and Facebook. If it's the weekend then it's cuddles in bed with Steve :-) I've got the feeling this routine will change soon though ;-) Laura

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    1. It will change in the best way! Cuddles with your two boys in bed on the weekend :) x

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  5. Like you, my only constant is breakfast with my {little} Big Girl each and every morning. I've recently discovered the absolute joy of meditation... such a breath of fresh air and calm, although I usually enjoy this when I have some time to myself in the afternoon {thank goodness for naptime!}. Have a lovely Easter. X

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  6. In this frantic world we live its soooo important to make time for ourselves (even if it is only a moment). My most wonderful morning actually was waking 20 minutes before anyone little, making myself a cup of tea and standing in the kitchen on my own listening to an old 'cafe del mar' cd. What a difference it made to the rest of my day (and the way I dealt with all the constant demands when my 20 minutes was over!). Enjoy your weekend x

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  7. Oh yes, mornings! Up until a week ago I stayed in bed as long as possible before my 12 year old wanted me up, usually about 7am. Now we are woken up by a 12 week old puppy who jumps up at the edge of the bed wanting our attention, usually about 6:30am. I dream of the days when I can get up when I want to, however by then I bet I want these days back again with my boys here with us instead of living a life of their own.
    I've had my share of early mornings too. Our 15 year old, in particular, use to like to get up early. Usually 6am in summer and 5am in winter when the clock was put back. Some days in winter we'd be up at 4:30am. I'm pleased those days are over. xxoo

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  8. This is so beautifully written Elisa, I could feel the calm you describe.
    Our mornings are so rushed too, I really make the most of the slow ones we can enjoy on the weekends.
    With a 9 year-old I don't have the very early wake-ups any more, but sometimes even 7.00 is too early.
    I hope your Easter was lovely and a bit relaxing. xx

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  10. I love those few minutes of peace in the morning, most mornings I get up early to make sure I get them, as I find without them the day rolls into chaos.

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  11. Beautiful post as always, Elisa.

    I am going to try and stand outside and breathe in fresh air in the morning from now on. Totally inspired by you.

    Ronnie xo

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  12. I always have my 'mornings' later in the day. The morning is all rush, rush, rush (except for a quiet moment with a hot cup of green tea. My pause). Later in the morning, after working for a couple of hours, I do some stretches and breathe in the day.

    Mornings can happen any time, I reckon!! x

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Thank you for your words and support. I'm so glad you stopped by xx