Do you remember what life was like when you were just a little kid? Everything was new! Everything you saw, tasted, and smelled. Your first steps, first words, first high-five. These were all new feelings and moments, and we approached them with a sense of awe and wonder. As we grew up the world around us began to influence how we view pretty much everything, and we lose that sense of awe and wonder. How do we bring that sense back into our lives, even for just a few moments each day?
The month of May is a perfect time to begin a practice of awe and wonder. As the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, and we begin to approach summer, finding ways to slow down and remind yourself to enjoy will help you reactivate those childlike sensations.
One way to have fun with this practice is to place post it notes around your home with questions or words on them that inspire and excite you, reminding you to check in with yourself in the moment. For example, on your alarm clock you could stick a note that says, "Welcome to a new day!" On your fridge place a note that says, "What are today's new flavors?" On your computer monitor, "What's new?" or "How do you feel right now?" The goal is to have reminders so you are constantly checking in and inspiring newness, or an opportunity to shift each moment into a new space.
The month of May is a perfect time to begin a practice of awe and wonder. As the weather warms up, the flowers bloom, and we begin to approach summer, finding ways to slow down and remind yourself to enjoy will help you reactivate those childlike sensations.
One way to have fun with this practice is to place post it notes around your home with questions or words on them that inspire and excite you, reminding you to check in with yourself in the moment. For example, on your alarm clock you could stick a note that says, "Welcome to a new day!" On your fridge place a note that says, "What are today's new flavors?" On your computer monitor, "What's new?" or "How do you feel right now?" The goal is to have reminders so you are constantly checking in and inspiring newness, or an opportunity to shift each moment into a new space.
Challenge:
On or off your yoga mat take five minutes each day to release something old and create something new. In a comfortable seated position, close your eyes and bring your hands to the thighs or knees, palms facing down. Bring your attention to your breath. Observe what your breath feels like as it travels in and out through the nose. Breathe deeply, visualizing the breath as it flows up and down the spine and throughout the body. Picture the breath as a beautiful white light, cleansing the body as it moves through you. Whatever it is you are ready to release, imagine it sitting at the root of the spine, near the sacrum. Follow the white light of your breath as it picks up the image at the sacrum and gently carries it up and out the crown of the head. Let it go… Check back in with the breath. Inhale the pure white light into the newly created space and revel in the energy you've generated. Bring your hands to prayer at heart center, bow your head down acknowledging yourself.
Music Inspiration:
Supernova by Ray LaMontagne
Sugar by G. Love & Special Sauce
Satyam Shivam Sundaram by Thievery Corporation
On or off your yoga mat take five minutes each day to release something old and create something new. In a comfortable seated position, close your eyes and bring your hands to the thighs or knees, palms facing down. Bring your attention to your breath. Observe what your breath feels like as it travels in and out through the nose. Breathe deeply, visualizing the breath as it flows up and down the spine and throughout the body. Picture the breath as a beautiful white light, cleansing the body as it moves through you. Whatever it is you are ready to release, imagine it sitting at the root of the spine, near the sacrum. Follow the white light of your breath as it picks up the image at the sacrum and gently carries it up and out the crown of the head. Let it go… Check back in with the breath. Inhale the pure white light into the newly created space and revel in the energy you've generated. Bring your hands to prayer at heart center, bow your head down acknowledging yourself.
Music Inspiration:
Supernova by Ray LaMontagne
Sugar by G. Love & Special Sauce
Satyam Shivam Sundaram by Thievery Corporation