Morning Meditation Ritual

A Morning Meditation Ritual is a practice that involves meditating in the morning. This can look different for many of us.

A Morning Meditation Ritual is a practice that involves meditating in the morning. This can look different for many of us.

Some people will get really stressed or concerned over some of the words in this practice. For example, the word “morning”. I can hear some of you now. “OH MY GOSH! She wants me to get up in the morning!” Morning doesn’t have to be at the break of dawn. You get up every day, THAT becomes your morning.

The next word that may alarm some of you is “meditation”. Meditation also looks very different for everyone. One of the things that we will be sharing in this program is different forms of meditation and how we can start and/or improve our meditation practices.

The final word is “ritual”. Some see rituals as something that is practiced in witchcraft or some other Wiccan practices. It’s not really. Many religions practice rituals. We practice rituals. Rituals are things that we do methodically that work for us. We do it when we get dressed when we cook and even when we clean. There are a certain way and order that we do things which then form habits.

Please share your current Morning Meditation Ritual in the Facebook Group

Sunflower symbolizes adoration, loyalty, and longevity, and its association with spiritual knowledge and desire to seek the light and the truth. Much of the meaning of sunflowers stems from its namesake, the sun itself.

Morning Rituals Will Change Your Life

Over the years, my morning schedule has changed many times. I was single, with someone, back to single, married, married with children, single mom, and back to married with children, until I was a married empty-nester. Over the past couple of years, one of the things that I have been incorporating and experimenting with is creating Morning Rituals.

Some things I just got bored of. This is kind of dangerous because if you are not looking forward to it, then you simply will not do it. For the most part though, changes in my morning rituals have been because of my evolving spiritual practice.

I thought I would share some examples of healthy morning rituals. I have used many of these rituals and incorporate some in my current Morning Meditation Ritual. My Morning Meditation Ritual consists of usually 3-4 activities, some being daily activities and others being once or twice-weekly. I’d suggest starting out by picking 1-2 of these to do each morning and expanding from there.

1. Tea (or coffee) meditation
This is a meditation that I LOVE doing when I can sit outside in the early mornings on warm days, even more so, when I am able to sit by the water. For me, it’s NEVER coffee because I have never been a coffee drinker, for many, that’s the first thing they do in the morning. Some people wrestle with meditating immediately upon waking up. This is a great way to start off your day. For some when you do that you basically sit down and go back to sleep. It’s really difficult to have just woken up and sit down to meditate because you’re just dozing off the entire time.

When you are “fully engaged” in what you are doing with mindfulness, it becomes meditation. So this is really just “drinking tea”, there is really nothing more to it than that. thing becomes meditation, so this is really just “drinking tea”, nothing more than that.

To do tea meditation, simply do every part of the tea making and tea drinking process with mindfulness. Take your time making your tea with mindfulness – heat up your water, get your cup out, pour the water, and sift the tea. Then, take your tea and sit down in a quiet place with it. Drink your tea like there’s no tomorrow. Drinking this tea is the most important thing in the world.

When I am ready to sit with my tea, I hold the cup in both hands and take a couple of deep breaths smelling the aromas. I give thanks for the tea. I bring my awareness to all those who simply don’t have enough. I express my deep gratitude for what I have right here in this moment before I start drinking it slowly and mindfully.

2. Zazen (sitting meditation)
This is the meditation that I’ve had the most challenges with, and sometimes, it’s still a challenge. I have learned to allow myself to not be “100%” still in a meditation. I often will shift from one sitz bone to the next and allow themselves to do that. I sit down for about 15-30 minutes at a time and simply breathe. Just focussing my awareness on my breath without changing my breath. Over the years my meditation sessions have lengthened, starting with just 5 minutes a day in the beginning.

3. Get creative
The morning is a great time to flex your creativity. This can be about anything. I often say that I am NOT creative, however, I am not creative in the same way my sister is creative. I’ve learned that my creativity comes in the form of offering the services that I do. Whether that is a program, like Soulful Lifehacks, or a class at our Wellness Center, it’s still part of my creative self.

When you “tune in” to that part of you that is connected to the Divine, you have many ways to be creative. Connecting with that first thing in the morning is the perfect time to do it, because your subconscious is connected that much tuned in to the answer that you will find within yourself.

When you get creative and I don’t mean “plan out” every thing you do, but simply taking the paintbrush and allowing whatever to flow out (even outside the lines), grabbing the pen and simply allowing the words to flow out without trying to have them make sense or pull the needles out and starting knitting something with no specific intention of what it will be.

This is what art really is, and the morning silence is the ideal time to look within yourself and feel a deep connection to the world around you. This brings out your natural creativity, and self-expression that comes from it is natural and nourishing for the mind.

4. Write
Writing is THE MOST beneficial practices that I have used in my entire life. It opens you up to bring thoughts and and ideas into form. Our minds are always thinking. It never ends. And when you have an anxious mind, it is often going even more. I use writing (pen to paper) to really help clear the clutter in my mind. Whether you are going through a tough time, trying to figure something out, or trying to gain clarity about something, then writing is the MOST POWERFUL exercise I know to do.

The simple act of putting pen to paper activates areas of the brain that helps increase memory, retention and comprehension. When you write about your life goals, it can help you feel happier and healthier. Studies have shown that for those handling stressful jobs wrote about their experiences in a journal it increased their productivity increased. Writing also helps to alleviate the negative effects of stress and depression.

It’s truly indescribable how powerful it is to take ideas in your head and place them down on paper. And when you do this, simply just writing. Set a timer and simply allow words to flow.

You don’t have to good at writing, you simply need to write. A good way to do this if you are stuck, is to imagine that you’re writing to someone else. It’s such a powerful release and very much meditative. You can get lost in your own words.

5. Keep a journal
Keeping a journal has all kinds of benefits. You can note all the good things that happened on any given day. This helps you increase your confidence, makes you happier, and allows you to have better perspective when things are not always rosie.

Another way is keeping a mindful journal. It’s simply keeping a journal and noting down any thoughts or feelings you have throughout your day. It doesn’t have to be detailed or elaborate, just write those things that were unexpected or needed some introspection.

Keeping a journal allows you to be able to look back on any patterns. You can keep notes in your phone, computer or in a notebook.