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| I am sorry- I do not know the origin of this picture and therefore cannot give credit to the artist |
I am NOT a morning person, let me tell you. For years my morning consisted of getting up just in time to barely get ready and make it to where I was headed. Part of this is due to the fact insomnia runs in the family. I had it really bad when I was in elementary and middle school. It got better when I found a miracle herb the summer before I started high school. However, my need to extend sleep hours and wake-up times after 12pm, prevailed.
Then, I met my boyfriend. In short, him being the manly, macho construction worker that he is, his wake-up times consisted of pre-dawn in order to get to the job site by daylight. At first it wasn't that big of a deal, but eventually it got old sitting up by myself, wasting brain cells on late-night, non-cable tv at three in the morning. So, I started to train my brain and my body to go to sleep earlier. This entailed pretty much waking up ridiculously early whether I went to bed at 10 or 2, ultimately leading me to be extremely tired for the first few weeks. My body, being the lesser of the two evils, gave into the struggle and talked my head into just going to sleep at a decent time.
Enter, yoga. Yes, my life enhancing, life saving companion. I was doing 1 1/2 hours of yoga three times a week for college and boy, could I tell a difference in my sleep patterns. My mind actually quieted down when I went to bed instead of racing in a million different directions. I have still had my ups and downs with insomnia, but with the combo of herb and yoga, most nights are full of deep sleep. (*Which, as a side note, I never really realized how even though I have suffered with insomnia and lack of sleep all my life, I have experienced dreaming deeper than most people who get regular sleep.*)
But, after all that, my mind still prefers to be a non-morning person. It literally takes me an hour to fully wake up and be functional. And I MUST have my coffee. And my blanket. I just cannot adjust to the coldness and unsnuggly atmosphere of non-bed. I need my blanket. Plus, the fact that my boyfriend got me this crazy awesome blanket for Christmas, I now live in that thing. So, I fell through a rabbit hole that eventually led me to The Goddess Guidebook's Morning Ritual e-book. Somehow I always stumble upon things that lead me to other things, that then lead me to things I need in my life. Some of these rituals inspired me to create my own morning rituals.
Hence, (finally, ha!) the relation of this jabber to the blog post. I have been trying to incorporate more chanting into, not only my yoga practice, but my life. At one time I came across a poem that I enjoyed and finally found it again. It is a part of the Prata Smarana Sloka:
Samudravasane Devi Parvatastanamandale,
Vishhnupatni Namastubhyam Paadasparsham Kshamasva Me
Translation: Oh Mother Earth, who has ocean as her clothing, mountains as her breats, and forests as her body, please forgive me as I touch my feet upon you.
Most of the translations I found are very loose, but I liked this one. Here is a link to the pronunciation. This part of the chant starts around 1:52 and lasts about 30 seconds. This was one of the only audios of this chant that I could find.
I have also found myself taking my time in waking up, feeling my different body parts and taking a few deep breaths before I rise out of bed. I have also been going out on my back deck and taking in the morning while Pup does her AM business. I feel more in tune with the day and the energies it presents when I do this versus dragging my feet to my coffee pot and focusing on getting my dose of everyday caffeine.
So, what is your morning ritual?
