One of the things I give to myself is my morning practice.  It’s something that I wish I started earlier in life.  Because it puts me in such a good place and my day then just flows.  So what is a morning practice?  It’s an intentional spiritual way to start your day so that you feel more focused, peaceful and purposeful.  Now before I get into it, I want to say that a morning practice is a very personal thing and one that should resonate with only you and there are no rules.  But here’s what I do:

1. While still in bed I say thank you.  Gratitude for another day on this earth.

2. Then I get up and go into my forest room and ring a beautiful chime.  I call this room the forest room because it is an entire wall photograph of a magical forest (got it on amazon for $99!).  And it really does feel magical. So why do I ring a chime? Bells have been long used for space clearing for they produce a pure cleansing sound that can clear low vibrational energy or some may say negative energy.  There is now science behind this.  A beautiful way to clear your space of energy is by using sound. Chimes, gongs, bells, and singing bowls are some of the tools that may be used to create a resonant, powerful tone that helps to push the energy out and open your space.  Using the beautiful resonating note of a chime is like pushing the energy out with a powerful sound wave.  It is not aggressive, but there is a definite push when a chime is struck– the energy gets shaken up. While it can be a more playful way to cleanse your space, the gorgeous resonance of these instruments is incredibly calming and helps to ground a restless mind in the present moment.  My favorite is Treeworks Chimes from Amazon for $12!  It has a beautiful sound.  And it is actually one of my favorite gifts to give to people; especially to teachers.

3. Light a candle while setting an intention 

4. Burn either sage or Palo Santo depending on my mood while saying a cleansing prayer

5. Then I meditate in either my daughter’s super comfy teepee tent or on my Asian moon gazing chair.  I love using Insight Timer for the timer option in this app.  It uses bells to start and finish a meditation.  I love that!  For more tips on meditation read my article on meditation. 

6. Read or listen to a message. I believe we get messages all the time from the universe/higher self to help guide us in the right direction.  So I randomly select a message/affirmation/story from a book or deck of cards.  Some of my favorites include Messages for the Soul by Tanaaz Chubb, The Little Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo or Well-Being Cards by Esther and Jerry Hicks…just to name a few. I even get Notes from the Universe by Mike Dooley on an app on my iPhone.  And did you know you can ask Alexa for an affirmation everyday? My daughter loves doing that.

7. And then while I shower I usually listen to a positive inspiring speaker.  Louis Hay has a great morning meditation.  Or sometimes I listen to Esther Hicks, Gala Darling or Power Thoughts Meditation Club (Their I Am affirmations rock!) among many others. 

8. Then with delicious coffee in my near future, I hug and kiss my beautiful daughter, hug and kiss my handsome dog and start my beautiful wonderful day!

Now does this happen every single day?  For the most part yes, but sometimes if it doesn’t I will do parts of it.  As a single mom, one thing that helps me stay on track with this is to just get up earlier than my daughter.  I will say that for me I just crave it so it’s hard to not do it.  But with anything in life if your plans don’t go the way you want them the best thing to do it is just go with the flow.  As Abraham Hicks says just swim downstream and don’t beat yourself up about it.  But you may start to find that it becomes as natural as brushing your teeth every day.