We know how it feels to leap out of bed after hitting the snooze button one-too-many times and rushing around in the morning - our nervous system definitely knows how it feels all-too-well…. Giving yourself an extra hour or half an hour in the mornings to wake up and practice will allow your nervous system to begin the day in a far more relaxed state.  Day Six: the Half Moon Pose Half moon reminds me that dedication, surrender, falling and laughter are all equally important aspects of this practice. Teaches us the journey is more important for self awareness and self acceptance that "nailing" the pose. - Lisa Menard Schmahl, harmonyyoga.com The Half Moon Pose is a stress reliever. It also may help you lessen feelings of anxiety or the experience of depression. Meditation Moment: Connect to the feeling of being off balance when life knocks you down or throws things off kilter. Feel the combined power of all the moments of getting back up again with a deeper awareness & appreciation of just how strong you are. While you're in that moment of power and strength, let go of any stress you've been carrying. YMMV: So Proceed with Care As with any healthy undertaking, your mileage may vary, and it's always a good idea to talk to a doctor or healthcare provider before jumping into a new form of exercise. Looking at this pose makes me imagine that it could be helpful to learn and try it with a yoga teacher nearby to make sure you don't topple over. :) See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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Once you make your morning yoga flow a habit, your body will get used to waking up at that specific time. This will help to regulate your circadian sleep cycles, which we often throw out of whack by varying when we go to sleep and wake up. As your sleep cycle regulates, you’ll find it easier to fall and stay asleep and you’ll wake up feeling more alert and ready to take on your day. - YogaSix.com  Day Five: The Mountain Pose This pose promotes stillness in both the mind and the body. It is a very upright pose that brings a feeling of strength and confidence. It is also very opening, which frees you from fear. It is a very grounding posture because of the connection to the earth through the soles of the feet. The Mountain Pose - as you focus on your breathing, this pose may help you decrease anxiety and increase awareness, making it easier to notice life without judging it. And standing tall in the physical sense may increase your ability to stand tall emotionally. Meditation Moment - ask yourself where in your life you most need to stand tall, and see what comes to mind. Just keep breathing deeply and slowly and breathe love into whatever thoughts come, in response. You Can Continue through the Weekend I have been taking weekends off during this blog challenge, so I will be bringing you days six and seven next week. But if you signed up to get the whole challenge, all at once, you can feel free to do them over the weekend, and still try them again next week, if you'd like. Have a wonderful weekend! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Practicing yoga first thing in the morning offers you a way to clear your mind and get your body ready for the day. Energizing poses, such as backbends and sun salutations, feature prominently in a morning session. Yoga in the morning sets the tone for the day. It gives you time to set goals and reflect on the ways you'll deal with challenges posed by your family, friends and coworkers. - Livestrong.com  Day Four: The Triangle Pose Triangle pose is an ideal way to pinpoint the stress we carry in our lower backs. It also opens the shoulder and extends the neck — two places where tension lives. Moreover, Triangle requires focused concentration and attention to the breath to keep the ego from making us feel inadequate or unsteady. This breath, and total presence in the moment is the single most powerful tool in relieving stress. - Camille Dodson The triangle pose offers both solace and release of all the anxieties and feelings you store in your body. It also can become a reminder to stay emotionally present to yourself, on a day-to-day basis, so that your feelings can be processed and released as they arise.
Meditation Moment: take a moment just to focus on breathing slowly and deeply. Open your heart to letting go of any toxic feelings you have been carrying around, and as you breathe in, breathe in comfort. As you breathe out, let go of tension and stress. See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Yoga can calm your mind and start your day in a positive light Yoga is an ancient practice that has been cherished for thousands of years. One of its primary benefits is its ability to center and focus the mind, thereby reducing a great deal of stress. If you feel rushed or anxious in the morning, a few yoga postures could help tremendously. - Hillary Lebow  Day Three: The Warrior II Pose As you embrace this pose, "you may be given confidence to face your fears, courage to move forward, compassion to embrace another, and wisdom to surrender to the one who holds the reins." - Shiva Rea The Warrior II pose is about letting go of tension and finding the peace in every moment. It's about seeing through the illusions so that you can get to the truth. And about wisdom and courage.
Meditation Moment: Imagine being filled each day with the courage to face your fears, and to easily handle any stress that comes your way. See yourself using wisdom to divine the truth in any moment. What does that feel like from the inside? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine Morning yoga can give you more focus all day long. It’s so important to take a few minutes for yourself in the morning to breathe, connect with your body, and set your intentions for the day. As you breathe through your yoga flow, you’ll be providing your brain with loads of fresh oxygen. This will help sweep away any last bits of sleepiness and increase your mental clarity for the day ahead. - YogaSix.com  Day Two: The Seated Twist Pose You might notice the centering benefits to your consciousness. As the layers of muscle and bone revolve deeply, your attention is drawn into the stable, unmoving center of the pose. And this ability to stay centered as the hubbub of the world swirls around you will pay obvious dividends in the yoga of daily living. - Julie Gudmestad The Seated Twist pose is calming to your mind and nervous system, and can re-energize as it releases stress & toxic energy. The energy it releases comes from deep within your body.
Meditation Moment: imagine that long-held stress, deep within your body, is being released. Welcome the sense of calm and the refreshing energy that comes to take its place. See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Practicing yoga the very first thing in the morning is perhaps one of the best ways to really reap its many health benefits. This is due to several factors. First, establishing a routine of yoga in the morning helps your body to regulate its sleeping habits. In time, your body will become used to waking up and immediately receiving a boost of energy from yoga, which will make the act of getting out of bed that much easier since your body will have a task to look forward to. - TheJoint.com  If you haven't tried yoga before, or done it consistently, and you wonder what it would be like to do yoga poses as part of your morning routine, take these next seven days to give it a try. For these next seven days, we'll focus on one pose and on an aromatherapy blend that may help with that pose & the energy it represents. But if you have any movement challenges or health concerns, it's always a good idea to exercise caution and diligence before trying a new form of exercise. Might be good to check with your doctor or healthcare provider. Just saying. And once you know you're good to go, let's try the challenge...  Day One: The Seated Meditation Pose "...the base of our spine is pressed firmly into the mat. With this, we physically root ourselves into the earth and find a sense of grounding. From here, we can do the mental and emotional work to determine what is stopping us from that sense of grounding in our lives. -YogaJournal The Seated Meditation pose can help lessen stress & anxiety, calming your mind. It's a root chakra pose that can help you feel more centered and grounded.
Meditation Moment - imagine that all of your stress and any anxiety is leaving your body and going deep into the earth, sending back and creating a deep sense of rootedness. Allow peace to fill each cell of your body. See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Go to morning yoga to get all of the poses, meditation moments, affirmations & journal questions for the challenge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Is it sometimes difficult to be as present to and with your children as you would like in the morning? Is your attention scattered or sometimes distracted by all the things calling your name in those moments? Let's look at how aromatherapy can help you be more present and grounded during the mom moments in your mornings...  More Present for Mom Moments For grounded moments at home with your children and family, I suggest clary sage essential oil... Clary sage carries spiritual timelessness within itself — a second could be a year, a year could be a second — and brings the realization that it’s how much love we can pour into a second that counts. Clary sage Encourages calm, confidence, grounding, regeneration, tranquility, revitalization, balance, and restoration. - Aromatherapy for the Soul If you're going to be at home, and would like a delightful fragrance to blend it with, add lemon or lime to the diffuser. But since they are both citrus oils, and can cause photosensitivity, avoid them when you know you'll be leaving the house. How do you stay grounded and present in moments with your family? Have you ever tried clary sage? Have a good weekend! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ For more help with mornings, take the morning routine quiz. It will help you identify what challenges you most about your morning routine, and recommend where to start as you begin to take back your mornings. You also will find out how to access my cozy aromatherapy guide, free of charge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ You've just started to meditate or pray. And suddenly, in the distance, you hear the sound of the TV playing a cartoon. Or, you hear your spouse laughing with the kids. Or, that knock on the door. I know you don't have much time in the morning, and you don't want to waste it wishing for silence or an ability to tune out when noise happens. Let's talk about how to get centered enough to have a deeper quiet time or meditation experience...  Centered and Grounded Sandalwood essential oil is ideal for helping you get into a meditative state, and can help whether you are meditating or having a quiet time. It blends well with ylang ylang essential oil, which also is deeply relaxing. Go easy with the latter one. Just a drop on a cotton ball will be more than enough. You may want to keep sandalwood's scent subtle as well, so just a couple of drops in your diffuser should be plenty. Have you tried using sandalwood, before? Let me know in a comment. See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ For more help with mornings, take the morning routine quiz. It will help you identify what challenges you most about your morning routine, and recommend where to start as you begin to take back your mornings. Plus, when you watch the video, you'll find out how to try some warmer and cozier essential oil blend recipes for mornings. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If you're not a morning person, you may find that when stress hits in the morning, it's harder to seal with than at any other time in your day. If that's so, create a self-care plan to soothe stress away in those moments, and let aromatherapy help...  Calming Down After Stress There are several essential oils you might use to return to peace after a stressful morning, or even after one moment of god-awful stress. (1) For its soothing, feels-like-a-hug properties, I'd choose lavender essential oil. (2) In a situation where the moment has passed, but a problem remains, and you want to let go of worry or cheer up for a moment, I'd choose orange essential oil. And they both play nicely with each other. Remember, though, that because orange is a citrus oil, you have to avoid photosensitivity. Choose lavender, instead, on any day you will be leaving the house. Have you ever used lavender or orange after a stressful moment? See you next time! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ For more help with mornings, take the morning routine quiz. It will help you identify what challenges you most about your morning routine, and recommend where to start as you begin to take back your mornings. You also will find out how to access my cozy aromatherapy guide, free of charge. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Are you a stay at home mom who is frequently tired in the mornings, and often interrupted just when you find a minute to get something done? Maybe even the thought of getting things done is too much sometimes, so how can you find both the motivation and the focus to stay on task until the to-do list is done? Having a morning routine that creates space for the things you need to do can help, but then you actually have to do them, and that can be where the trouble is. Morning aromatherapy can help...  Morning Aromatherapy to the Rescue If I had to recommend one oil that you could use to get things done, and stay on task, it would be lemon essential oil. Lemon is an gives you an uplifting and centering fragrance and an essential oil that can help to clarify your focus and deepen concentration. I recommend inhalation - in a diffuser, or on a tissue or cotton ball - as the best way to use it. Because it can be irritating to the skin, it's not safe to use it topically, unless you dilute it. And speaking of dilution, never use an essential oil neat. Some will be more irritating than others, but any essential oil can hurt you if used topically without diluting it first. As a citrus oil, lemon also can create photosensitivity, so if you are heading out soon into the sunshine, you may want to wait to use it until you are back inside for the day. By the way, it blends well with rosemary, another essential oil that is often used for staying focused and on task. See you tomorrow! Love, Jeanine ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For more help with mornings, take the morning routine quiz. It will help you identify what challenges you most about your morning routine, and recommend where to start as you begin to take back your mornings. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Do You Have Difficulty Getting Going |
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