Reflections: Morning routine, sleep importance, gratitude in the sky
My October Reflection
A minute ago I finished writing my September Reflection...where did October go?! As daylight shortens and leaves begin to fall, I've spent time reflecting on what's working with regards to body, mind, and spirit, and what needs some tuning.
One thing I've enjoyed immensely is seeing the Big Dipper in the evenings through our three-season room window. What a delight. It just sits there, suspended in the sky, consistently showing up and giving a stellar performance. Equally I can view it in the morning sky, slightly different position but still amazing and fun to see.
Add with the sky my morning walks before sunrise - not every morning but enough to recognize the stillness and grandness of the universe and that we comprise such a small part of everything.
Body - Morning Routine - Part III
Last month we went through the second part of my morning routine, the gratitude portion with hip and thoracic spine mobility. Now that we have that down and you have added it to your morning routine, we move to the next part.
This video includes:
Cat Cow for spinal health and pelvic control
Side plank with legs lifts and hip dips - core, glutes and hip stabilizers, crucial for pelvic control
Dead bug (think of an inverted bird dog) - core and spinal health
Glute bridge with emphasis on pelvic rotation of hips - resets pelvic alignment, activates deep core stabilizers, and re-educates motor control in the hips and lower back
Supine shoulder 90/90 rotation drill - shoulder stability, improves range of motion, rotator cuff strength
Open Book stretch - side-lying thoracic rotation helps with upper and mid back mobility, opens up tight chest and shoulders, unloads strain from lumbar spine and neck
Kneeling cervical rotation and torso rotation - the neck is often forgotten about, this helps keep it mobile (stiff necks will limit shoulder turns). Torso movement helps with developing ability to rotate your pelvis independently from your torso
Challenge for you:
Reflection upon your morning routine. Have you shown up consistently?
Mind - Physical to metaphysical
We know the importance of sleep for brain health as it drives memory consolidation, clears out toxic metabolic waste, and protects long-term cognitive function. Do we take the time to really evaluate how we feel when we wake up and when go to bed at night? Do we fully appreciate the value in our sleep?
Tim Ferriss has posed this question - When you go to bed, are you full of anxiety and worries and preoccupation about what happened or what could happen the next day? He uses this question as a systems check-in for identifying things he should stop, lessen, or double-down on.
Sleep is important for brain health and also for an intrinsic source of wisdom and happiness. Author and social scientist Author Brooks encourages us to go from physical to metaphysical. "You might still dismiss sleep as an instrumental good—a necessary but boring investment, like eating your vegetables or paying into a retirement account. That’s a missed opportunity to understand sleep as an intrinsic source of wisdom and happiness, which spiritual teachers have done for millennia."
Challenge for you:
Give your sleep your full attention. Notice how you feel at bedtime and as you wake up. Look at as an opportunity for wisdom and happiness.
Spirit - Resilience and the rhythm of healing
I read a quote in James Clear's newsletter (he is a thoughtful and succinct writer) that made me think of the joy I've had watching the nighttime (and early morning sky). As mentioned in last month's newsletter, a portion of my morning routine is an offering of thanks to God...Thank you Father for this day, thank you for the blessings of the earth and sky, thank you for life, this life.
Challenge for you:
Has life been too big for you? Are you in a challenging season of your life? Take a moment. Deep breath. Look at the sky and reflect on Rachel Carson's quote below.
Quote I'm Pondering
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."
~ Marine biologist Rachel Carson Source: The Sense of Wonder
To your reflection and health,
Lisa Schaffer
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See my last newsletter Body, Mind & Spirit…
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