Interested in cultivating simple yet efficient habits with this new school year, but don't want to overburden yourself with high expectations or criticism to get started? With a business, a wild two year old and abundant family life, we understand this intention.
Here are 3 simple suggestions that you can easily integrate into your daily -or weekly- goals.
Victory Pose
Express Gratitude
Intentional Deep Breath
Victory Pose
Victory Pose is easily incorporated into your morning stretch. Literally when you get out of bed and stand up, stretch your arms up into a V shape, hold for 3 seconds, and then release. If you want to hold this pose longer or repeat it throughout your day, do what feels good to you! While doing this pose, it helps to focus or imagine your spine lengthening as you stretch upward. Some people also send up a prayer, word of gratitude, or an affirmation while doing this stretch.
This simple habit will aid you in
mood boost
confidence boost
focus
Expressing Gratitude
There are various ways of incorporating this into your habit. You can speak gratitude over a meal, for a green light, to your pets, or jot it down in a Joy Journal or notepad a few times a week or daily. If you miss a day, no worries! No one looks at this journal, and no one is grading you on this. An alternative method is Ryze's daily Gratitude Journal text through their coffee alternative subscription which you can view and reflect upon any time online.
A few of the many joys of expressing gratitude include:
refocusing on joy and gratitude
mood boost
increased centering
spreading joy and gratitude in your environment (when you're happy, others feel it!)
Intentional Deep Breath
The third suggestion is to take one intentional deep breath a day. Sounds easy? Sure. But how many of us hold our breath when we're nervous or angry? (Me and my two-year old are raising our hands.) The best part is that you can do this anywhere! At a stoplight, in line, at your desk, on a walk, sitting, standing, on the toilet -or somewhere more aromatically pleasing. The emphasis is to return your awareness out of your busy brain, once again into your body, and into this present moment.
Take a five second slow inhale, and slowly release over five seconds. Stretch your deep breath longer if you feel comfortable doing so. What do you notice? How do you feel?
Benefits of cultivating intentional deep breaths into your daily life include:
Increased focus
Increased awareness
Increased likelihood of more deep breaths
More oxygen!
As we stated before, these three suggestions are basic starters, fully intended to be ridiculously easy. It's also nice to set out on a task and completely crush it. With these quick starters, you get exactly this and a foundation to build upon. By starting with low expectations, you can easily build upon them and form new routines and habits.
These tips are a core to cultivating mindfulness. And mindfulness bestows a cornucopia of blessings from slowing down time, increased body awareness and self control, increased clarity and so much more.
Try these suggestions and let us know what you think! Would you tweak these routines or add to them?
Resources:
Harvard Health (2021, August 14). Giving thanks can make you happier [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier#:~:text=In%20positive%20psychology%20research%2C%20gratitude,adversity%2C%20and%20build%20strong%20relationships.
Lee, D. C. and EmbodyGR Team (2019 July 25). Raise Your Hands In The Air! [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.feelbetterdogood.org/this-week/raise-your-hands-in-the-air
Moody, J. (2021, August 30). The Most Powerful One-Minute Routine You Never Heard Of [blog post]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-mood/the-most-powerful-one-minute-routine-you-never-heard-of-571d0ee3650a
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