Starting the Day

[stacheman101]

Hi Fellow Mindfulness Travelers,

I was wondering about how you try to start the day mindfully. I normally wake up with a bang (not that kind, alas ) , not because I want to but because I have to be at work early and reasonably coherent once there. I'm going to try to remember to do a 3-minute breathing space before I get out of bed. Any other techniques or ideas to start the idea with something other than pressure to get things done?

Jeff (in St. Louis, Missouri)

[stacheman101]

Start the "day," that is, not the "idea." You get the idea...

[JonW]

Hi Jeff in St. Louis.
My day usually begins with the cat stomping on my head demanding to be fed.
After that shock to the system I remain in bed for three minutes, focussing on my breathing. Any thoughts that arise I just observe them.
By this time the cat has turned into something resembling those creatures from the Critters movies so I get up, feed the cat and have a cup of tea.
Then I take my dog, Banjo, for a walk along the beach where I'll spend a few minutes gazing out at the sea.

[FeeHutch]

Morning Jeff
I normally just take a few moments to wake up rather than jumping out of bed and head long into the day the way I used too. One of the things my practice has brought into my awareness is the fact that taking my time doesn't mean wasting time

[mark_cdf]

Hi Jeff,

I'm quite new to mindfulness, but I do find it useful to have a quick practise in the mornings, and i've noticed i'm more calm and balance going to work on the mornings I do manage to fit this in - so it's worth it for me. I get up and shower first thing, then sit up on my bed with a towel round me for somewhere between 3-10 minutes (depending on how much time I have) and just focus on my breathing. This is in addition to 20 minutes or so in the evening.

Good luck!
Mark

[BioSattva]

Currently I wake up, and if I remember, get going with the mindfulness as quickly as possible while lying there, because waking up in this crazy world can feel like waking to a nightmare - especially if I've been having a nice dream about something a lot more comfortable - kind of like "Oh shit! THIS is reality" - I practice acceptance of 'what is' just so that I don't fall prey to any emotional thinking that will delay things, and then I get up and preferable eat half a delicious juicy apple and then do my formal seated meditation for 45 minutes. After that, I feel I have already conquered the day, since the most difficult part has already been dealt with. Anything else is a bonus, and I feel my 'mindfulness glasses' remain on throughout the day a lot more than if I do my meditation in the evening - that's another benefit of meditating first thing instead of the evening, in my experience.

[piedwagtail91]

i always wake up early,usually around sunrise in summer more often than not around 5am in winter, so focus on my breath for a while before taking in sounds and then getting up
then its yoga and meditation before taking the dog out for a walk.
a bit of mindful eating follows, this time a banana , ( i get enough raisins doing the volunteering at mindfulness sessions ) then off to do some voluntary work of some kind.
i think being mindful first thing makes a very calm and relaxed start to the day.

[GianKarlo]

Starting up a day gives me a wondrous feeling , as a start I do offer a silent prayer and as I go through I do my meditation procedure where I'm able to find my inner being that leads me to be optimistic.