Honestly I love so many parts of the day: the growing heat of a mid-summer’s afternoon, the way the light fades to dark and you sense the coolness of the evening, making hot tea and reading in bed… but lately one of my most FAVORITE parts of the day is the morning.
Since the days are that much longer here in the Pacific Northwest, the sunrises at 5:12am (on the day of this post) and my body naturally begins to rise around 6am. That means even more time where I get to spend truly just being in silence.
I savor making my morning decaf coffee and what I call my “poppin’ collagen latte”. You can’t see it poppin’ in the picture but trust me, it’s poppin’!
But before I start sipping, while the coffee is dripping (oops didn’t mean to rhyme!) I’ll step outside and soak up a few delicious rays… hear the birds chirp… see how much the grass has grown… it’s all truly beautiful. Then as I sip, it’s time for stretching, yoga, and listening to podcasts as I get ready.
And what about breakfast? Well… I’ve written about my morning smoothie bowls but here’s a picture from Monday’s smoothie bowl deliciousness đ
Those added blueberries were just…. sigh. Heaven.
Mornings are so precious to me. It’s a time to check in and mentally prepare for the day (before everyone and everything clamors for your attention).
How about you?
What’s your favorite part of the day? How do you cultivate more YOU time and what does it look like for you?
One of the best things about spending more time in Washington is that these beautiful mountains and trails are literally in our backyard. For example a quick 1 hour drive and I’m deep in Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
This past Sunday was spent hiking up to Goat Lake. Let me tell you… it was GORGEOUS.
Goat Lake
As I made my way through the trail I decided to head up to Goat Lake via the lower trail and come back down to the trail head via the upper trail. The pounding pulsation of the river and numerous waterfalls making it’s way down the mountain was incredible.
The hike was approximately 11 miles round trip, and it was 11 miles of fresh air that I desperately needed.
The night before I got into a sneezing frenzy due to allergies which always zaps the energy out of me; to the point where my throat is sore and my energy is just depleted from me. When I woke up the day of the hike my nose was so stuffed I couldn’t breathe!
Miraculously when we got to the mountains it was as if the body knew how good the air was and decided to clear the nasal passages for all the fresh air. As soon as this happened I started to breathe DEEP. Deep into the belly with each and every inhale and I could slowly feel my energy coming back.
I don’t know if it was the allergy attack the night before but not only was my energy low, my mood just wasn’t as upbeat either. Honestly, it could have been a whole RANGE of things:
Was it hormonal? Time of the month?
Has weeks of stressful work hours impacted the adrenals and thus neurotransmitters?
Was it the tossing and turning from being unable to breathe last night?
Maybe it’s the days of overcast skies that finally got to me.
Did I not eat enough breakfast and this is just a dip in energy?
Am I putting too much pressure on myself at work?
Is it because the weekend is almost over and I didn’t get a chance to eat at my favorite Indian restaurant this week? đ
I’ve written about this before but it’s so easy to want to place meaning behind everything. Our minds find it inherently necessary to analyze the who, what, why, when, and how, but sometimes that takes us down several chases down several rabbit holes!
Instead I took some time to mindfully investigate each and every thought that came up and most importantly to allow and to BE WITH the emotion behind every passing thought. Fear, sadness, anxiousness, stress… were a few of the emotions that arose with each thought.
I took time to ask, is this really true? And if it is, what would that mean? Who is the one having this thought? What am I reacting to (or what do IÂ think I am reacting to)?
Then silence. Step by step, breath by breath.
And when you’re surrounded by beauty like this how can you not begin to feel shifts as you fall into the wonder, awe, and gratitude of mother nature?
Sometimes it takes a good long bit of time to realize reality from reaction, or a place like this to put you in the present moment. The true present, moment by moment, breath by breath.
How about you? When do you find yourself having ah-ha moments? What helps you bring your awareness to your thoughts?
I’ve been really meditating on yesterday’s post, Watch It Come And Go. I find that it’s a lot easier when you’re in ‘total’ alignment or when everything is humming along smoothly in life. But how about when it is really put to the test!?
When your routine is thrown off
When there’s a crisis at work
Or how about when your flight is delayed 6 hours?!
You see, over the holiday weekend I took a long road trip from San Francisco to Seattle and so the body is a bit more tired and same goes with the mind as well. I had all the feels, from relief that I finally have everything in one place to urgency around organization and completion (of letting the physical things go).
As the feels came and went I took a moment to watch it come and go. I took a moment to watch the reaction, be with the emotions, be curious about what was going on… and then I watched one emotion come and go, and another emotion do the same.
I practiced this pretty much all day yesterday and it took me a day to write this as I was doing more the practicing and observing than the writing đ
So what about you? What tends to throw you off and what have you noticed coming up for yourself?
After a noon workout I decided to go to Whole Foods for lunch, and boy was it spectacular ? BBQ chicken thigh, California quinoa salad, and roasted veggies in olive oil. (As a side note I must have not had enough food… I was still hungry so I ended up eating the rest of my Quest bar as well!)
I still had about 20 minutes to kill before my next appointment and thought I would peruse the aisles of Whole Foods since I was already there. Maybe I would pick up another candle, but something was calling me toward the essential oils.
Once I got there I immediately noticed these beautifully packaged oils by Kate’s Magik. (also pictured below is an essential oil blend by Doterra)
I ended up picking up two: Venus – A Love Oil and Break Bad Patterns & Addictions.
There were so many beautiful oils to choose from but I followed what my heart desired and decided on these two.
Essential oils have helped me in a variety of ways in the past. I’ve used them to:
help calm my nerves
ease tension and soreness in my neck and shoulders
morning & evening ritual for intention setting
be mindful
I remember the very first essential oil I bought for myself which was a mix of lavender and ylang ylang. I bought it during a time of transition and needed a way to relax, be mindful, and bring me to my center. It was heavenly.
Doterra was another oil I bought and the way it released all the tension in my shoulders was magical.
What essential oils or blends have you used? How has it helped you in the moment or to work through a particular situation?
With that said.. here’s to sacred space, sacred moments, and how essential oils can help you along the way.
I love watching the rhythm and shifts one goes through. I’ve been enjoying my morning green smoothie bowl for quite some time now and most recently this morning smoothie bowl has shifted to a lunch smoothie bowl ?
I’ve been noticing this subtle shift of slowing down even more and wanting to really enjoy the quiet time in the mornings. For me, this looks like spending an extra 30 minutes for breathwork, sitting, listening to a podcast or a mix of all three.
And since these days I’d rather spend the time in reflection I decided to decrease the amount of time spent in the kitchen (even more) PLUS get the benefits of getting enough calories in to start the day via bulletproof(ish) coffee.
This creamy concoction has many recipes out there but lately I’ve been keeping it simple:
2 tbsp collagen (Great Lakes Gelatin)
1 tbsp Spectrum coconut oil
1 tbsp heavy whipping cream (local & pastured)
Pinch of seasalt
Coffee (in my case decaf)
It was a drizzly Seattle morning and that always makes drinking this mix extra good!
How have you been noticing subtle shifts or daily routines? Any must dos in the mornings you love to incorporate to start the day fresh?
Lately I have been in LOVE with this green smoothie bowl that I’ve been making, and I’ve been enjoying this every  morning for the past few weeks. I just can’t get enough!
Maybe it’s because Spring is in full force here in Seattle but with the sun and warmer weather finally making it’s grand entrance I’ve felt a shift in the types of food my body wants.
This delicious breakfast has been such a treat in the morning and I wanted to share the recipe… let me know what you think and how you made mods to fit YOUR needs! đ
Lately I’ve been changing my “fitness” routine, or rather, preferred activity of moving from crossfit to more slow moving activities. For the most part 5 days out of the week I go to a nearby trail and walk the dog as well as practice yoga.
With work requiring so much of my time I’ve been noticing my stress levels on the rise with a bit of anxious energy from about mid-afternoon into the evening. Having gone through this before I decided to focus on activities that would help ground me but still get my blood flowing and my body moving đ
One day, I stopped to stare up at a giant douglas fir tree and stood there in awe of it’s grandeur. It wasn’t until the dog was pulling me to keep going along the trail that I had to tear myself away from the tree. However, I didn’t forget… there was something magical that happened.
I have been wanting to do a sensory deprivation float for at least a few years and finally found the right place and the right time to do it – and I’m so glad I did!
First of all, I love trying new experiences. There’s something about getting out of your usual routine that gets the brain and body shifting in different gears that really get me excited.
Back to floating… after doing a bit of research I decided to try Life Float in Seattle. The ease of booking online, customer service, and cleanliness of the facilities had me sold. Not to mention the genuine and authentic nature of the business, which was immediately validated upon arrival.
