Begin your day well with one of our practices, such as the one that’s called “UPON WAKING ” – which you do without even getting out of bed!
“Music will raise your day”, I once heard a radio presenter say.
“What a lark! What a plunge!”… exclaims one of my favourite characters, Virginia Woolf’s youthful Mrs Dalloway, as she throws open the French windows and plunges into the morning.
Sometimes these two expressions are my first waking thoughts.
Sometimes I wake up with a real sense of responsibility… literally. But it’s not such a bad awakening, in fact I’m grateful for the reminder – that whatever the day brings, what really counts is my own response.
We are not in control of our destiny or of other people. The only person I can endeavour to manage is me. And so my yoga practices and a sense of humour continually come to my rescue. They show me how to better manage myself… from the very start of each fresh new day. I like to think this way. Even when life feels daunting, it still seems exciting. My day can go either way – raised or ruined – depending on what I think, do and say.
Joy says there’s not enough silliness in the world, and I agree. I like trying to lighten my heart whatever is happening. I like to try and raise my days, then maybe if I’m lucky, to help others raise theirs along the way.
It’s easy to get out of bed the wrong way and proceed like that through the course of a day. Doing a practice upon waking helps nip things in the bud before the day gets going – especially if we wake up apprehensive and nervous, with the feeling that storm clouds are looming.
It’s helpful to be light-hearted, whatever is happening around us.
It can be helpful not to take ourselves too seriously – even if this takes conscious practice. This helps us see ourselves more clearly – so we can better manage our responses, allowing us choices.
It’s so very easy to be miserable – a positive choice can make the difference between a raised or ruined day.