Monday Motivation

Woke up this morning to the sound of my neighbors roof getting nailed on and a light rain falling. I'm not gonna lie, it was a rough morning as far as waking up goes! But after two cups of coffee, some sun salutations (with more than a couple of child's poses), I finally got up and moving.

This weekend was LOOOONG. It was month four of our yoga teacher training and we went through 4 full classes and an inversion module in addition to teaching circles, yoga anatomy, and assists/adjustments lessons. Not to mention my wonderful hubby surprised me by coming in to town on Saturday night and we all went out to celebrate my besties 28 birthday! (ughhhh we're getting old, but that's another issue altogether haha)

Needless to say I fell asleep at like 9:00pm last night and slept like a rock! But I still woke up tired and groggy. I think everything as far as getting ready for our move to Japan, keeping up with work, doing yoga teacher training, caring for four crazy fur-babies, finishing thank you notes (yikes, I swear they're coming y'all!), all of the weddings and social engagements we have, being a long-distance wife, and just remembering to breathe really caught up with me this weekend. I've been so gung-ho about getting everything done recently that I have barely stopped to take a minute to just breathe and relax, which may be why my meditation plan is all over the damn place.

Now don't get me wrong! I choose to do all of this and I loove it all but sometimes we need to take a step back and just chill. This is definitely something that I need to work on, but being able to recognize this feeling before having a meltdown is progress for me haha!

So, in order to get myself back on track today I decided to turn things down and just focus on the three R's that we use when sequencing a Moon Salutation: reset, reconnect, and refuel.

The first thing I did was take the dogs on a long walk and, don't freak out....I left my phone at home! Having that time to be outside in nature without any technology is really, really important. We're all so plugged in all the time, and I am especially guilty of this, that it can be pretty rare to go more than a few minutes without looking at a screen. We hear a buzz and immediately look at our phones, or sometimes (like Jess in New Girl) we have a 'phantom buzz' and literally nothing happened but we STILL check our phones!

After our walk I came home, took a long, hot shower and opened all of the windows. Then I rolled my yoga mat out and put on some music. Two of my favorite playlists to listen to when I want to focus inward are actually soundtracks from two of my favorite movies! Amelie and Pride & Prejudice (the one with Kiera Knightly...sorry Colin Firth). Today I went with Amelie, which is actually a beautiful soundtrack to do some yoga flow to, you should give it a listen :)

Then I took about an hour to do a little free flow, easy yoga stretching. Whatever feels good and healthy for your body, it doesn't even have to be an actual yoga asana, just get your body moving and focus on your breath. Even if you just lay down and do legs up the wall with a little pranayama, it will make a world of difference!

Afterwards, I was able to sit down with my planner and get organized for the week ahead. Now I know that TIME is the biggest scheduling factor that most of us struggle with when it comes to taking a few moments for ourselves, but it is SO important to take care of yourself mentally and physically! We should all strive to set aside a few minutes everyday for ourselves to refocus.

I was listening to the most recent podcast by Rachel Brathen (known as Yoga Girl) the other day and she was giving her list of tips and tricks to get started, or maintain, a regular yoga practice and her number one tip was: roll out your mat. This simple act will ensure that you spend a little quality time on your mat. Even if all you do is lay there and breathe, that is totally fine!

Maybe yoga isn't your thing! Maybe reading a book and drinking a hot cup of tea relaxes you :) Or going for a run! Whatever brings you peace and helps you reset, refuel, and reconnect you mind, body and soul is exactly what you should make time to do!

So, keep breathing, make time for yourself, and make sure you have some wine in the fridge because tonight is the first night of the Bachelorette.

Cheers!
Em

Monday Morning Motivation

Monday mornings have always been a bit of a 'catch-up' day for me. So, when the storms rolled in this morning, and the thunder started rumbling, I poured myself a hot cup of coffee and started going through my emails from the last 24 hours.

I love the feeling of getting my week started with a bang. And recently, it's been difficult for me to have that feeling of excitement since things around here are much slower than I am used to. But I've got NPR on the radio, its less than 107 degrees, and my to-do list is getting out of control!

There are new client searches to get started, closing details to organize, wedding vendors to respond to, offers to be written (!), and a million little details in between.

Setting the tone for your week early on is a great way to ensure productivity, something that is easy some days and nearly impossible other days. Usually I wake up and get the coffee started, put some essential oils in our diffuser (peppermint, sweet orange, and eucalyptus since it's been so hot), and turn on NPR (or HGTV) so that my brain has a chance to wake up as I'm getting ready.

Then it's on to the emails, and phone calls, and texts. I absolutely love my Day Designer planner because as I'm going through everything I have an easy to fill out blue print for my week! Each day has a timeline progressing in half hours, a notes section, a to-do list chunk, and a spot for top goals (because let's be honest...the top three things on your list are the ones that HAVE to get done).

Some days those are the ONLY things that get done, but that's life. Especially when you are awake half the night because your 70 pound dog is sleeping on your head because the smoke detector is beeping in the guest room and it is the single most terrifying thing he's ever heard.

But! I will get everything done today! And I will do it with a smile on my face because I am thankful, and alive, and motivated woohooo! (How's that for a Monday mantra??)

What are some ways you get started on the right foot on a Monday Morning?