Morning Rituals: Yerba Mate
Mornings are such a key time for all of us. To start the day, you come from a cocooned space, then do things to prepare to leave the safety and warmth of your home, and meet the day. For a lot of people, life has the appearance of being a frantic race. We are bombarded with images. Many of these images fall into the category of extreme. We are overwhelmed with communication. Most of this communication seems to require immediate attention. We are experiencing a deficit of downtime and reflection. The food that is available to us is primarily lacking in nutrition. So much of our food is refined, chemical laden, inflammatory and toxic. In dealing with that, the body's attention is focused on healing and detoxifying. The news that is being broadcast threatens nuclear annihilation, racial divide, and poverty so wide spread and impending that it is difficult to be assured that we will ever find the solutions.
No wonder we are feeling so stressed out.
In an attempt to pursue equality and justice, many women have taken on the role of both breadwinner and parent. We are stretched beyond comprehension. We are required to cater to our bosses, as well as our children, and often times we need to muster up the energy to use the same strategies on both. Since our health is failing, we feel guilty we are not utilizing more self-care, but that would mean pulling attention away from our home life. We are urged to be sexy however not need sex. We are supposed to be strong, but continue to show vulnerability. We are supposed to be proud of our bodies yet many are ashamed of any imperfections.
Men are in no better of a situation. We have shamed them into doubting their roles. Do they need to be strong or show tears? Some are juggling the roles of the worker bee, parent, cook, and bookkeeper.
These are intense stressors. The next generation is no better off mind you. We are leaving them a planet that is weaker. This generation is sicker than us and has more weight on them. They are taking more medications, experience more mental disorders, watch more screen images, endure more intensity, and the list goes on and on.
How can we manage? One idea is going back to basics where we can simplify our lives. The past 2 years have been incredibly life changing for me. Some of the changes were about moving forward and some have been quite difficult to absorb. So, I decided to implement steps to allow the growth to happen with as little discomfort and as much ease as possible.
1. I created a morning ritual and am religious about it. I get up super early to make sure I have this time. It is extremely important and wonderful for me.
2. I began a hot yoga practice. I shoot for going every morning, which actually turns out to be around 4-5 times a week. Life changing.
3. Changed my food. I changed things around quite a bit and feel better.
4. Drink Yerba mate. I stopped drinking coffee and solely drink Yerba mate now. No jitters, no "let down" and no cravings.
5. Search for inspiration.
6. Took things off my plate. Stepping off of boards, "batching" errands, scheduling downtime. I started recognizing what was high maintenance and energy sucking.
7. Recognize that time spent with a friend is valuable.
In listing these things I am in no way claiming that I have it all figured out. Actually, I am on a journey of crafting a life that works for me. These ideas are just to get your creative juices flowing. If we don't go "counter culture" and carve out a life with intention, we might as well be dragged by the hair through this lifetime.
By stopping to witness and reflect, we will be more adept to change and grow. That's what I want. What about you?