I have been switching up my morning routine a wee bit. Almost by accident, not by virtue, I have been avoiding my phone and taking in the early morning light. I wish I could say it is because I have been cleverly and intentionally opening the blinds to let natural light reset my internal clock, but I can’t. Instead, I have been waking up with an agenda to get my final assignments written and in on time. There has been no time for long lies in my bed with my morning scroll.
This might sound like a hardship; however, it has been an epiphany. Dare I say? It has been like a new dawn. 😉
I had fallen into a routine of waking up, checking my phone, putting on a pot of coffee and returning to bed to scroll, for too long to disclose. This past week, I have been waking up, putting on a pot of coffee and opening the back door to hear the bird song, while watching the light change as the day gets brighter. There have been no returns to bed for that scroll. Rather, I have been taking the time to listen before the world wakes.
This is a moment in the morning that is easy to miss. It sort of reminds me of those lost days between Christmas and New Year. The days where there is no one in the office slinging off emails with requests to do this and that. Nobody is in the office. Everyone is resting or doing what it is that they want to do and on their own terms. Knowing this gives me permission to do the same. What a delight to find that I have this opportunity to touch in with this feeling every single morning before the world wakes- if I don’t look at my phone.
There is an added beauty to this brand new morning ritual. There are fewer thoughts competing for my attention. Fewer plans and fewer worries making themselves known to me. Instead, there is a lucidity. When things do arise in my mind, I can hear them more clearly.
Then, I hear my neighbour’s car start as he readies himself for work. This is the call to return to the daily tasks at hand. There is a marked difference in the energy- my thinking starts to speed up, the phone calls me back in and the day begins.
This gets me thinking of how important it is to reclaim my mornings as moments of mindfulness. We can get caught up thinking we have to have the perfect practice or the perfect routine. Or even the right app with a timer set. What if we put down expectation and simply open our window for five minutes before the world finds its way into our day? Perhaps, we can simply breathe, listen and take it all in. This, too, is mindfulness.
If you would like to join the Sanctuary community and I for some formal meditation practice, why not join us at the Tuesday morning sit at 10am? I would love to see you there.
-Jane
Post script: This is much different to the times where I was struggling with anxiety, in which my racing mind has driven me out of bed. If this is something that you struggle with, I can imagine my words might miss a beat. I have been there, too. However, what an act of grace it is to know that mornings can be something different.
**If you haven’t followed me on Instagram, make sure to do so. I will be rising early for the Dawn Chorus this Sunday May 3rd at 4.45am to welcome in the Dawn Chorus. It will be broadcast live.
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Click below to listen to a simple edge of daylight meditation/ practice to take outdoors with you:
My Silent Place 
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