How to Create a Daily Practice

September came on with a bit of a chill, signifying that change is definitely in the air. There is something cathartic about aligning oneself with the seasons; bringing about change in our lives as the seasons shift.

So, just as summer is slowly merging into autumn, we too should take some time to create positive change in our lives. Many of you wonder how to create a daily lifestyle that focuses on the meaningful parts of your lives, such as nutrition, prayer, family, fun!, hobbies, goals, fitness, health, etc. How can we incorporate these essential activities and people into our daily or weekly schedule?

1. Prioritize. Sit down with yourself and make a list of the 5 - 10 most important activities to you. Make sure to include both the fun and the mundane (necessary.. ie: bills, meetings, etc.).

2. Outline. Using a daily planner, or even plain paper, outline your daily schedule, starting with your wake-up time, and list every hour until bed-time. I like to create a master-copy that I keep handy in my kitchen, bathroom or inside my planner. This will be your new typical day plan (keeping in mind that plans are always bound to change and new people and meetings are going to pop up and "disrupt" your paper schedule). This is meant to be a template, something to keep you balanced and organized in terms of fitting in your most-loved activities into your day.

3. Create. Now, the fun part! Fill in your hourly time-slots with the activities you would like to see there. ie: wake-up 6:30 am. - practice 15 minutes of Yoga asana. You can take the time to make a weekly schedule if you have some activities that you would like to accomplish only once a week, and others 2 or 3 times a week. This is where you want to fit in your 5 priority activities, either into your daily or your weekly schedule.

4. Rest. Resting time is just as important if not more important than active time. Make a point to schedule in your sleep time (minimum 6 hours per night), and any naps, quiet time, or alone time that you need throughout the day.

5. Put it to the test. Try using this new template for the next week. See how well it works with your life. There may be activities that you would like to do but can't find the time or the means to do them. If you feel a loss, this is an excellent time to re-evaluate your current lifestyle and try out different ways to fit in these essential activities. This can be life-changing, as sometimes our most deeply rooted desires may conflict with our current lifestyle. Time to revisit step 1 . Prioritize.

Spending such quality time with yourself will be rewarding and liberating. You will be able to listen to your inner self and perhaps learn something about yourself you didn't know or were suppressing.

Most of all, have fun! This is a time of change, change of seasons and change of pattern. Do not fear letting your own leaves, your own expressions and extensions of yourself, change colour or pattern or watch them float away, as other truer expressions of yourself spring forth.

Wishing you wellness,
Donna

PS: please feel free to contact me via e-mail if you have any questions. donna@prana-fitness.com