My daily routine during lockdown like a diary of my day which you can tailor parts or send me a note on how I could design a food, mediation and exercise schedule to suit you.
Morning
Im an early waker and if possible try waking up an hour earlier and sleeping an hour earlier to see how more productive you are - I know your trying to kill time but sleeping early is also a good way to help the body heal and nurture it for good wellbeing.
Drink a glass of Luke warm water add lemon if possible (Preps the Gut for the day and facilitates weight loss)
Freshen up brush teeth and tongue (Ayurveda cleanse)
Morning Yoga 15min or full hour session (I tend to do my overall exercise in the evenings but always do a short yoga morning session such as sun salutation which are good for immunity and morning energy generation)
Meditation I try to find 10min to be silent after my morning yoga to set the days intention and commit to an affirmation:
“Thank you for all that you have given me for this new day. I am feeling healthy and strong today.Today I am filled with miracles"
Breakfast
- Green juice (Kiwi, celery, kale , Lime juice)
- Hot drinks mid morning (Tumeric/Ginger Tea )
- Bran with seeds (Pumpkin seeds, flax seed or any alternative if available)
Mindfulness Breakfast Practice :
Mindfulness is focusing on this moment in time and what is happening within it rather than simply getting through it. In addition, when we bring mindfulness to our lives, we are taking in information from all our senses, not just from our minds. We pay attention to sights, smells, tastes, to the sense of touch, and to sounds that we hear. In this way, our bodies become a vehicle by which we can learn about the entirety of our experience.
Therefore use one meal a day , try to practice mindfulness, lets say your breakfast to silently be present in the experience of eating consciously. After making my morning breakfast, I find a comfortable seat and before eating I take a few breaths to come back to the present moment, spoon in hand and bowl in my lap. As I take my first sip or spoonful, I think about the intention or purpose I set at the beginning of my day. And as I drink deep and savour the flavours, I visual that intention infusing into every cell of my body. If my mind begins to wander mid-way that’s normal bring it back to the experience, I make sure to reign it back in and practice that union with the moment.
Daily activities in Lockdown
If your not working from home and off like me for now I can find multiple things to do also these are activities that can also act as hobbies on weekends. I now make a plan by hour what my days entail in a timetable.This includes my courses for 2 hours, reading 2 hours, walks and other tasks. I know its easter weekend and we re in lockdown but try your best to do something new from home (draw, paint or dance) just try it -PLEASE :)
Lunch
LightGreek salad
Mixed berry or any Fruit and Yogurt
With this time off if your not spending it with family also use it a gift to do more to help your self learn or do something new.Learn something new we all should be anyway each year (A year from now, you're going to be a year older. What do you want to learn?) I suggest write a list of things and filter through items you can begin with one small item at a time. You can learn new skills and try new things every month, even every week (what the top learners are doing)
Learning something new I tend to ask people who have done different things to me those friends who are high achievers and always active - I call them the 5am club who run 10k at 5am and have varied activities on weekends like flying lessons or skydiving - not that I would. I often ask them how people find the time and how can I learn from them so I can use my time to live a full exciting life.
If your not working from home and off like me for now I can find multiple things to do also these are activities that can also act as hobbies on weekends. I now make a plan by hour what my days entail in a timetable.This includes my courses for 2 hours, reading 2 hours, walks and other tasks. I know its Easter weekend and we re in lockdown but try your best to do something new from home (draw, paint or dance) just try it -PLEASE :)
Learning new hobbies or skills also this provides interesting lives giving you something different to talk about . :
What you doing this week ?
Me : nothing chilling out ….
New me : learnt how to design in illustrator , Learnt new recipe, took a drama class and stated gardeining by planted some seeds in my balcony from online videos.
New things in your life will make you not only come out your comfort zone but experiment with new experiences you would not have thought of which is fun and you get to meet new people. Since Lock down I have participate on livestream meetup groups (meetup.com). Online mediation course(Mindfulnessproject.com) and started multiple new skill courses (Skill share.com im doing a mindfulness painting course). Think of this time as a chance to self improve or explore your creative side by painting, writing or just being you.
I still use Netflix as a distraction or escapism but i also try and incorporate some reading and activity like painting or playing with my cat. We just need to find a balance and have a schedule to have something to look forward to and do our best indoors otherwise we sit with constant worry and chatter in our minds and fail to make use of this time to heal us and be the best we can with what we have.
Dinner
Garlic And lemon Kale and spinach
Grilled Turmeric Fish or Halloumi
So if you are used to eating closer to bed time, continue to do that, as it will help with your sleep routine. Ideally, however, it is better to adopt a healthier habit of leaving a good one to two-hour gap between your last meal and sleeping.If you have a habit of eating two, typically three, meals a day then it’s preferable to continue that because your body is trying (during this self-isolation) to cope with so many stresses and outside influences.
Evenings are normally for my daily walk after the daily briefing on COVID-19. I also sit out at sunset (i only have a balcony)for dinner after a walk. Evening Journaling is also good to get you to keep tracks of your thoughts intentions. Journaling can be a way to set your day and I list 3 things iam grateful for today.
Managing stress is such a big concern that, even though I'm not a psychologist, the idea of meditating, undertaking breathing exercises or just finding quiet time seems a good thig to do because if you can manage the stress, the rest will come good: your sleep, your eating habits will be better. For me, stress feels like it's going to be the highest-priority issue during this time for people being stuck indoors (or limited outdoors activities), or from risk of job losses, or adapting to problems about how to do their jobs effectively from home. It could cause a cascade of negative physiological events.
If your new to mediation I will guide you to specific blog but first timers need to understand it takes willingness to be present and the want to try a simple technique at home.Mediation or mindfulness is just trying to be present in the now with breath work and focus. This practice is to settling the mind as you get in touch with your breathing for a few minutes.
“Listen to silence it has much to say " (Rumi)
You may ask why do I need to mediate cant I just sit silently. Meditation has many health benefits and is a highly effective way to relieve stress and maintain a healthier lifestyle.1 With practice, meditation becomes both more of an easy habit to maintain and more of an effective one as well, given that it builds resilience to stress over time. Putting in the effort to learn and practice meditation can actually transform your experience of stress in your life and you will notice a change even after a week of short practices so try it while you can even 5 minutes daily.
For others prayer can be a form of mediation I pray my 5 times practices and I sed this time to sit silently and mediate after its all about the act of being now.I will be uploading my techniques but there are multiple online sources for guided meditations. Just try it give it time there is no perfect mediation type or approach.
Weekly Exercise
People's preferences means that if you're a morning person, you'll probably feel more motivated to exercise in the morning than if you're an evening-type person.Exercise and some form of movement is important now more than ever to keep our immune system boosted and overall body heath at optimum. I include some form of yoga or stretch daily even 10min due to being at home for long hours.Overall the exercise I choose weekly includes :
HIT Session– 3 times a week ( @ Joe Wicks complete it to 40min which is 2 sessions of his 15min or my own tailored version)
Aerobic Class – Bums and Tums or all classes are great with @rwl live on Instagram of class pass has a deal for monthly
Run- once a week limiting due too reference for walks during lockdown (3km)
Yoga-3 times for 60min and daily 15 morning routine (yin yoga for evenings and power yoga in the morning and stretch or hatha lunchtimes)
This is just a sample of one of my days but depending on your lifestyle, family circumstances you can all adapt it but try and use this time to be creative, be silent to mediate, eat healthy and stay positive rather than invert thoughts of the worse or focus on constant media coverage. We all need to try our best to follow government guidance and if your struggling message me for tips and routines that could be tailored just for you.
Mail me for my personal meal or exercise plan- i will also share my online resources I will. Or just send me a note to share your experience of lockdown
divineconnections@sacredsoulcom
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