Changing Habits

I'm always curious about how to continue good habits I've started and what other healthy habits I can create for myself in a joyful way, rather than as a chore or burden.

Interestingly, I moved my supplements from by the coffee machine to the bathroom as a direct influence from my sweetie. When I get up in the morning I'm used to hearing the hum of their toothbrush followed by the rattle of medications and I realized I'd probably be more consistent in taking my herbs and vitamins if I combined it with my daily cleaning routine, which has worked well over the last week. 

Two habits I want to get into (or back into) are 1) doing daily stretches/yoga and 2) meditating. I printed out a copy of the sun salutation and have been doing this simple series for the past couple of days, either on the deck actually in the sun or in the bedroom, now that it feels like there is more space after switching furniture around. I can see getting a bigger, cushier rug up there for yoga during the rain season.

Also getting into the habit of stretching while watching TV with my daughter. It is so hard to be so passive, and though often I multi task on the computer. My back has certainly been talking to me for awhile about better posture and less sitting on my ass. I find myself stretching between clients, and even sometimes during sessions if they are lying down with their eyes shut, I can be gently moving my body in a kind of dance while leading the trance.

Part of this all came to me a few months ago when I first went to Wilder Ranch and I was reading a detox book talking about exercise and how simply action = life. I was singing my little warm up song in my head and flexing various muscles groups, and realized I could do this while driving. So for the last couple of months I sing my little song which driving, tensing and flexing muscles, thinking if it as "microsizing" ie micro exercising. Considering it's twenty minutes each way, I figure I'm getting forty minutes of exercise instead of passive driving. Sometimes I do it before going to bed or when I wake up in the middle of the night.  I feel good about being active daily by walking, hiking, yoga, mowing, sex, and now I want to balance it with passive exercise: stretching, Reiki, massage.

The other daily habit I want to cultivate is meditating. It used to be so routine and now it feels lacking in my discipline. That sounds too harsh. For me, meditating is a way to focus in, discover and express my essential being. It is a creative act and a recreative act, and has taken many forms throughout my lifetime, including yoga, coloring tarot cards, journaling, blogging, and yes, even farmville was a meditation in it's own right. Playing Suduko or doing a crossword puzzle has a similar effect on my mind - it is relaxing, and something has shifted from chaos to order. 

So it's not like I don't have this habit, I just want it to shift form. Rather than sitting with my morning coffee and playing solitaire, I want to sit with my coffee and create tarot cards. I put the little table and chair in my altar area, along with colored pencils and my tarot binder, creating an inviting space for me to start my day. Doing the mandala art was inspiring and put me back in touch with the joy of making art. I'm sure you know what I mean, that zen zone when working on your photographs, different from tankville as a creative and productive act, hopefully relaxing for your engineer mind otherwise occupied with codes and bugs.

I like the habits my partner and I have created in our relationship. I like sharing our dreams in the morning, I like how we make coffee and make the bed, I love our habit of making out. Good and healthy, kissing is probably our best discipline. What good habits are you being mindful in creating now?