After an invariably fun and busy weekend I look forward to
Monday mornings. While everyone in my family gets back to their routine {work
or school} it leaves me free for some nourishing detox and de-cluttering. Yes, it is one of the many advantages of
working from home.
Over the last six months or so I have found myself buoyant
with happy energy on Mondays. Only recently I realised that I inadvertently
follow some rituals to start the week on a positive note. Here are some of the
activities that I enjoy indulging in, especially on Mondays:
- Expressing Gratitude
I am blessed with a beautiful family and
wonderful friends with whom we love hanging out. As a result my weekends turn
out to be rather hectic between spending time with the kids, cooking fun meals,
going out for meals with friends or family, a couple of late nights or maybe
catch a movie.. you get the drift? My husband and I believe in maximizing
funfilled moments, especially on weekends. And since I don't take anyone or anything for granted, when I switch on my
laptop on Monday morning I invariably open my Gratitude journal and express
thankfulness for all the wonderful people and happenings in my life.
- Mental Cleansing
I don’t know whether you’ve
noticed but we all have a non-stop internal dialogue going on within our heads.
It is like a commentary about all that is happening around you {and may also
drift off on different tangents of the present moment, the past or an imaginary
future}. It is usually pressed into the back corners of the mind, but it does
exist. I find it very helpful and immensely cleansing to pour these random
thoughts on to paper. Well, I started this practice almost two decades ago
when I used to write with a free hand on paper but now I just prefer to type
non-stop, without conscious thought about all that’s going on in my head. This
practice not only frees up space in my mind {much like deleting cache files on
your computer} but it also brings to fore some desires and goals as well as
some negative thoughts may be holding me down. I feel much lighter and
energized after this practice. (If you choose to try it do share with me your
experience.)
- Physical Cleansing
As you may have noticed, “good
food” forms an important part of my weekends (as with most other days). I thus
enjoy a bit of physical detox on Monday mornings. I don’t stick to a particular
practice for this but simply follow my gut {pun intended :)} I choose between the
yogic kunjal kriya, a hot towel scrub, or a sesame oil body massage followed by
a cleansing scrub made with natural ingredients. The idea is to remove excess
toxins either from the gut or through the skin, which is one of the largest
detoxifying organs of our body. {You can read up more about these practices as
well as others that I have written about under the “healthy practice” link of
“follow your path” on this blog.}
- Organising my Surroundings
Although the routine cleaning and
dusting of my home is done even on weekends, Monday mornings see me putting
most things back into their designated spaces and I do try to de-clutter and
get rid of at least a few items that we no longer require. With two kids at
home it is mind-blowing how fast stuff accumulates – school papers, party
favours, the non-ending list of clothes and accessories according to the
seasons and of course games and toys. So be it cleansing the refrigerator or
kids’ cupboards or even the accumulated mail of the previous week – I like to
declutter, even if it’s only a little.
- Goal Setting
After all the cleansing and de-cluttering I
am ready to focus on the tasks at hand, set my goals, and even outline my
desires. I enjoy writing affirmations and feel that just being clear about
exactly what I want makes it possible for me to achieve it! {Read more about
Affirmations and how they work here: http://www.eatlivedoyoga.com/2016/01/live-your-greatest-life.html
}
So, cheers to the beginning of a brand new
week and remember: Today is the First day of the Rest of Your Life! Hope you
make the best of it.