6 steps to calling in Heart- Guidance; A nourishing morning practice
I have my greatest insights when I sit in solitude and stillness during my morning practice.
It is the time when I am able to connect to the intelligence of my heart, my inner guidance system and to mother earth herself.
Truly, it is the most soul-enriching thing that I do for myself and I commit to it daily because, truthfully, I NEED my morning practice.
My morning rituals change frequently depending on the season, where we are living, my current cycle and what I am feeling/ experiencing at the time so, for the purpose of this blog, I have chosen my current morning ritual of calling in heart- guidance and my higher wisdom.
This practice is serving me beautifully as I navigate many big changes in my life.
It is because my life is so deeply and beautifully enhanced by my own morning practice that I feel called to share my current practice with you in 6 simple steps; in hopes that you too will benefit.
1. Rise early
There is something about rising with the sun.
Waking before the rest of the world to a dark sky; watching with a softened gaze as the sun begins to rise and pastel colours of pink, purple and blue begin to emerge from the darkness as you listen lovingly to the birds singing their morning melodies.
There is nothing to do and nowhere to be; except here and now; with yourself.
I wake at 5:30am and start by making my warm lemon drink. I have set up my sacred space the evening before so I go and sit down and make myself comfortable (this is either on my balcony outside or in my lounge room with a pillow and blanket if it’s a cold morning)
2. Tune in to stillness through your breath
I begin by closing my eyes and connecting to my breath; for as long as I feel called to; allowing myself to soften and drop in to my heart and body.
You will know when you drop into your heart-guided soul-space because there is a definite stillness in the energy within you and surrounding you. Your heart, mind and soul unite as one and you have this beautiful wave of peaceful contentment wash over you from head to toe.
When our breath is still, our mind is still.
Don’t worry if you are unable to relax right away. Often we wake with ‘to-do’ lists and other mind-clutter that gets in the way so just be OK with being in whatever space you are in and focus on your breath as you allow the thoughts to come up and then let them go….
3. Meditation
This may be a guided meditation (I highly recommend the ‘Insight Timer’ app for this) or it can simply be sitting in silence and focussing on your breath. There are many ways to meditate so choose what feels right for you.
I will often sit on my balcony and just watch the trees, sky and birds. My focus during this time is on the timelessness of nature. The trees, the ocean and the clouds are so patient, so gentle, so timeless…. They are never in a hurry to achieve anything or ‘be’ anything; other than that which they are.
They can simply BE exactly as they are in this present moment.
I allow myself to be at one with that energy of presence and timelessness by imagining what it might feel like to be the tree, the ocean or the clouds.
4. Call in the wisdom of your heart- guidance
Your mind and body are now relaxed and you are a clearer channel for your soul guidance to come through.
It is now time to ponder and reflect, tap into your inner compass and allow frequencies of greater clarity through meaningful and intentional reflection.
If you, like me, love to put pen to paper then this is the perfect time to reach for your journal.
I change the questions I ask of my heart frequently so below I have listed the questions that came through with importance for me this week.
You may like to choose 2-3 to reflect on at any given time or you may wish to reflect on all of them if time permits. This is your practice so the choice is yours.
What is coming up for me right now?
I find that emotion will often come up for me when I ask this question. Sometimes I am already conscious of it and sometimes it stems from my unconscious and I feel it present itself in my body as I sit with myself.
Whether it is an emotion that you are already familiar with or something bubbling to the surface that you were unaware of, remember this;
Every emotion serves as a loving messenger. They guide us in helping us to understand ourselves, our truth and emotion gives us clarity in what feels aligned/ misaligned for us.
When painful emotions come up, BREATHE into the emotion and allow yourself to soften into it.
Visualise yourself breathing light into the darkness. Allow the emotion to move through your body. Observe it without judgement. Know that you are safe to feel.
If it helps, use these prompts to guide you in this reflection question.
Is there any pain, discomfort or dis-ease coming through in my heart or body right now? (Our bodies are our psychic antenna. Tuning into any discomfort in the body can tell us what may be going on for us emotionally and unconsciously)
If so, what does this look like?
Where is it located within me & what does my body/ heart need from me right now?
What have I been avoiding/ ignoring?
What am I currently feeling/ experiencing?
What is my ‘heart-guided’ truth about this?
Is it my heart or ‘hurts’ speaking? (Soul or Ego)
What does my heart want me to know in relation to this?
What would ‘wisdom’ and ‘love’ say about this?
If I step outside of my mind as a witness to my own thoughts and emotions, what do I notice/ observe to be true about the thoughts and feelings that I am currently experiencing?
Is there another way I can choose to view, perceive and experience this? Is there a gift/ lesson in this that I may have missed?
What, in my life, requires the largest investment of my energy right now?
What area/s have I been neglecting? (EG relationships, health & wellness, personal growth and evolution, spiritual practices, self-care rituals etc)
What are my heart-centred goals & intentions and how can I create more space to invest my energy into them? (where can I clear space and remove things that do not serve my highest good?)
What is the greatest expression of myself that I’m going to bring into the world today?
Visualise the highest version of yourself. See her. FEEL her. Breathe in her energy. This is YOU. All you have to do is make the choice.
How can I provide myself with the love and support I need today/ this week?
What nurtures and nourishes me?
What brings me peace, contentment and ‘lightness’ of body and heart?
What is currently depleting my energy that I will do less of today/ this week?
What gives me energy that I will do more of today/ this week?
How can I be kind and helpful today?
What is my key focus/ intention for today?
One key word/ intention to set the tone of the day; How do I desire to FEEL today?
What will the ‘theme’ of today to be? (EG Trust, love, joy, expansion, grounded, growth, self-compassion, energised)
(Note: you may also like to check out my free ‘Sacred self-reflection tool; 101 transformational questions’ resource on my website for further reflection prompts)
5. Gratitude Practice
Here is a beautiful opportunity to focus on what is working really well in your life and what you are grateful for. I find that the best way to do this is to focus on the simple things that we often take for granted. Try and be specific and have new things to be grateful for each day.
I usually choose 5 things to focus on and because this practice is done in the morning, I find myself re-living the previous day in my mind and finding many things to be grateful for from the day that has passed.
If you can, be grateful for the challenges and difficulties you have faced/ may be facing; view them as opportunities for growth. Our most difficult experiences truly are our greatest gifts if we choose to perceive them that way.
I have found that having a gratitude practice is one of the most powerful ways to maintain a positive mindset and connect to my heart.
There are so many fun and creative ways to incorporate a daily gratitude practice; you may even like to create and decorate your own gratitude jar or journal!
6. Visualisation; Visualise your ideal day
This part is extremely powerful (& fun).
It is time to visualise your day ahead and experience the beauty of a wonderful day in your imagination before you join the rest of the world.
Put down your journal and close your eyes. Again, breathe. Find that stillness within.
It helps me to ground down into the earth for this one; imagining I am a tree with thick, sturdy roots that extend way down into the ground beneath me; connecting me to mother nature and her timeless wisdom. Grounding is a beautiful way to get out of your head and into your body and helps to clear your mind; making way for inspiration and creation.
If you feel ‘blank’ and find that nothing is coming through, that is completely OK.
I invite you to use the prompts below to support you in prompting your visualisation.
What is my greatest vision for myself today?
What types of people and experiences do I invite into my life today?
What energy will I bring into the world?
What am I ready to create and manifest in my life?
How do I love to feel and what supports me to feel that way?
What does an ‘ideal’ day look like to me from the moment I wake to the time I go to sleep at night? (Think back to some of your favourite days and what you loved about them. What else might you incorporate into those days that perhaps you haven’t tried before or done in a long time?)
Commit to using the practice of visualisation as a way of teaching your body emotionally what this experience feels like before it happens.
Visualise it and FEEL what it will feel like to ‘be there’ in those moments you have created in your minds eye.
If there has been a situation/ circumstance/ experience that has been triggering you or leaving you feeling frustrated or depleted lately, you may even like to visualise this thing happening in a completely different way today.
We can’t always change certain things in our day but we can change how we choose to perceive them, define them and respond to them.
Spend 5- 10 minutes on this or however long feels good for you.
Allow this beautiful visualisation to guide you through your day.
I hope that my words serve you in some way on your journey.
May your days be filled with love, insight, inspiration, joy, growth & health.
With Love & Light,
Alecia x
