Balance is an elusive concept sometimes.  It’s like having multiple tops and I have to keep them all spinning.  There’s the children top, husband top, business top, housework top, yardwork top, and the list goes on.  I get focused on one top, making sure its not wobbly and spinning smoothly and another falls over.  Ever feel like this? I sure do.  Something I’ve had to learn to do is be patient with myself and not get hung up on perfection, because that can make a person crazy!!  There is however some daily habits that seem to help my days go a little smoother, so I thought I would share those with you.

Yoga

I know this practice takes a bit of time to include it in my day, but it seems to make a big difference.  I don’t always have time for an hour long yoga practice, so if I need to, I pick a shorter one like 15-20 minutes.  Including Yoga into my daily routine really sets the tone for the day.  It helps me ease into acceptance of what will be that day and helps me keep a better focus on what’s really important.  I also love the benefits of stretching out tired or tight muscles from my previous day’s activities.

Meditation  

If I get a Yoga session in, then this practice can go right at the end.  Savasana is corpse pose and is often found at the end of a yoga practice.  It’s about letting go and learning to go through your day without unimportant things bogging you down.  So if I’m pressed for time, then I make sure to include Savasana in my yoga practice and call that my meditation for the day.  If I have a little more time then I try to get in a proper seated meditation.  This doesn’t need to be a complicated process and can take from 5-20 minutes.  One method is to just focus on your breath, and as you breathe in think ‘in’ and when you breathe out think ‘out’.  Don’t try to control the breath, just let the process happen naturally.  Be patient with yourself, and when your mind starts to wander, don’t be critical, just bring it back to your breath and focusing on the ‘in’ and ‘out’.  My mind is always going a mile a minute, so this was a tricky one for me at first, but it got easier the more I did it, and now I crave that stillness.

Gratitude/Prayer/Scripture

I am a religious person and this one really helps me to have a better day.  I express gratitude in prayer for so many things every day, and feel so blessed to be able to live with the many freedoms we have.  I also try to spend some time reading in my scriptures each day as well.  This practice may look very different for each individual depending on their beliefs.  Even just writing down a couple things you are grateful for each day is powerful, and maybe some time reading something that is uplifting or inspiring to you, can help your day start out on a really good note.

Daily Cleansing 

In Ayurvedic Tradition there are daily cleansing rituals that are very beneficial.  Some of these include scraping your tongue, oil pulling, drinking a warm glass of water with lemon, using a neti pot and warm oil or a dry brush massage before you shower.  These practices help to support your digestive system and lymphatic system do their processes better.  I may go over these processes more in depth in a future blog post, so if you would like to know more, then comment below and let me know 🙂

Love & Acceptance

When my day starts to go a little sideways, I always try to bring it back to a space of love and acceptance.  I am so far from perfect and I make mistakes all the time, so it’s fair to assume that others will too.  I can’t begin to understand what each individual I encounter is going through, so I try to just accept that they are in whatever space they are at.  I have no control over how others treat me, I can only control my responses to their actions.  I can hold love in my heart for them during their process and be patient with them if they seem to be having a hard day.  We are all on our own journey through this life and we can help each other along the way with love and a little more acceptance.

Vitamins & Oils

Remembering to take my vitamins is super important.  If I get busy and forget for a few days, I start to notice a difference.  I seem to have less patience with my children and feel way more scattered.  There is a blend called Balance that I like to use each day that really helps me to feel better able to cope with what is thrown my way each day.  I also like to mix up some fun blends of different oils in the diffuser depending on what my mood is.  Sometimes I forget to turn to my oils for support and then I have that duh moment when I think to use them and they totally help me out, and I think why didn’t I think of that sooner.  After using them for many  years, it’s still a mindset shift sometimes.

As I said before I am far from perfect and I don’t accomplish these practices every single day.  If I can try to incorporate at least one of these daily, I call that a win!!  I find when I do, I’m a little more conscious of how I want my day to go, amazingly it does seem to go smoother.  I hope these practices may help you to find a little more balance in your day as well.  What are some of your favorite practices that help you keep things a little more balanced?  I would love to hear them.  Please share them with me 😉