How to start your day

George Clark, 04 September 2007

 

Most individual self improvement programmes recommend a schedule of early to bed and early to rise. The details of this will, however, depend on how your life is organised. Living with a spouse and kids is different from living alone; and both of these are different from institutional settings such as boarding school, military barracks or spiritual cloisters[1]. Ideally you should get up just before dawn as this is a time of new beginnings and therefore conducive to self improvement. Be flexible.

There are many self improvement options but here we look briefly at three which deal in turn with improving the body, mind and spirit.

The body

A programmed session of physical exercises (aerobics/ callisthenics) are a good way to wake up the body and to move it towards increased fitness, strength and stamina. This need not involve a lot of equipment and fashion accessories. The main thing is to be regular and not to take short cuts[2]. Those who would be healthy in mind need a healthy body.

 

For those who prefer something more gentle there is the Yoga option with an interplay between body and mind aimed at stretching, suppleness and balance[3].

The mind

For those who feel the need to develop their creative writing muscle there is the option of producing 'morning pages'. This involves allowing a flow of consciousness to become written notes for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. Get going before the censor wakens. Just keep writing – quality does not matter. This process deepens with practice and amazing insights appear[4].

The spirit

The spirit is best refreshed through stillness. Sit up straight in a dignified way and let go of all thoughts that stray into the past and the future. Do this for 5 to 20 minutes at a time. It is useful to rest attention lightly on the breathing as a focal point which is neutral and ever present. When attention moves away, as it will, then gently pull it back[5]. A delightful calmness results and this is a solid foundation for your new day.

 

You may find it impractical to engage in all three activities every day. But you could establish a schedule with alternate activities on alternate days. You might then find it useful in the evening to keep a journal to record the effects of starting your day with the different activities. 

Why should you bother with any of the activities? Because otherwise you will most likely become physically,  intellectually and spiritually wasted!

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[1] in institutional settings you might have to use flat-backed options ie do your own thing in your own way between waking and rising.

[2] There are many useful websites giving free instruction. Over the years I have found this book to be really useful and inspiring – Laurence E Morehouse & Leonard Cross ( 1975) Total Fitness in 30 minutes a week; Guild Publishing, London. Copies are available second hand from Amazon.

[3] Jon Kabat-Zinn is a good source of a basic schedule – get his Mindfulness Meditation Practice CDs (Series 1)  from www.mindfulnesstapes.com

[4] The basic scheme comes from Dorothea Brande (1934) Becoming a Writer; ISBN 0333653777 and it is revitalised in Julia Cameron (1998) The Right to Write; ISBN 0333782038

[5] There are many useful websites. Those who prefer to avoid 'eastern exotica' might like to investigate the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).