My life is constantly changing because of my adventurous, gypsy spirit and I have a tendency to completely fall off balance and lose myself when these transitions are occurring. My normally happy, fit, and motivated nature can quickly turn into a moody, lazy and uninspired mess.
My journey to create a more balanced and centered life has evolved greatly over the past few years with the additions of meditation to quiet my mind and yoga to focus my breath. These two tools have become incredibly invaluable parts of my day, but they would not be constants if I had not implemented them into something that I call my “non-negotiables.”
My non-negotiables are basically the consistent activities that establish my daily routine. How I begin my morning can create an even, balanced tone for my entire day or it can leave me feeling unsteady and stressed. My unconscious tendency to check my cell phone/social media first thing in the morning, drink too many cups of coffee, leave my room a mess and wake up later than I should are all habits that leave me feeling unbalanced and unable to easily navigate through the spontaneous disturbances that are part of every day life. My set of non-negotiables are the small positive actions make me feel happy, give me clarity, bring me back to my center and calm some of my crazy inner mind chatter. While they don’t require any conscious thought to whether or not I will do them as they are just a part of my day (and non-negotiable of course), I perform these activities with an active, present mind.
Some of the non-negotiables that serve me well are as simple as making my bed every morning, oil pulling, drinking hot lemon water, limiting myself to two small cups of coffee, drinking a daily green drink, walking for at least 20 minute daily (rain or shine, there is no negotiating) and setting aside time for yoga and meditation, if even for only 15 minutes. What makes these habits stand apart from other daily routines or the not-so-great habits that creep back up from time to time, is that these are always present and there to pick up the slack. That occasional extra cup of coffee that leaves me feeling jittery and dehydrated will be offset by my non-negotiable alkaline green drink.
Although the actual acts of self-care, like yoga, mediation and making good morning beverage choices are the building blocks that help me to feel calmness in a hectic day, it is the structure of making them “non-negotiables” that truly allows me to work toward holding the same kind of balance on and off of my mat. These non-negotiables have arguably been my best guide to finding my inner self.