A good night's sleep

"Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep."-Mohandas Gandhi

Morgan's recipe for a fabulous night's sleep:

1. Set your sleeping and waking intentions, for example: "I sleep soundly at ten PM and wake up feeling vibrant and rested at 6am"
2. Take a body inventory...what aches? what needs love? google a quick yoga sequence on youtube and spend 15-20 minutes in long holds opening your shoulders, nourishing your aching quads, flexing and pointing your feet.
3. Eat a nutritious meal no later than 3 hours before bed.
4. Get cozy. Wear something soft and lovely. Darken the room completely. Stop playing on the internet a half hour before bed. focus on your breath.

How do you prepare for sleep? Has it been successful? Do you do any of the above and if so does it help? Take a little inventory, shift some of your practices, and see what comes up for you. I am mainly writing this because it wouldn't hurt for me to revisit this list often.

Oh yes! and happy halloween.

xoMorgan

Celebrate your inner rockstar

"I don't keep up with the Joneses, I am the Joneses."-NeNe Leakes

There is something so ridiculously cool about Janis Joplin. I love to play her albums and feel transported to her era...I imagine I'd be rocking a giant faux fur vest, bell bottoms, and tinted shades. I would be mellow and in love with the earth. Awed by mother nature and sweet soulful music.

Sense memories are so powerful. A favorite cd, scented candle, the way the air feels one morning can deeply impact my mood. When I lose sight of who I am and what makes me happy I sometimes wish things were easier or I start comparing myself to others. Instead why not dig deep and find that inner rockstar, inner budhette, inner raw foods chef, inner CEO and redirect my thought train before it spirals off the track.

So at those times when I feel a little less than...a little un-Janis...a little disconnected from my inner radiance...I vow to come back to my mantra...developed here and now and inspired by NeNe:

I don't keep up with the Joneses I AM the Joneses. I am perfect, whole and complete right this moment. And so are you.

xoMorgan

Live Your Dreams

FFT: "I should peddle butterflies
there's a shortage in the city
i'll stand on a street corner
mysterious and giddy
when the passersby passby
i will open up my trenchcoat
they will see the butterflies
dangling like fake rolexes
every morning i wake up with a purpose and a smirk."-Regina Spektor

Every day that I live my dreams is a day I really live. This can mean:
-Making an impromptu vision board at work in my cube filled with: pictures of European landmarks, Icelandic artistry, the scrawling of loved ones, and a snapshot of neon kayak's against a cloudless blue sky in Waikiki.
-Starting my day with a green smoothie or the entire batch of kale chips I intended to snack on over the course of a few days (whoops) and feeling so ALIVE.
-Setting an intention and celebrating when I see its benefits
-Teaching a new yoga sequence and inspiring courage, strength, and compassion in my students.
-Practicing kapalabati (breath of fire) on my walk home.

Like Regina's butterfly peddler, I dream big and wake up every day with a purpose and a smirk. I smile from the inside and it radiates. I have millions of dreams. Whenever a new desire approaches I feel excited. More to want. More to visualize. More to be pleased about.

I notice there is more clarity and ease in this process when I eat in a clean way. When I eliminate caffeine, alcohol, all nighters, and dairy from my "god pod"-Kris Carr's catchy term for our bodies-and up my intake of greens, wheat grass, spirulina, and water-it rocks my world. I feel clearer so that I can be a vessel for healing, dreaming, and receiving joy.

Try it tonight. Focus on your dreams. Visualize them in 3D. Breathe into your vision and let any doubts exit through your fingers and toes as you exhale.

Until tomorrow!

xoMorgan

Embracing "the lesson" in Criticism

FFT: "Reduce intellectual and emotional noise until you arrive at the silence of yourself, and listen to it."-Richard Brautigan

Today I got "criticized" at work. I wouldn't even call it criticism, really. More like a critique. What is the difference? From my perspective, being criticized is more subjective/emotional, while a critique is used to evaluate a given situation or person in an objective and analytical fashion.

7 months ago, in my mind, there was no difference between the two. If you were telling me I "did something wrong" I was crushed. If you praised me I felt proud. There were no grey areas. But OH! did this not serve me-to be so categorical in my organization of feedback. It made me ADDICTED to praise without understanding the richness and true meaning behind a critique. So when I finally figured this out, I realized this: It is EMPOWERING to understand that not everyone is going to like everything you do. It is EMPOWERING to take what I need from feedback and not bash myself over the head with the "noise." When I allow the feedback to resonate I can absorb it, silently parsing out the bruised ego from the lesson.

Today's lesson? If I call a meeting I should be on top of ending the meeting...even if it totally spirals and everyone is on their own tangents and people WAY MORE important than me are going on and on...if there is even the slightest lull in the room it is my responsibility to gently nudge everyone to conclude, while pacifying any fears by assuring the group that the issue will be resolved at a later date.

7 months ago I may have gone and cried in the bathroom because I "handled things poorly." Or spent three hours on the phone with my boyfriend (sorry Tom) or friend (sorry Amanda) trying to figure out why oh why! things went so tragically wrong.

By breathing in and breathing out. Getting quiet. Reducing the noise. And finding the lesson in the situation I come out winning. In fact...I am a better employee, leader, and meeting caller for it.

It is a lesson I have to keep on practicing. Listening with an open heart and letting the process of growing be easy. Choosing to grow through joy. If I am going to get feedback either way...I might as well find a way to enjoy it :).

Until tomorrow!

xoMorgan

Threading the needle

Food for thought of the day (FFT):

"Today, bring whoever you encounter a gift: a compliment or flower. Gratefully receive gifts. Keep wealth circulating by giving and receiving care, affection, appreciation and love."-Deepak Chopra



Lately my favorite yoga pose has been threading the needle from anahatasana. Anahatasana is basically child's pose (press your hips back over your heels and reach your arms in front of you letting your chest melt into the earth...a very rooted posture)with a bit more kick. In anahatasana you actually lift your hips up away from your heels and press your sitz bones back towards the ceiling behind you. you then reaaaach your arms in front of you. The more open yogi will have their chin (rather than their forehead) on the mat and may even work towards their chest fully making contact with the earth. Why is this pose SO key for me? It is a MEGA shoulder opener. It is typically done to prepare for handstands to really "turn on" the shoulders, triceps, etc....but what I find is that after a long day at my corporate job what I need is a MASSAGE. This pose really gives a juicy stretch to the traps and rhomboids-the muscles that retract your shoulders (can we say TIGHT!?) And because I always am seeking a little more oomf! in my life...whether on or off the mat...I love to thread the needle in this pose (see picture for complete posture). Ohhh the sweet release! I tend to duck out of a couple of down dog interludes during a vinyasa class to take a few of these puppies.

That's really all I've been up to since my last update in August...threading the needle :).

Check back in tomorrow. I'm going to be posting daily. I need a little more inspiration and positivity in my world. How bout you?

xoMorgan