Welcome to Gingerbread Cottage
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Facebook Group
  • The Front Porch
    • Meet Jeanine
    • How to Create a Hygge Lifestyle
    • Contact Jeanine
  • The Hearth Room
    • The Cozy Corner
  • The Tea Room
    • Daily Tea Rituals
  • The Closet

Try this Ideal Exercise

4/9/2018

16 Comments

 
"For me, there’s no better time to contemplate the world and my place in it than in the early morning. When the house is dark and quiet, with my family still sleeping, I sit for a few minutes in a comfortable chair with a warm cup of coffee, breathe, and just be."-Tom Rapsas, Wake Up Call, Patheos.com

Last week, I mentioned that before we dive into what a hygge spiritual practice is, I had an exercise I’d like for you to try first.

The hygge exercise: make yourself a cup of your favorite tea and grab your journal or a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. I have questions for you to answer…

If you could create an ideal spiritual practice, what would it be like?

What would you do each time?

How would it feel?

What would be the best thing about it, for you?



How to Do the Exercise Step by Step

Picture

Step One: Relax into Peace

Take a few minutes to relax, breathe deeply and slowly in between sips of tea and let yourself release any stress you brought with you to this moment.

Step Two: A Moment’s Meditation

Close your eyes for a moment as you consider those questions. Ask your mind & heart to offer up possibilities while you watch on your inner movie screen.

Your mind may be sneaky and offer up “wouldn’t likes” along with the “this would be goods,” so expect you might have to do a little sorting.

Step Three: Journaling

Open your eyes and continue the process by asking yourself which ideas you liked most and writing those down. Is there anything you are doing already and could tweak to make it into one of those possibilities?

Write that down, too, and choose something you could try in the next day or two as an experiment.



How Did it Go?


Were you able to come up with any ideas you might try or current practices you might tweak?

Let me know in a comment, okay? I’m hoping it went well for you.

But if you’re feeling like there might have been more & you can’t quite think of them, tomorrow, I’ll tell you what I came up with for my own ideal spiritual practice and you can see if it inspires any other ideas. I also have a surprise for you I can’t wait to share.

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine
 


16 Comments
Lily Leung link
4/9/2018 03:59:56 pm

Hi Jeanine:

I do this every morning, except maybe for the journalling. I do it in the head though. It's a very restful practice, easing myself into the day. I don't like the thought of 'jump starting'. It sounds very harsh.
:-)

Lily

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 07:11:07 pm

That's great, Lily, that you have it as a practice already. And I agree, I much prefer a gentler start.

Reply
Martha link
4/9/2018 05:30:15 pm

I actually have two parts, I do my meditation in the morning as soon as I wake up. Sometimes I don't even get out of bed because once I do that, my brain goes in rush mode. I pray, think and plan my day. Then I do this again as I walk quietly around my yard, heading to my mom's garden first. Even though she has been gone since 2000, I still feel her presence and this helps me start my day.

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 07:13:23 pm

Oh, that's lovely, Martha!! Good for you. No wonder you have such wonderful blog posts! And I am so glad to hear that about feeling your mother's presence. I did, at first, but haven't felt much for the past few days, and I thought, "is it over? Already??" But you have reassured me that it must just be an ebb & flow kind of thing. Thx!

Reply
Elaine
4/9/2018 08:15:21 pm

These are great tips! If you're not doing this in the morning, you're missing out! I didn't know this was hygge style. I just started doing this to clear my mind before my day..

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 11:08:15 pm

Oh, that's great, Elaine! Well, one of the things I hear and read a lot is that people were doing hygge before they knew what it was and when they found out, it sort of freed them to go all out with it. That is my story, too, actually!

Reply
Paul Taubman link
4/9/2018 08:44:36 pm

Unfortunately for me, if I try to meditate when I first wake up, I would end up falling back asleep! I have tried this several times and each time it doesn't work for me.

Sigh.

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 11:10:39 pm

Paul, I totally understand. I sometimes try to do it when I first wake up, because I am more relaxed. But if I haven't had enough sleep, I end up asleep again. So once I'm up, I sometimes have to try again.

Reply
Jen link
4/9/2018 09:55:35 pm

It is too late in the evening to make myself a cup of tea, but I will do this tomorrow. This sounds like a great exercise that has the potential for some very good insight.

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 11:12:55 pm

Thank you, Jen!! I know what you mean about the cup of tea. I used to try to have bookend cups - one in the morning and one near bedtime. But sometimes, I am so tired, I just can't make myself go through the process and then wash the cup, too. So now, I am out of the habit.

Reply
Alice Gerard link
4/9/2018 10:34:53 pm

I agree with Roy. A morning meditation session would put me right back to sleep, albeit with a sense of happiness and peace. I find a walk in the woods to be the best experience for me, when I want to explore my spirituality.
(mmmm, tea)

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/9/2018 11:15:08 pm

I can totally see that, Alice! Because taking a walk can be so peaceful, it's easy to think things through and explore possibilities. I feel that way when I am drinking a cup of tea but not doing anything else.

Reply
Christina Weigand link
4/10/2018 09:41:05 am

Sorry I didn't see this yesterday, and I will bookmark it for future practice. I feel as if I tried this right now I would fall asleep, but it looks like an exercise I am willing to try when I am in a different frame of mind and place.

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/10/2018 11:36:30 am

I know what you mean about falling asleep! Maybe after you have had a cup of tea or coffee?

Reply
Snehal Joshi link
4/10/2018 08:41:18 pm

Jeanine! for years journaling has been my way of connecting to myself. Lovely post. I would love to know how do you make these videos ? They are amazing.

Reply
Jeanine Byers link
4/11/2018 12:35:28 am

Hi Snehal! That's great. I used to journal for decades but have gotten out of the habit. For the videos, I use lumen5.com. Thx!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Hi, I'm Jeanine

    Author, hygge lifestyle blogger & connoisseur of delight writing about how to create a hygge lifestyle, with hearthcraft, comfy capsule wardrobe tips and cozy home decorating ideas. More here.
    ​

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    December 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All
    Afternoon Tea
    British Tea Party
    Cozy Lifestyle
    Guided Tea Meditation
    Home Decor Ideas
    Hygge Home
    Hygge Lifestyle
    Hygge Style
    Ideas For Self Care
    Romance Movie: Hallmark
    Signature Style
    Style Guide
    Tea Meditation

    Picture
    Join my Hygge Lifestyle Facebook Group

PRIVACY POLICY:
click here to read it

Welcome! I'm so glad you have come for a visit. I hope you find exactly what you are looking for here. In fact, I hope you'll be comfy & cozy as you take a look around.
Disclosure: Some of my blog posts, or other website pages contain Amazon or other affiliate links for my books, or other books, products or services I recommend. So that means that I may receive a commission or other compensation if you purchase something I've shared with you here.
Photos used under Creative Commons from katrienberckmoes, Abd_Mohrat, Lise1011, schizoform, frederic.gombert, Maria Eklind, wuestenigel, CoCreatr, A_Peach (offline until Xmas), David Paul Ohmer, pom'., wuestenigel, TheUglySweaterShop, Misha Sokolnikov, Carol (vanhookc), Infomastern, Spencer Means, wuestenigel, Me in ME, MattCC716, Maria Eklind, marcoverch, Lise1011, VinothChandar, Ric Capucho, jeffreyw, Handolio
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Facebook Group
  • The Front Porch
    • Meet Jeanine
    • How to Create a Hygge Lifestyle
    • Contact Jeanine
  • The Hearth Room
    • The Cozy Corner
  • The Tea Room
    • Daily Tea Rituals
  • The Closet