Hello! Writing to you today from the balcony outside of my hotel room in Guanacaste, Costa Rica (also taking note of this so that if I ever re-read this post I can visualize the beauty of this vacation.. another post on that soon). But the actual reason I wanted to write this post today is because it’s June 1st! Yay! June has always been one of my favorite months. When I was young, it signified the freedom from school and the start of what used to seem like a long summer of going to the lake and hanging out with friends. It also has often marked the beginning of new jobs for me nannying or at summer camps with kiddos, and sometimes travel too.
Either way, I’ve always looked at June as the beginning of something special, and a time to reset my intentions and visualize what I want the summer months to look like. Often times we can get caught up in a fog, especially if the winter season has dragged on too long, followed by an almost unexistant spring. It’s crazy that June marks the halfway point of the year, but its also all the more reason to realign our mind to be more clear, driven and goal oriented.
To help prompt myself to practice what I preach, I’ve thought of 3 goals or intentions that I plan to work towards in the coming months.
Goal #1 is to begin practicing kundalini yoga and increase my meditation practice. I have developed an awesome morning routine that includes yoga, meditation and journaling, but I would never consider myself anywhere near an ‘expert’ at any of these things. I believe that meditation is so powerful, and after just 10 minutes of it I feel more clear-headed and energized to begin my day. But for me, it’s also something that is so easy to put off because of –insert any excuse possible-. Another great practice aligned with meditation and breathing techniques is kundalini, which is the first ever originated form of yoga. I learned about it a month or so ago from The Balanced Blonde’s soul on fire podcast (which I highly reccomend!). The girls over at High Vibe Livin are total kundaini guru’s, and they share so much insight on it through social media and their website.
Goal #2 somewhat goes off of #1 in that I really need to develop a better nightly routine. I think I’ve been putting this one off for a long time because I know that it involves shutting off the phone/any screen time before bed. I don’t know why I’m so scared to venture over to the screen-free side for the last conscious hour of my day, when everything I could be looking at and scrolling through will be there in the morning.. definitely something I will most likely have to remind myself of everyday. I’ve read so many great articles on how to change your nightly routine to be more soothing and relaxing, which also helps prepare you for a deeper sleep. Some practices are so simple too, such as drinking tea or golden milk, taking a bath, and reading. These are all things I love to do anyways, so I am excited to start making it more of a priority.
Goal #3 is to enjoy more of the outdoors. Being in Costa Rica has made me incredibly amazed by the beauty of nature, and while San Diego may not be quite as beautiful, I’d say it’s up there as one of the best places to get outside. The best part about this goal is that it can be achieved without spending any money! A huge plus when living in California, or anywhere these days. I am so fortunate to be able to get in my car and drive to the ocean, or to a mountain for a hike. Im super pumped for this goal, and while I don’t want to make it too specific, I’m hoping that I will be able to incorporate it at least once a week.
As I wrote this post I came up with a great idea of sharing my journey towards each of these topics on the blog with you all throughout the summer. So if you are interested in one or all of them, then stay tuned. Setting goals can be really easy, and my advice would be to sit somewhere comfortable with a pen and paper (or computer or phone) and write them down. The practice of writing them down helps you manifest your intentions so much better, and helps to hold yourself accountable. Good luck and feel free to share with me and others, I’d love to hear what you hope to achieve this summer!
Kindly, Katie
Kindly Katie 