Looking Out My Meditation Window

View lying down

View propped up

View sitting up

Over the past 5 years I’ve practiced a “morning routine” that grew out of a 30-day sadhana, a requirement for my first teacher training. In Sanskrit, sadhana means “an effort exercised towards the achievement of a purpose.”   The amount of time spent is up to each individual but the goal is to establish the ritual that you can do each morning. 

There are many benefits of a sadhana including growth in your yoga practice, a calmer mind, and deeper spiritual connection.  Yoga poses, chanting, reading, praying and meditating are all components of a sadhana; you pick and choose what to include in your ritual.  My sadhana consisted of 10 minutes each of meditation, prayer & yoga poses, followed by reading a poem or reflection.  Continuing this ritual for 30 or 40 days helped to establish it as a habit, something done each day, although what you do may change over time. 

And that brings me to my bedroom window and how my morning ritual has evolved.

On most days, since leaving my marketing job last May, I don’t have to get out of bed right away.  Starting last summer, my husband, who gets up before me, opens the shade of the east facing window opposite our bed. This nice gesture affords me the opportunity to see what it is like outside without disturbing the coziness.  Depending on the position of my pillow and body, I can get a different view of the world. 

My favorite position to start my meditation is lying down.  At this position I can see the corner of the roof on the house next door. To me, this is a view of possibilities.  Not all information about the day is presented.  With open eyes, I look and absorb but try not to think or daydream.  I let thoughts come into my head and then leave, close my eyes and focus on my breath.   

If I decide to continue my morning routine in bed, I prop up my pillows and get a partial view of the neighborhood.   I can see if it’s windy by noticing if the tops of the reeds are swaying.  I can see more of the house next door and a little of the house across the back street. Sometimes there is a light on in that house.  I like to fix my gaze on the reeds. Having a one pointed focus allows me to turn inward and continue meditation or prayer.

When I sit up straight against the wall with the pillow in back of my head I take in the whole view.  The full window view affords glimpses of the ocean, more houses, cars, walkers and runners.  Now I can see the grasses moving and know how windy it is.  I have a better view of the ocean and can watch the waves.  Sometimes there are walkers or runners on the street behind our house and I can tell the temperature by what they are wearing.  (Who needs the weather report!).  Sitting on the bed, I begin some simple movements – seated cat/cows, arm rotations, seated forward bends, side bends, twists, neck and shoulder rolls all the while gazing out at the neighborhood.

At last I get up, sometimes moving to the other room and reading or taking a sun salutation but most days I head downstairs for my tea and leave the yoga poses for a little later.  A nice easy way to start the day.