Starting Rituals

We all have those days where we don’t want to go to class. 

Last year, one day a couple hours before class, my best friend texted me from his hospital bed that the doctors just discovered he had cancer.

There wasn’t anything I could do, so I went to class, although my mind was miles away.

We start each class with the same routine. We line up. We bow to the flags and to the instructor. We do warmups. We do basics. We sit and do meditative breathing. There is comfort in the routine. 

On this day, as on many challenging days, it is by the end of warm ups that my mind has shifted from the cares of the world to being in the moment with my training. It's a welcome respite.

The consistent starting ritual signals to our minds that it’s time to train. And it’s the endorphins from physical movement that ease the stress and put us in the moment.

We can use starting rituals in our daily lives, too. 

How do you start your morning? How do you start your work day? How do you prepare for a study session? What do you do before you call someone on the phone? 

Starting rituals help us transition from one mental state to another. They signal what’s coming next. And they ease our natural resistance to change and doing things that might seem difficult.

Location, what you wear, food and drink, organizing your tools, what you read or watch or listen to, these can all be components of your starting rituals. 

What are your starting rituals? Where could you use one to do something challenging?