After reading the first article your mind probably started thinking a million possibilities. Most of you probably either: still do not understand how 10 simple steps can make you feel joy at all times or have already started to create your own expectations. No matter what your reaction was, you completely forgot to be present!

How can something work if you are not here?
Being centred and grounded is a prerequisite for any successful accomplishment in life. You can have many ideas and great motivation, but if you do not know how to centre and focus your energy as well as your attention properly in order to materialise the ideas, nothing will ever happen. It is impossible to bring your incredible ideas down to earth if you do not connect with the ground beneath you properly.

There are many different ways to ground and centre and here are some wonderful ideas for you to experiment with:

• Use your breath: Put your hand on your belly, close your eyes and just breathe in and out. While you are doing this, try to clear your mind. Forget about what you were just thinking. Feel the moment and your breath. It will take only ONE MINUTE OF YOUR TIME. To deepen your experience, use grounding scents such as: cedar, cypress, sandalwood and vetiver.
• Feel and connect: Walk barefoot or take mud baths.
• Nurture and take care of your digestion: Drink grounding herbal teas (dandelion root, wild cherry bark, rose and motherwort) and eat food which grows in the earth (spinach, sweet potato, beets, parsnip, carrot, squash and legumes).
• Create: Ground your ideas and thoughts by writing them down or drawing them.
• Move consciously using Asanas or Yoga postures for centring and grounding: SAMASTHITI – CENTRING POSE.

Take a conscious moment
No matter which of the above-mentioned activities you choose to engage in, the most important for your first week of practice is to allow yourself to take conscious time for yourself, even if it is only for a short deep breath. Just make this one breath a conscious action.

For those who would like to do more, try to schedule a couple of minutes in the morning and in the evening and take a conscious time for yourself. It could be five minutes or an hour. If you decide to practise for longer periods, whilst observing your breath, many thoughts may cross your mind but this is OK, just relax. Be aware of them, let them be and tell them that you will come back to check upon them later. Do not worry about the fact they will be long gone when your practice is over. Bring your awareness back to your breath and your being. Observe and connect with yourself.

Make your conscious moment special
For each moment you take some conscious time this week, be grateful and congratulate yourself. You are making a change and little by little you are on the way to feeling joy at all times. Give it a name, do it in a special place or manner and make a new habit out of it. Most importantly of all – enjoy it fully! Get completely absorbed in it, look forward to it and maybe make it last longer than you had planned.

Observe yourself and your reactions during the week
In order to increase your presence during this first week, it is a good idea to observe your reactions. Do you love what you have just started to do or are you insecure about it? Do you feel awkward or maybe you believe it is not for you? Just observe whatever comes to your mind without judgement or over analysing it. If you manage to observe your reactions and thoughts for the entire week, you may notice a change.

Share joy
As you continue taking time for yourself and your practice, share how you feel and what you are doing with your best friends or people who might benefit from doing the same as you. Remember when we do things together they get much better!

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