MORNING MINDFULNESS & MILIS
I wasn’t always a morning person, I was actually far from it and possibly one of the grumpiest early birds who was not really bothered about the worm. This was largely because I felt like my morning routine wasn’t my own; it was an hour or so squeezed in before school, and then in my later years work or college, at the mercy of everyone else schedules. Mornings felt like the were tediously wedged in dress rehearsals, a practice run before we could all actually begin to perform. Also, as someone who speaks candidly about their mental health, some mornings were a lot heavier than others.
I wanted to change my relationship with the start of the day and in turn with myself. Most of all, I wanted to reclaim the morning as my own before interacting with the rest of the world. With that in mind, over the last couple of years and in particular during the lock-downs here in Ireland when my free-time opened up considerably, I focused on giving myself the space to soak in all the goodness the early hours can offer us. I allowed my mind to go with the ebb and flow of these minutes instead of pushing or pulling against them. More broadly as a result, this mindfulness practice has now extended throughout my day – showing up in small, often unexpected moments and it has taught me how to deal with the uncertainty of life. In fact, this uncertainty has become part of the beauty of living rather than something I fear; which is a massive step for me.
Of course, like everything I do I’ve tried to curate my morning practice with the most sustainable, natural and minimal accompaniments as possible. For me, one of the major components of my mediation, yoga, work space and wind-down atmosphere is a candle, with one always glowing in my space. There is such comfort and peace in that little light, it signals hope and a new journey or phase and it is filled with little indents of the days you took the time to sit in its company. After a rainy day drive to Kinvara a number of months back, and a browse around the loveliest little store Cuckoo Craft and Design, I decided to pick small Irish business Milis as my mediation and self-care candle of choice. So, as you can imagine, when I was given the opportunity to share my mindfulness journey and collaborate with Milis on my socials, I was over the moon.
Fiona hand pours her thoughtful soy wax creations with vegan, cruelty-free and natural ingredients and presents them like decadent treats in beautiful, eco-friendly and mindful packaging. Her curated collection of scents all remind me of childhood, Dad’s garden and my Mam making her morning coffee so there is something incredibly soothing about having those nostaligic scents fill up my room, especially right now when we’re apart.
During these times, after my meditation I have been writing little letters and sending small gifts to those I love and when Fiona told me that Milis also offers gift boxes and a candle subscription service I thought it was such a lovely idea for my Mam (hello Mother’s Day) and for myself. You can get three month, six month or monthly rolling subscriptions in which a beautiful candle is delivered to your door every month with the odd little gift or new product sample tucked inside every now and then. Plus, as Fiona is a full-time Oncology nurse, with each purchase there is a donation to The Irish Cancer Society.
Having incorporated lots of thoughtful moments into my mindfulness practice, I now relish my mornings and have anchored a lot of my healing journey to the quietness of this time. My morning meditation routine is one of my favourite self-love practices. I am grateful for the gentle stillness which permeates these hours when much of the world is still at rest. I open my window, let my fresh tea cool, set up some affirmation cards to pull for after, light my candle and begin to observe my breath, not forcing anything; just simply being present while the room fills with love, light and sweet scents.
P A P E R M A C H E M I N D
Thank you so much to Fiona from Milis for collaborating with me on this piece. You can browse all her wonderful scents here, read more about her ethos here, and learn about the Milis subscription boxes here. Plus, you can follow the Milis journey on Instagram – it’s such a lovely corner of the internet and always brightens my feed. For those of you in Galway I’ve spotted Milis in both Cuckoo Craft and Design, Kinvara and in Tree Bark Store, Moycullen.
