Peaceful Morning Moments + Giveaway




New Delhi

My Park

My Morning

Before I head out for a busy day at work I stroll to my nearby park. This park is a sprawl of green in the center of Delhi. What a treat at 7am, the sun is up, yet some night coolness still remains. I and many others flood the paths, sit on the benches, do exercises and yoga. The birdsong, a flock of red whiskered bulbuls in particular, was magnificent. Sketch book in hand, I prowl the paths and lawns, enjoying all the familiar and endearing sights.

This morning I passed two yoga groups- the laughing yoga group, composed of all men- belly laughing, and then my favorite group, a group of middle aged women and men, in every sort of posture, at least half in a different rhythm, enjoying the stretch and breathe of early morning yoga in the park. Few rules, few following them, but all smiling serenely and enjoying the start of day.


Do you have a park that you love, a walk that you take,
or a morning ritual that you enjoy?
Tell me about it and you could the one selected to win a 50.00 gift certificate - for a beautiful treat that will be sure to put a smile on your face.

(please include your email address to contact you - or email me at aprilcornell@aprilcornellholdings.com to enter)



April

Feel Beautiful Live Beautiful Be Beautiful



We have a winner! Please join me in congratulating Koren - the winner of a $50.00 Gift Certificate to April Cornell Online.


25 comments:

Chris said...

Most every morning I begin by praying and reading the scriptures. It helps me to focus on the things that are truly important in life and to thank God for all the many blessings He has given me and my family. Then I do a few exercises ending with some wonderful yoga stretching. When I begin my day like this, it just seems to go Sooo much better!

Géraldine said...

Hi! of course, living in Québec City, I love les Plaines d'Abraham, they are just gorgeous :-) visit http://www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/_en/index.php for more!

Allie and Pattie said...

We are fortunate to be only a short drive away from Duke Gardens and the Duke Chapel which is one of my favorite strolling places here in NC. In NY we lived on the Appalachian Trail and that is unbeatable to my mind. My favorite morning ritual is coffee on the back porch alone in the quiet surrounded by my flowers and books.
How wonderful to be in India!
xoxo Pattie

Anonymous said...

We have a wonderful beach/harbor w/a great circular walk where we can take our springers for a great run/walk w/ no one around for them to bother on early Sunday mornings!!

Lisa
Lmetson(at)wws-ius.com

Fawn said...

My peaceful spot
..a green adriondack chair to relax
..a cup of hot or iced chai tea
..the smell of stocks and sweet peas with a whiff of freshly cut grass
...the sound of chickens pecking
..the occasional sound of a my children playing and laughing
..the view of the mountains and a field of wildflowers and grass
This is my home and it is the most peaceful spot on earth to me...

Joanne Kennedy said...

Yes I do. It's called Huntington Beach Central park. I love going there because it is full of beauty. The trees are old and large, flowers are everywhere and of course Spring is the best time to walk around there. In fact, I just went yesterday and saw ducks with their babies learning how to swim. Bunnies and squirrels. Crane and lots of other birds as well as lots and lots of lizards.

The smells are wonderful too with everything in bloom.

I would love to see a group of the laughing yoga men. I bet they are fun to watch.

Hugs,
Joanne

Connie said...

kayaking on my pond-every day is a different theme, sunny, cloudy, breezy, calm. Two loons calling out to each other. The pond is small and shallow, but each section has it's own different'room'. Across from my dock is a tiny island where the bald eagle often hangs out on the top of the tree. Farther to the right are cattails where the redwing blackbirds visit, and the turtles sun on the many tree stumps. Then there is the little woodsy stream, always quiet and calm. I can just sit and float between the shade and sun. Sometimes I catch sight of a beaver tail as he hurries off to hide in his house, or a muskrat hurrying about his business.

Pam said...

My morning ritual is to stay in bed for a while, drink the coffee my husband has brought to me before leaving for work, and catch up with my email, Facebook and Google reader on my laptop.

free indeed said...

My mornings are now my favorite part of the day. We raised six children; and now, after 30 years, the nest is FIANLY empty...for a while. I love the quiet and non rushed bliss; the sun streaming in the east window through a glass prism reflectin dancing rainbows all around the room! I sit at the table with coffee, my suduko puzzle and my Bible. Spending time with these things, watching the birds in the feeder outside the window....I feel so content with my life. Things may get rough later in the day, but I know that morning will come!

Anonymous said...

I love to wake before my children have started to stir. I hear my husband in the shower,I tip toe down stairs to open the coffee and inhale the aroma a bit. As I wait for the brew, I watch the birds start their day outside my kitchen window hopping from the grass to the old oak tree in my yard.So my day begins full of promise I hear the patter of little feet.Kimberly -B

Fiona said...

I love to walk through the woods near our house. Early morning is beautiful as the birds begin their ritual of song, squirrels scupper across the path, the sun glistens on the leaves as it begins it's journey across the sky. In the distance, you can hear children walking to school half-awake, half-excited about the new day ahead of them.
The day begins as God promised it always would. The world awakens and today is a new day for me and I always think upon this one thing: I will never have this day again. This is it! I begin the day and try to make the best of it. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I don't but the day carries on and and continues in its course anyway. And I am a day older! And the morning dawns another day!

Anonymous said...

My favorite park not far from home is Flushing Park which borders the Flint River. It has lots of shade, winding paths and plenty of wild flowers. Each week there is something new to see as flowers emerge and greet the walking visitors. Occasionally I see a Blue Heron. When they are gone, you know it is late fall and time to put on the fall jackets. The park is beautiful in winter, and sometimes we are the first to leave our footprints on the path.
profmom@comcast.net

RoseofSharonStudio said...

I have been blessed to work with my best friend in a tiny office at the back of a store. On our break we take a quick walk down tree lined streets and then along the river bank where people are fishing, kayaking, reading, and just communing with nature. A mile in 15 min. but a wonderful break in our day. (sometimes we do it at our lunch too!)
Sharon Scott (roseofsharon_ps121@yahoo.com)

Jennifer said...

With two little kiddos, we don't have much of a morning routine here. Ummmmm...does sleeping until the kids wake up count? :)
We love going for walks near our house, though. Our neighborhood has a park with a trail, and while we don't use it as much as we'd like, it is one of our favorite outings.

Anonymous said...

Morning ritual: breakfast, readings from the Bible, singing while the children dance together, chores and then reading together while I nurse the baby. Such is life for homeschooling mom with four children 7.

Anonymous said...

A good morning routine/ritual can make such a difference in your day! Mine includes morning prayer and meditation on scripture or spiritual reading, coffee, breakfast (always!), and bending/stretching/lifting via laundry, kitchen chores, and caring for many children.

Joann ( boandjo@bellsouth.net )

Emily said...

What a wonderful experience! I am just starting to have a morning ritual. I love any place that I can hear birds singing in the morning in the cool air. Just taking the dog out to the field behind our apartment complex is nice. I love the sunrise. I used to see it every day as I drove to work, so now that I stay home with my daughter it is good to get myself up early enough to see it again.
Thank you for this inspirational post!
emily.falke@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I don't have a park near by but I do have a bike trail near by that is wonderful. It's the old rail way tracks going from baltimore to annapolis. it's wonderful and peaceful. such a great place to stroll, walk, run and or bike with friends or your little ones. everyone on the trail is so friendly. wonderful place to enjoy the sunshine as it peaks through the trees as you pass by homes and farms. such a wonderful place to see all the birds and squrrels.
thanks
korenlaverdiere@yahoo.com

Linda said...

This time of year, I love to go to a small old heritage church in the country. There is an old graveyard there, with daffodils, tulips and the wild dog toothed violets scattered all around the church. There is an old oak tree there and close-by trees in bloom with a bench beneath it. I go into the old church, which usually has a bouquet of flowers inside and sit for awhile and thank God for this beautiful place.

Sandi Linn Andersen said...

Yes, I have a park that I love, actually two of them. I don't visit them often as they are in my home state of Iowa (I live in MN) but I usually get there at least once a year. The first park is Dolliver Park and it holds special memories of family picnics, splashing in the creek waters with my cousins, Bible School picnics and so many family reunions! Our first family reunion was held there in 1929 and the tradition still continues although we don't always meet at the same park. We also use the local Ballpark Shelter because it's more accessible for the elderly family members that attend the reunions. So that's my second favorite park. We hold our class reunions there and so both parks are great places to re-connect. Locally, I love my own backyard and like to think of it as my own little private park. We moved here three years ago and I still look out and can't believe I'm lucky to have such a pretty view!

Lori-Anne said...

I live on the edge of a park, and love walking its serpentine path in the morning. There's a skateboard park on one end and a playground and waterpark on the other, seperated by a large expanse of grass, so the people you see enjoying the space are diverse. There are old people strolling, mothers with push-chairs, kids on bikes, boards and scooters, rollerbladers and dog walkers. There's also an amusing turf war between the crows and the seagulls that's highly entertaining. When you go everyday you get to recognize the regulars and it feels like a little community.

Linda said...

I am building my own park in my yard. With spring in the air, I am enjoying the breezes and getting my hands dirty. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, I will be enjoying picnics on my porch surrounded by the gardens I am planting.
celticcherokee@gmail.com

Unknown said...

After a long winter, I love how our small neighborhood wakes up as spring arrives. Every day is different, one day the azaleas bloom, the next the daffodils. One day the grass is dry and burned, the next it is green and alive after the morning rain. One day the sun rises between the baren trees, the next brings heay rain clouds over the pink blossoms of the cherry trees. I get my bicycle out, before the sun comes up and my family wakes up, and ride it between the sleepy houses of my neighborhood. When I return the sun is up and the day begins: coffee, work, telephone calls, toddler games... mundane. But there was something very special about my solitary morning.

Julie said...

I love the big old park downtown with huge shade trees and lots of benches to sit on and relax.

Julie said...

I love the big old park downtown with lots of shade trees and benches to sit on and relax or read while the kids play. epalmese@hotmail.com Julie

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