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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with journalist Vishva Samani, a Hindu centred in Vedanta, the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads.

Good morning. We’ve more or less reached the middle of March, which counting from January 1st is well past the supposed 66 days it takes to establish a new habit.

Having spent part of the Christmas break in retreat, away from the daily endless demands of family life, I decided at the end of 2019 - a year and a half after giving birth to my second daughter - that it was time to put some effort into waking up early and spending time in prayer and contemplation before the days begins.

Of course my husband and I were already being woken reasonably early by our 4 year old daughter and for a long time at various painful moments throughout the night by the natural needs of a baby.

I’m glad to say that so far I’ve more or less stuck to my new routine of early to bed and early to rise – enjoying my child-free moments a little more in the dark and reflective silence of the morning instead of slumped on the sofa watching television late into the night.

While my four year old often beats me to my early alarm clock, I’ve managed to carve out this special time type of ‘me-time’ for half an hour each morning – a chance to reflect on my thoughts and deeds, read contemplative scriptural verses and mentally prepare myself to bravely face whatever the day ahead will bring.
It is deeply rejuvenating.

Despite having access to so much that is meant to make our lives easier, many struggle with the pace of modern life.

So let us pray today, that whatever time of day it is, we are each able to find a quiet moment at least once, to breathe, reflect and apply poise and focus to our day.