Camino Prep: Shifting My Morning Flow

​After my first walk...
Writing and coffee in 
my jungle bedroom.

Shifting morning flow to prepare for The Camino. (Warning, a discussion of bodily functions may be TMI for some ;) 
​
My morning routine has been fairly consistent for a long time. Even before my friend and brilliant author/teacher davidji coined the acronym ‘RPM’, I have done so. What is RPM? Rise, pee, meditate. In other words get up, attend what needs attention and sit for meditation before beginning to engage in the day. (I have practiced mantra meditation for over 20 years, it is the Heart of my Spiritual practice).

My actual morning flow looks like this: RPMCP​...

After meditation I drink my one and only coffee of the day. For me coffee is a quick acting laxative so I will leave it to you to figure out what the second ‘P’ is. 

Until the last month here on Kauai when I do morning walks, I have my coffee first. With my Kapah body I do not eat first thing in the morning. (Kapah is one of the 3 Ayurvedic doshas. Kapaha is earth and water, a physiology that is solid, strong, goes a long way on a little). A Kapha body slows down with food so it is always a good thing to exercise before eating.

For the last month, I have shifted my ‘C’ (coffee) time. My first walk of the day is with sunrise so I go quickly from bed to walking. If I were to drink coffee then, the ‘second P’ would show up a couple miles down the path, or in other words, a couple miles away from a bathroom. To avoid that potential issue, I have been returning home after my morning walk and have my coffee then.

About my morning meditation for the last month. I have shifted it a bit also… I still RP, but I then get back in bed and practice my meditation in bed. In general this is not a optimal way to meditate because the tendency is to go back to sleep. Yet it is 'working' as I have been so ‘awake’ early in the morning and the rooster outside of my window, who doesn't even come close to waiting until sunrise, is a bit like a Temple bell. Reminding me to gently choose my mantra over sleep!

The other wonderful discovery I am making is that no coffee before my morning walk has another benefit. Being present with sunrise and no caffeine, I am experiencing that during the walk, my mind remains quiet, insightful and meditative. Lovely! My morning meditation extends into walking. 

And about preparing for walking The Camino… I am going to keep this flow after I return to Portland. It feels like the perfect morning intention for walking The Way. Sleeping in albergues, (pilgrim hostels) means bunk beds and a room full of people. Settling into the practice of meditation in bed will be necessary. I love the sunrise time. The flow of early rising, walking for a few hours, then coffee and breakfast/brunch while resting (and waiting for the second P), to then continuing my walking day... This feels like ‘my’ stride.

‘My Stride’ is one of the things I am seeking in walking The Way… That I am already finding it, shows that walking The Camino, The Way, begins the moment you say ‘Yes’.  

I read many Camino forums and am part of a couple Camino Facebook groups. I have read and taken part in every imaginable conversation about preparing to walk. Yet, I don't remember ever seeing one about the ‘second P’. I am grateful that my consideration of it helped me find a flow to the first half of my day that feels perfect for me. See… You never know where insight will come from!!!

With full knowledge that The Way will at times, ‘invite’ me into a different plan… This Peregrina (Woman Pilgrim) will be walking the first half of my day like this: RPMWCP :) Then... What yummy thing will I eat for brunch!?!