YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health YMCA SUMMER 2020 | Page 6

FIONA KRIARIS
Fiona Kriaris is a health and fitness professional with YMCA Victoria, who is pioneering
mindfulness and meditation at the YMCA, to bring a more holistic approach to health
and fitness. A graduate of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Centre in Los
Angeles, Fiona’s studies in this field extend internationally, and she brings global
leading trends to a local environment with compassion and integrity.
MINDFUL
MORNINGS
Fiona Kriaris helps to transform your morning grind
into a routine you can’t live without.
typical morning may start by
waking up to an alarm, pressing
snooze a few times, until finally
succumbing to checking the smartphone
and scrolling through emails or social
media while still in bed. A few more
minutes here before time becomes the
enemy and there is a rush to get ready,
then race out the door and grab a coffee
on the way to work. This automatic mode
is not uncommon; it’s a habitual response
to the daily grind. It can be hard to notice
these habits as they have become
ingrained to the point of becoming
invisible, making it hard to change what
can’t be seen. Yet the way we live our
lives is through a series of habits that
form routines. Changing one habit can be
a powerful way to transform our life. One
way in which we can do this is by
creating a morning ritual.
A
A habit or routine is something we do
automatically (i.e. with little attention),
whereas a ritual is an action with
intention and purpose behind the
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YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020