14: Waking Up On Purpose

Have you ever noticed how your mornings set the tone for your entire day? In this episode of Return to Her, I’m sharing a deeply personal practice that has completely transformed the way I move through my mornings—and my life. It’s called waking up on purpose, and it’s about bringing mindfulness, intention, and spiritual connection into those first moments of the day.

Whether you’re navigating chronic fatigue, seeking more peace, or simply wanting to feel more present in your mornings, this episode will give you practical and soulful ways to start your day with intention.

Transcript

You didn't come here to simply survive. You came here to thrive. To reconnect and to remember who you truly are.

Welcome to the Return to Her podcast, where we uncover the knowledge that empowers us and discover the wisdom that's always been inside! Here, we blend spiritual insights, modern psychology, and embodied wellness practices to help us realign all aspects of our being: body, mind, and soul. This is where science meets spirituality, and true wellness becomes our way of life.

I'm Cassie Dalton—yoga teacher, energy worker, holistic coach, and intuitive guide. While I'm still walking my own wellness and spiritual path, my mission now is to walk beside you as you return home to your most authentic and empowered self. Now is the time to return to her.

The content shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a qualified professional for any personal health or wellness concerns.

Now let's dive into today's episode.

Hello again. Thank you so much for coming back this week to Return to Her. I wanted to start by saying that my husband informed me last week that there was something weird with my audio quality—that maybe I didn't have the settings adjusted on my microphone or something. I couldn't figure out how to make it better, so I went ahead and posted what I recorded because I thought it was a great message, and I know that you all are so graceful and forgiving that it would be just fine if it wasn't perfect.

I also want to say, probably from my own part, that I remember I was twirling a lot in my chair and looking out my door at the nature around me. This time of year just makes me so giddy, like a little kid. So that probably played a part. Today, I'm trying very hard to sit up nice and tall, keep my chair still, and face the microphone the whole time. So I hope that will be enough.

Also, I will say that I have my crystal singing bowls in my little sacred building where I do this work, and I think they might be picking up some of the vibration from my voice and echoing it. That could be part of the issue too. I also have my doors open again, so who knows what the sound quality issue was. Hopefully, this time it will be better. And if it's not—again, please—I'm asking for your grace and understanding as I try to get all the technical aspects handled as we continue to learn and grow in this process.

So all that to say: thank you for being here, and thank you for your support. I really appreciate each and every one of you.

Today, I wanted to share something that has changed the way that I move through my days. Before I do that though, I thought it would be sweet and really special to start today's episode with a pull from my oracle card deck.

Those of you who have done Reiki in person with me, and maybe even distance Reiki depending on the session, have had the opportunity to draw a card from one of my decks. Most of you really draw something that hits spot-on—something that we were talking about or something that you needed to carry with you to meditate or reflect on.

So I thought it would be kind of cool, kind of fun, to start today's episode with that so that whoever is listening to this now or in the future might feel a sense of that energetic transmission—and receive a message I believe was divinely orchestrated for you to hear.

One of my favorite decks is called Daily Guidance from Your Angels, and I pulled a card for all of us. I'm going to read it and let the message hit if it hits. If something resonates, take that with you. If it doesn’t, stick around because today's episode is still going to be powerful, and I’m going to give you an awesome way to shift into your day.

Here is the card I pulled: Joy.

"Joy is the highest energy of all. It is the magical sense that everything is possible. Joy springs from appreciating the gifts within each moment. Joy allows you to attract and create your present and future moments at their highest possible levels."

I'm going to go into the guidebook, because there's always a little bit more—something that someone here might need to hear.

"You drew this card as a reminder that your power comes from staying centered in a feeling of joy. Ask your angels for guidance about any changes you can make to bring more joy into your life and the lives of others. If you're feeling trapped or victimized in any way, the angels can ease your burdens. A joyful outlook brings the freedom you desire, while your responsibilities are simultaneously met.

Additional meanings for this card:

• Release or heal any parts of your life that are not joyful.
• The answer to your question involves choosing the route that brings you the most joy.
• Release fears while manifesting and instead focus on feeling the joy as if your desire were already a reality."

That is actually really powerful, and I just put it together while reading that. A couple of days ago, I’ve been doing a lot of work in this space where I do the podcast. I think I maybe mentioned a couple of episodes ago that my husband, who is so talented in so many ways, built me a little house. It sounds funny to say, but it’s a finished-out shed—a she shed, for lack of a better term.

This is where I have my desk, a chair, a bookshelf that holds my crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, and other good stuff that helps me feel really connected to spirit and source. For the last week or two, I’ve felt a strong sense that I needed to shift the energy in here. So I moved things around, reoriented the space, took out old furniture that wasn’t serving the space anymore, and brought in new things that felt aligned.

While doing this, I was really focused on creating a space that holds my energy and heart so that when I’m doing my sacred work—through the podcast, client sessions, intuitive channeling, whatever it may be—the space supports me.

Yesterday, while sitting outside and looking into the woods (this little house is mostly surrounded by nature), a flock of bluebirds appeared out of nowhere and began jumping around on the branches in front of me. It felt like a divine moment—a message. They made me stop everything I was doing. I paused and watched. After they flew away, I looked it up. Bluebirds are associated with joy, lightness, renewal, and a sense of rebirth. They can be seen as messengers from angels or divine souls, however you perceive that.

Just like the card said: "Joy is the highest energy of all." The synchronicity of it made me pause. That card and that bluebird moment—they were clearly connected.

So thank you for coming along on that little ride with me.

Okay, so to get back into the actual content of the episode: as I said before, I wanted to share something that has really helped me change the way I move through my days.

I told you all before that I am no stranger to chronic fatigue. It's something that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I think it’s associated with my hormonal imbalance, and I'm also learning that as a highly sensitive person, it's probably a response to overstimulation that I’m learning to manage.

One thing that has really helped me is how I start my day.

Have you ever noticed how those first moments of your morning really set the tone for everything else? If you wake up with rushed, chaotic energy, it can leave you feeling off-balance in everything you do. But if you wake up slowly—maybe you got to sleep in a bit, or you weren’t immediately flooded with thoughts of everything you had to do—then everything just flows more smoothly.

This realization changed things for me. I began to pair a phrase with the way I wanted to wake up and show up in the world every day: I call it waking up on purpose.

Being intentional about those first moments of the morning, honoring both the science and the spirituality of waking up.

Because I struggled with chronic fatigue and adrenal burnout, I had to be mindful about how I started each day. It felt like I only had so much energy to expend before it was gone—and some days, I started with an emptier tank than others.

And what I discovered was powerful: the way we wake up affects us on every level—physically, emotionally, spiritually.

So today, I want to invite you to explore what waking up on purpose could look like for you. It might be different from how I do it, but I want to plant the seed and let it grow in your own way. Give yourself the gift of starting your day in a way that truly supports your body, mind, and soul.

What could be better than that?

There is actually a lot of science behind why your first waking moments are so important. When we wake up abruptly—that loud alarm, jumping out of bed, instantly scrolling our phone—we flood our system with cortisol and adrenaline. We kick into fight-or-flight mode before we've even fully returned to ourselves.

But when we wake up slowly, mindfully transitioning from the dreamy, soulful state into our human existence, we allow our nervous system to stay regulated and supported.

There’s also a spiritual component to this. As my teacher describes it, when we first wake up, our thinking mind is still quiet—the mind is down, and our soul is up. That deep, infinite part of us is still awake. It’s a sacred time to connect with God, Source, or your own divinity before the demands of the day pull you into the external world.

Many spiritual traditions consider this early morning time as a bridge between worlds—when we're closest to our intuition, when inspiration flows, when divine wisdom is most accessible.

The more we protect and honor these first few moments, the more centered we remain throughout the day.

For me, waking up on purpose means starting my morning slowly and intentionally. I don't use the snooze button anymore.

Okay, I can hear my husband laughing at that! Let me explain.

I used to rely on the snooze button—6:00, snooze, 6:05, snooze, 6:15... until I hit that critical point where if I didn’t get up, I’d be late. And then I'd fly around the house like a Tasmanian devil.

So instead, now I set two alarms. The first is a gentle wake-up call, and thankfully, my amazing husband brings me coffee. (Please don’t be mad—he’s just the best!)

That first alarm signals the transition from sleep. Then I have a second alarm 30 minutes later that tells me: okay, it's time to begin moving mindfully into the day.

And during that in-between time, I don’t rush. I don’t plan. I just be. I linger in that dreamy space, sip my coffee, and let my soul lead.

Of course, this requires intention the night before. I prep clothes, pack bags, reduce decisions to conserve energy. Because with fatigue or adrenal burnout, every little bit of energy matters.

One thing I absolutely don’t do is reach for my phone. I don’t check texts, emails, or social media. I don’t let anything hijack my energy before I’ve even started my day.

I also don’t talk to anyone or make eye contact in those first moments—not even with my dog! In my spiritual tradition, this is a way to preserve your energy and your connection to your own soul before it diffuses outward through interaction.

Sometimes I silently recite mantras like the Guru Mantra or Gayatri Mantra. Other times, I simply breathe and feel gratitude for another day of purpose.

So if you want to wake up more gently, there are options. Some people use sunrise-simulating alarm clocks. Others choose soft tones that gradually increase in volume.

And here’s another beautiful practice from my tradition: before engaging with anyone, look into your own eyes in the mirror. For a couple of minutes, just gaze lovingly. This is a soul-to-soul moment with yourself. You see your truth. You receive your own energy.

If you want, add an affirmation:

• "God and I are one."
• "My soul and I are aligned."
• "I am guided, I am loved, I am whole."

You can whisper it silently, or just hold the presence.

Another way to wake up on purpose: create a personal mission statement for your day. Something simple. Something that reminds you why you’re here.

It could start with, "Thank you for another day." Then, something like, "Please guide me. Use me as an instrument of your purpose."

Write it down. Tape it by your bed or mirror. Let it anchor your energy.

Waking up on purpose is about choosing presence over urgency, connection over distraction. It’s about aligning with your soul before the world claims your attention.

Start small. Maybe just wake up five minutes earlier. Maybe just breathe. Maybe just look in your own eyes.

Whatever you choose, let it be nourishing. Let it fit your life. And if you try any of these, I’d love to hear about it.

Reach out. Share. And let’s keep returning to her—together.

If today’s episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform so others can find this show.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember:

You are already whole. You already have everything you need within you. We just have to keep coming back home.

If today's episode resonated with you, please subscribe to the mailing list in the show notes so you never miss an update. If you’re finding value in this content and feel called to support the show with a small monthly donation, please click the link in the show notes. Your contribution will help offset the time, energy, and costs of producing this show, which will be a win-win for everyone.

And if you're ready to dive deeper into this healing work with me, head over to wholebeingjourney.com to explore ways we can work together.

Thanks again for listening. I’ll see you next week—when we Return to Her.