Morning rituals.
Morning routine.
The morning hour of power.
Whatever you call it, I almost hesitate to share my morning regimen because it’s become so trendy in self-improvement blogs to obsess over the intentional way we start our day.
But there is something to it, right?
In 90% of the interviews I do, I get asked about my morning routine, so clearly it’s a big deal.
We have all read the many blogs about CEOs with massive tech empires who wake up at 3am to sip hot lemon water, meditate, and run 10 miles as a means to becoming some kind of uber productivity superhero.
Morning rituals will help you become more productive and successful - no doubt. But there’s more to them than just that.
I think people want to know about each other’s mornings because they seek happiness.
When you start your day consciously, you’re able to focus on what truly matters, what will bring you more joy and in turn, how you can bring more joy to others.
My morning rituals change from month to month and year to year, but I’ll share the ones I’ve been digging lately.
Keep in mind that what makes your day start out well is not necessarily going to be the same as what makes my day start well. Like anything, it will be deeply personal.
Take what works for you and add your own special touches when designing your ideal morning!
Here is what my morning looks like - including the 5 rituals I do in my practice space to center my day:
- Wake and make the bed - makes me feel accomplished and tidy.
- Scrape tongue & rinse with mouthwash - this has been a game changer for my teeth, breath, and tartar prevention!
- Hit the loo - you gotta do what you gotta do.
- Drink fresh squeezed celery juice - This is a new thing for me, I’ve heard awesome stories about the effects. I will let you know how it goes!
- Center the day - I just released a new program on YogaGlo.com called Morning Groove! It combines vinyasa flows with the following things I do to center my day up in my practice space:
- Gratitude practice
- Write down what would make today amazing
- Affirmations
- Write down my most recent successes
- Visualization and meditation
- Make superfood smoothies for the family - I enjoy making breakfast for myself and Taro and filling our bodies with nutrient-packed foods like wild blueberries, acai, dandelion greens, chia seeds, goji berries, plant-based protein powders - it's the whole kitchen sink of superfoods!
- Make a plan for exercise - My preference is to practice yoga or workout shortly after breakfast with a bike ride, a hike, a swim, or functional fitness/weight training at the gym, but if I can’t get out right away (i.e. I have work deadlines!), I make a plan for later in the day.
- Get down to work! This usually means either teaching yoga or getting on top of emails, writing deadlines, or yoga class planning.
OK. Now it’s your turn to crowdsource some morning routines. Leave a comment with some of your favorite things to do to get your day started right!