Aloha stars,
Recently people have been asking me how I stay so energetic, positive and motivated. I use a lot of mechanisms, but one of them is my morning routine. I’ve experimented with freestyling my mornings and it just doesn’t work for it. Most days I need a structure that will trigger the right body, mind and heart state for the rest of my day. I’m at a point now where I will do this morning routine 95% of the time.
It doesn’t need to be stated that my morning routine may not work for you. An adaptation might. Or an entirely different morning routine might be what you need. Perhaps you’re one of the lucky few who doesn’t need any sort of structure in the mornings. I’d bet money that most people do need something. It’s just a case of trying things and working out what yours is. Hack your way, with joy and a sense of experimentation, to your perfect morning routine.
So here’s mine.
Fundamentally I am starting with the night before as there’s a few key things that need to happen to trigger the best version of my morning routine.
{To be clear I am not affiliated with any of the brands or books or products I mention here, I just want to give credit where it is due and also help you find the resources if you are interested in trying them}
The night before
Lay out my clothes for the following day unless I’m going to be at home all day. Pack my bag, again unless I’m at home. Prepare any lunch I might need. Try to go up to bed an hour before I need to be asleep (I aim for 8 hours but rarely need more than 7). Going to bed involves taking off any make up, doing my skin care routine (very primitive!) and other ablutions and then get into bed to read a paperback book until I feel sleepy. I’m usually guaranteed to feel tired within about 20-30 minutes reading at night. Sometimes I might switch the paperwork with an audiobook, podcast or audio yoga nidra.
The morning routine
I set my alarm ideally such that I can get around 8 hours sleep if I need it. This isn’t always possible but I do my best. I used to position my alarm on the other side of the room so that I had no choice but to get out of bed, but I’ve found that I no longer need to do this anymore, when my alarm goes off I tend to feel ready to go. You may want to try a vibrating alarm on your wrist. I tried this but sometimes it doesn’t work for me.
- Go downstairs and drink a glass of water with some basic supplements: vitamin D, multivitamin, omegas and then chew on a B12 tablet. Note, I’m not a doctor so please do your own research before taking anything.
- Make a warm cup of turmeric, ginger and coconut oil tea.
- While I wait for the tea to boil (takes 5 – 10 minutes) I do a short HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine that usually last around 9 minutes. I will vary this sometimes if I get bored but it tends to consist of star jumps, squats, arm circles and high knees.
- Write my morning pages. I grab 3 sheets of scrap paper and write my morning pages. This idea comes from The Artist’s Way, but if you want the short version you basically just write your stream of consciousness to fill 3 pages. Don’t think too hard. Even if all you write is ‘I don’t know what to write’, that’s what you do. It’s a writing meditation and a way to take out the garbage that might be in your head, ready to start a fresh day.
- Make my superfood berry smoothie and add some brain octane for brain performance.
- Fill out the morning section of the 5 minute journal app on my phone, taking a nice picture to mark each day. This gets me ready for my day by asking me what I’ll achieve, gratitudes and affirmations. Just a short moment to be still and focus my mind positively.
- Sometimes that might then trigger me to be inspired to share something on my Facebook page and instagram, just a little reflection and connection.
- Practice a kundalini meditation or a yoga set. If you’re new to this and want to know where to start then check out my freebie page for some meditations. I’d recommend if you enjoy these then sign up for Blissful Life Yoga where you get new videos each month to follow along.
- Fill a bottle/flask (if I’m travelling) or glass of water / cup of herbal tea to start my day hydrated
That’s it.
Whatever mood I’m in, whatever day of the week – my day starts out pretty much the same. I find that if I wake up in a bad mood that it can be completely gone by the end of this, and if not then I at least feel ready to face what the universe has in store.
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