4 steps to a magical morning routine
A few months ago I was in a really fantastic morning routine as I was gearing up to run my BIG MARATHON. As it’s gotten a bit colder some of my practices have started to slide by the wayside (holla) so I wanted to share with you what I’m amping up again to get into that epic morning routine that I know makes me feel awesome!
- Breathe
This is such a super and super effective technique from Wim Hoff that you can do right in bed – before you feet even touch the ground! It’s a great way to wake up (good for us non-morning people), and it has such a good effect on the nervous system.
I’ve also been alternating this with simply lying in bed, placing one hand on my heart and feeling my chest rise and fall with my breath. It’s a really simple and effective way of tuning in and connecting to my heart – which is a really important practice for connecting to the body and therefore intuition. (More of which I’m sharing at the workshop this Saturday!) - Reflect
Meditation has been my non-negotiable over the last few weeks! Some days I sit for just 10 minutes and other days if I have the time it’s longer. Having that time to sit in stillness really does wonders for starting my day off on the right foot!
Journaling also forms part of this reflection/”quiet time” – sometimes that is consciousness streaming journaling – where I will write for 3 pages and see what comes up. Other times I will have an enquiry or a prompt that I will explore. Useful prompts for me lately have been:
* Who do I want to be today?
* How do I want to show up today?
* How do I want to feel today?
Another alternative I have to journaling is reading something that is inspiring/thought provoking/soul-nourishing. Currently I’m reading “The Source” – Dr Tara Swart - Move
This for me has been the missing element lately if I’m honest! I was so on track with #goals and training plans when I was running the marathon and then when the marathon finished, I “needed to rest”, obviously because that’s what everyone tells you you need to do! And then that rest turned into a whole lotttaaa rest!
I’m going to commit myself to a new training program for winter – because I know that when I’m following a training plan, I am more inspired in my yoga practice and more excited to move my body – especially when the winter months start looming! - Fuel
In the pre-marathon fuelling, the guys at Pharmaton sent me some of their products to help with iron and energy levels – and I’ve loved taking them as part of my morning ritual – along with a hair and nail supplement and it’s been something that has been easy for me to keep up as part of my current routine!
Someone on instagram also recommended that I take Magnesium powder – and I’ve been taking it every morning – it’s mixed in the blue mug in the pic above! You mix it with hot water – so it’s also been a good way for me to get some hydration in – especially since I struggle to drink water and having the kettle boiled and mug to go often encourages me to drink a tad extra! (Extravagant, I know.)
I’ve also cut out caffeine as much as possible – and haven’t had it in the week for quite some time now and it’s definitely made a huge difference to the quality of my sleep! I’ve been substituting with Chicory and Barley – which I’m really enjoying!
So those are some of the things that I’m firing up again over the next while – especially while Warren is away on Path of Love.
My morning schedule is pretty erratic because some mornings I need to be out the door by 5:40am, some mornings I need to be out the door by 6:30am and some evenings I only get home just before 10pm! (The #yogateacher joys!) Trying to regulate my morning wake-up time when my going to bed time is up and down is quite tricky! So I do what I can and try to get as much sleep as I can whilst still making space for doing the things that feed my soul!
What are your morning non-negotiables? What starts your day off just right? I’d love to know!