Morning Routine

Morning routines are very important. They set am imprint on the mind about how we would like the rest of the day to unfold and how we want to feel. We can either choose to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and flounder all day slightly behind schedule still in a dream or we can choose to wake up at the first tone of the alarm and get cracking. I have found these simple morning routines very powerful in setting a stellar tone for my day. Keep it short and sweet.

Wake up and don’t hit snooze

Mornings hold certain magic and splendor that one can only appreciate and take advantage of if one is awake. If you need more time to sleep then go to bed earlier. If you have a life that doesn’t allow you to get enough sleep then perhaps this article isn’t for you.  We can find a million excuses not to wake up when we are in the still dancing on the edge of dreamtime.  If you need to sleep a bit longer then set the alarm 15 minutes later to give you more sleep. Then when the alarm sounds open your eyes.

But stay in bed Now that you are awake but still in bed take a moment to place your hands on your belly and take a few long deep breathes. Feel your first conscious breath of that day filling you up with good energy for your day and as you exhale feel any tiredness dissolve away. Enjoy that a few times as you linger between the waking state and the dream state. This will connect you to your center, energize your body and mind and slowly bring your attention into wakefulness. This half dream state is where we can create or manifest our dreams in our waking life.

Feel the love
If you are like me you might wake up some days hating life. I don’t always wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed. And when crankiness happens waking up and giving thanks is the best way to flip the script and set a loving tone of gratitude. As you lay breathing into your hands that are resting on your belly think of a few things or people in your life that you are grateful for. It could be as simple as the warm bed you are laying at the moment or that fact that you have a job to go to today.

Review your goals

Now that you have spent some time between states of wakefulness and have enjoyed your gratitude session begin to review the goals that you are currently working towards. See it in your minds eye. Imagine all the things that you are dreaming about come to fruition. Feel what it feels like to achieve that goal then savor that feeling for a breath or two.

Set intention for the day

Now that you have the feeling of achieving your goals deeply logged into your subconscious now set an intention for you day that feels inspiring and motivates you to take action on achieving the goals that you have. Make your intention very clear, simple and specific.  Take a few breaths into that feeling. Give thanks and so it is.

Roll the joints

Roll your ankles and toes to get the blood and chi flowing from the distal ends back to the axis.

Roll out of bed

Now you can get out of bed. Hopefully you haven’t fallen back to sleep and skipped all the important steps. But don’t worry you have tomorrow to practice. Please never pop out of bed with a start or a jerk. Roll gently to your side and then press yourself up.

Drink Lemon Water

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze one half of the lemon into room temp water and enjoy. There are several reasons for this and you can read all about them on the net. Just google it. But the ones that stand out for me are immune boosting properties, clears skin, balances pH levels, and aids in weight loss. Weight loss? You don’t have to tell me twice. And drink on an empty stomach…no coffee yet. Sorry. Wait 30 minutes before you consume anything else.

Move around

Ok now comes the fun part. Move your body in any way that feels good. Stretch it out. Your spine can bend forward and back, side to side and can twist in both directions. That is a good place to start. Your hamstrings will surly need a little love, your shoulders will probably be calling for attention and I can almost guarantee your neck needs a little TLC as well. It doesn’t matter how long you move, stretch and bend just make sure you do it. Once you get going you will quickly see how good it feels to tend to your body and give it what it needs.

Now get on with it

The day is yours and it beckons you onward into living. You have made the choice to get out from under the bus and jump on the bus and the bus has now left the station. If you are lucky and all goes well you might just catch a worm but whatever you do you are positioned to win like a boss.