7 Life-Changing Morning Rituals

Your morning routine sets the mood and tone for your entire day. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if you started each and every day on a positive note?

How do you feel right after you open your eyes in the morning? Are you excited to start your day, or do you just want to roll over and go back to sleep? How you spend your mornings makes a big impact on your mood and stress levels. If you’re always running out the door late, in a rush, chances are that you’re under more stress than someone who takes their time, someone who is gentle and loving with themselves.

RISE EARLY

Getting an early start to your day has many advantages. You can have a few minutes just for yourself, you are never in a rush, you can get things done before your day officially starts. One of my favorite things about getting up early, is that peaceful, quiet time I get to enjoy during early hours. I love sipping on my tea or lemon water, while watching the sunrise through my window. To me, mornings also usually happen to be the most productive part of the day. I love writing early in the morning, editing or planning out my day. Every single successful person that I look up to, whether it be an entrepreneur, an author, or a motivational speaker, have one thing in common: they all rise early, every single day. If you want to become a morning person, you can see this post.

SET YOUR INTENTIONS FOR THE DAY

What do you do right after you open your eyes? If the first thing you do is reach for your phone, try this: right after you open your eyes, take a few deep breaths while still lying in bed and tell yourself: today is going an amazing day. Tell yourself that you are going to be kind to others as well as yourself. Did you ever notice that if you stub your toe in the morning or are in a cranky mood when you wake up, everything else seems to be going wrong that day? That’s because that’s the intention you setting for yourself (by being in a bad mood, being in a hurry, you’re starting your day off with stress). What if you set powerful, positive intentions, first thing in the morning, telling yourself that you’re going to have an amazing day? Everyone knows that if you take your time and begin your day on a happy note, you’ll have a better start to day than someone who keeps hitting that snooze button and runs out of the house in a rush. Make sure that your thoughts are loving, peaceful, empowering. If you use your phone as your alarm, make sure that it’s peaceful music that wakes you up, not an annoying ring tone. Maybe set up a beautiful affirmation as your phone wall paper? To learn how to set powerful intentions, check out this article by Dr. Deepak Chopra.

START YOUR DAY ON THE RIGHT FOOT

And I mean this literally. This is something that I learned from Gabby Bernstein and her book Miracles Now. In it, she discusses an old Kundalini technique that suggest you step out of your bed on your dominant foot. It might sound kind of weird, but I’ve been doing it for years and as I get up, my dominant foot is always the first one to touch the floor. As I walk to the bathroom I think “Thank you, thank you” with each step.

GENTLE STRETCH

If you have enough time to get in a workout before you leave the house in the morning- awesome. If not, make sure to at least get in a little gentle stretch to energize your body and get ready for the day. Do some Sun Salutation, take a few deep breaths- it will reduce stress and prepare both your mind and your body for the day.

HOT WATER WITH LEMON

First thing in the morning, drink a cup of warm water with fresh, organic lemon. I’ve been doing this ever since I can remember and it really lets my body “know” that the day has started. Lemon juice flushes out toxins and other unwanted materials from your body and boosts your immune system. It also aids digestion and helps with bloating-big time. If you have problems with indigestion, you must try drinking this on an empty stomach. Alternatively, you can add some honey and ginger to it, if you don’t like the taste of lemon, or you can also drink a glass or two of purified water. Sometimes I drink as much as 1 liter on an empty stomach and like to keep a big jug of water next to my bed so it’s the first thing I reach for, almost as soon as I wake up. When you think about it, your body just went an entire night without water, so it’s important to replenish those fluids and let your body rehydrate itself.

GRATITUDE JOURNAL

This is another thing that I mention quite a lot. It’s also life-changing. Most of the time, we talk, think and focus on things we don’t want. We’re scared of failing, getting sick, being alone.. How often do you celebrate what you have? How often do you take time to appreciate how far you’ve come? Every single day of your life can be amazing, and nothing out of the ordinary has to occur for that to happen. When you stop and think about all the things you have in your life; from your health, your relationships, down to running water and electricity- you come to realize that you have quite a lot to be thankful for. Remember, that the only way to ensure that you get more of what you love, is to be thankful for what you already have. Start a gratitude journal and every day, list ten things that you’re thankful for. You can do it before you leave the house or on the train/bus while going to work. Do this every day for 30 days and watch your life change.

DO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD

This is the best part about getting an early start to your day. Even if it’s just 10 minutes, you can still do something that brings you joy before you leave for work or school. It might be reading a magazine, a book, your favorite blog, writing, taking a walk with your dog- anything that brings you joy. How awesome would it be if instead of rushing out of the house because you’re running late, you could enjoy your morning tea or coffee, taking your time?

I say that all of these rituals are life-changing, because they truly changed my outlook on life- especially the gratitude practice. Do you have any morning rituals that help you start the day ahead?

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