Every morning, I’m gently woken at 5:30 a.m. by soft, zen sounds—quiet humming from my alarm that sets a peaceful tone for the day. It’s dark outside, proof that fall is finally starting to settle in. If I’m lucky, as I draw my curtains, I’ll see the moon beaming, and soak in her energy for a few seconds before I get excited for the day ahead. My boys are sound asleep in their beds (pure bliss), oblivious to the quietness of my world.
I head to my bathroom mirror, looking over the loving messages I’ve posted all along the corners. My favorite is this one: It’s your time to shine. I receive the note with gratitude, smile back at my reflection, and move right along. First, I work at removing the toxins I’ve accumulated from the day before (probably a glass of red too many paired with takeout Thai food), using my Ayurvedic tongue scraping ritual that I swear by. As I cleanse myself, I make sure to visualize the toxins being released from my body.
My bare feet pad into the kitchen, my second favourite spot in the entire house (second only to my bedroom haven). There, I engage in the comforting rituals that bring me peace and rhythm while I work in a trance-like state. First call to action: warm lemon water with a pinch of turmeric. It blows me away how such a teeny tiny act of love can be so supremely powerful. Nourishing my body and soul with this simple tonic sends me the signal that I matter, and in taking care of myself, I’m taking care of others, too.
Still in my body state of mind, it’s time for greens, greens (and even more greens). Now, let’s take a second and get real here. I can’t always make up a fresh batch of juice, so I’ll supplement with my high-quality, handy dandy greens powder, with some fish oil and E3 live to get my body into the alkaline state it so desperately craves. As much I try to eat clean all the time, I’m obviously not perfect and have been known to indulge from time to time. That said, my promise to my body is this: I’ll be aware and sensitive to the signals she sends me about her needs, and then I’ll respond accordingly. So far, so good. (And to be fair, sometimes she needs a chocolate martini.)
What’s next? My dirty little secret, that’s what. (Wink.) After I’ve had my lemon water and greens, I get in my car—even when it’s snowy and stormy out there—and head on over to my local Starbucks for my cup of pour-over-reserve coffee that I bring home for savouring. For awhile, I spent a lot of time questioning my obsession with this ritual until I realized what these morning drives are all about. Ultimately, they’re about connecting with the other regular early risers, my group of friends who I fondly refer to as the Starbucks Breakfast Club. Plus, being greeted early in the morning with massive amounts of warmth from the baristas sets a bright, positive light for the entire day.
Back home and feeling charged, I either read an inspirational book, peruse a few blogs, create content for my creative business, or use this time for online education—whatever I choose to do since it’s completely my time. Some days, I just need to head out for a walk with my coffee and music. Other days, I dance like a mad woman to Bollywood tunes.
But in the winters, I tend to hibernate a bit more. Snuggling up with a shawl next to my fireplace with a good book is the way I like to put myself in the mindset of positivity so I can start my day off right. I’m a Virgo, and we tend to be, you know, a bit anal. So creating a calm state is typically what I need most. I end my morning ritual with a 20 minute meditation (game changer), and follow up with some journalling. After that, it’s game on! I feel energized and ready to face the mayhem of waking up my boys for their day (you can only imagine).
I couldn’t do what I do if I didn’t have my
morning rituals to anchor my day.
All of that said, my mornings didn’t always start off like this. I used to hate waking up in the mornings—especially when it was cold, wet and dark outside. Most mornings started off with me dragging my feet out of bed and wondering what the point of it all was. I’d wake up with this sense of heaviness. Have you ever felt that way? I knew I had to get up because I had kids, a 9-5 job and a house to manage. But if I had it my way, I’d be back in bed, trying to escape from my worries. Honestly, it just felt like the easiest thing to do.
Somewhere, something shifted. For the life of me, I can’t remember when I fell in love with my mornings, but I do know that once I had a small taste of what it was like to just soak in all that early morning goodness, I wanted more. I could hear myself in the stillness and that was inexplicably healing.
By harnessing the power of my mornings, I’ve been able to start my days off on the right foot. I am way more focused that I ever used to be, but the best part of it all is that I can’t wait to get up each and every day with excitement (my secret to looking young, and the reason for that “glow”). Living in that positive mindset means I can now handle the unexpected curveballs that life so lovingly throws our way from time to time, which is my biggest gift from honouring and committing to my morning practice. Morning rituals are cultivated. Most people are amazed that I get up so early in the morning just so I can be. I get a lot of people saying, “I wish I could do that!” and my answer is that you so, SO can.
Just 10 minutes every
morning is life altering.
While at first you might be tantalizingly tempted to return to your old habits, if you stick with your morning practice, you can trust that there is everything to be gained and literally nothing to lose—other than 10 measly minutes of sleep.
While I wasn’t expecting this to happen, I was guided to create a totally FREE 10 day Morning Rituals Challenge and have been offering it for a few seasons. We are a supportive, rich and engaging community. Our next challenge starts Monday February 12, 2018, just in time to birth that sweet sense of calm and inner peace you need now that the mad rush of the New Year has slowed down. You will be supported through regular emails over the course of the challenge and be invited to join the private Facebook group where I’m available daily to share more tips and strategies and to answer any questions. I want YOU to thrive and flourish and that’s my primary focus.
Join me in your quest to a fuller, happier and revitalized you. Above all else, I’m here to help.
Ready to jump right in? Head here to get started!
