Do you often wake up tired and sleep deprived, with mornings passing by in a groggy blur?
However, rushing to get ready for the day without checking in with yourself can be a wasted opportunity. Each morning is a new beginning and every sunrise brings with it a chance for personal renewal and transformation.
Instead of waking up to a flurry of activity, consider how the rest of your day could unfold if you began it by doing something just for you! A spiritually refreshing morning routine can help set you up for a day full of positivity.
Here are 7 mindful tips to help you create a morning ritual that nourishes and charges your soul.:
1. Set Your Alarm: Wake Up A BitEarlier
Centering and balancing yourself each morning takes time. Give yourself a chance to establish a good morning ritual by going to sleep and waking up a little earlier. Both the Pope and the Dalai Lama wake up early (between 3-4:30am) to take a morning shower and meditate.
I’m not suggesting you wake up with the Pope :) but if you tend to hit the snooze button for a few more minutes, try waking up 5 minutes earlier than you normally would. Set a personal goal of your ideal time to wake up and work towards it. Habits can take up to 3 months to make permanent but it’s better to start at something than nothing.
2: Awaken With an Affirmation of Gratefulness
Many religious traditions have morning prayers that believers say to give thanks for a new day.
An awakening affirmation can be just as powerful for people who don't identify with a specific religion.
Being grateful regularly softens and opens our heart and attracts more abundance to our energy and life. Upon waking up, ask yourself what you are grateful for? It could be as simple as ‘I am grateful for my beating heart’ or ‘I am grateful for the roof over my head’. Find your own personal affirmation that is meaningful to you upon wakening every day.
Once you are in your heart space, ask ‘How can I be of service today?’ to help you create positivity for the day ahead.
This takes about 3 minutes.
3: Spend Time At Your Home Altar Or Meditation Space
Oprah Winfrey is known to have a designated space within her house that she uses for meditation and mindfulness.
Your home altar or meditation space doesn't have to be elaborate. In my creativity space at home, I light two candles and one incense stick every morning. I spray a beautiful bespoke scent that has been imbued with my intentions and open the door to hear the birds and nature outside. You can add a devotional statue, photos of your loved ones or fresh flowers. Pick what resonates for you.
Spend time speaking out loud to yourself - whether it's a protection mantra, a personal mantra or an expression of gratitude. Vocalising your thoughts aloud seems to be much more powerful, instead of meditating on them silently. Pay attention as the mantra arises in your mind, forms on your tongue and resounds in your ears. This will also help to regulate your nervous system.
Be creative with your ritual; it can be different everyday so if it doesn’t work, change it up!
This takes about 4 minutes.
4: Move Your Body
Whether it’s taking the dog for a walk or some short yoga poses outside or on your balcony, take some time to move your body in the morning.
Our bodies love to be stretched so they feel cherished and loved. I love yoga and being outside so I combine the two every morning and do a forward and backwards stretch to warm up my spine.
You can take a slightly longer walk to the bus stop to give you time to reflect on your day ahead or do some stretches in the
shower using the warm water to help you relax your muscles.
Varies but can take 10-15 minutes.
5: Get Out Into Nature
Often times, especially in the winter months, we rush to get ready for work, get in the car or on the bus/train while it is still dark outside. By the time the day is over, the sun’s rays have disappeared. How many days during the week do we let go by without enjoying the beautiful gift of nature.
There are simple ways to incorporate nature into your morning routine.
While sipping your early morning drink or tea, take a minute or two to watch the sunrise or look at your growing garden; it’s an instant energy boost and sets the tone for a positive start. Although not appealing to do in winter, rug up with your hot chocolate and take pause to soak in the beauty that is right before you.
This takes about 3-5 minutes.
6: Listen To Music
If you have trouble getting up early or finding time to meditate, music is an easy way to centre yourself.
Find a positive tune or inspirational music in the morning. It does not have to be soft or slow meditation music; it could be Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen! Just choose a song that brings out the emotions you want to take throughout your day, whether that’s enthusiasm, empowerment or balance. Listen to the song with your eyes closed and concentrate on the feelings the music creates. Then listen to the song a second time while imagining tackling you achieving your day’s goals. Sing along if that feels right to you - this opens your throat chakra also; just take in the tune – sound healing is very powerful!
If you do have a family, you may also wish to involve them in this part of your routine.
This takes about 5 minutes.
7: Tune In To The World
When you have completed all or just some of the above, and this one may seem to lack nourishment, tune into the rest of the world in some way. While we know that news is often filled with messages of suffering and injustice, tune in to how you listen.
It doesn’t have to be the 7’oclock news on TV - full of images of violence and terrorism; I normally listen to light talk radio that doesn't demand too much of my energy. It reminds me of where I live and enables me to let go of the idea that I am disconnected from everything else that is going on in the world, even if I want to be!
Make a pledge to do your part in spreading kindness; first to yourself then others.
This takes about 3-5 minutes.
As you can see, this ritual takesapprox. 30 minutes of your time every morning. Experiment with what feels right, change up the order, do some parts but not others - regularity makes the difference.
This is a practice in self-care and self-love.