So there I was in my daily meditation pose, chilled out and focused on my breath when I had the idea that I should write a post about my morning routine. Hey, hey, its like 4 hours later and here I am! I love hearing about people's daily rituals, because after all, it is the day-to-day stuff that defines and changes us, not the one offs (though they can definitely be the inspiration behind it). I think that it really gives us a good look into how people live and what they're essentially living for. I have been actively doing my morning routine for about 6 months now, and it has evolved significantly from when I first put it into place. Now this is not to say that I didn't have a routine before, because I did, and so you and everyone on this planet. Mine was generally to wake, go say hi to my parents, sit on the couch with my phone for an hour, have breaky, yadda ya. I wasn't actively choosing how I wanted to start my day, and yet, unintentionally I was. Getting on my phone straight away kind of sucked, because I was so consumed in all my notifications, updates and messages. I put so much emphasis on it straight up, and so if there wasn't much happening when I logged on, or no one had commented on my latest Booktube video I'd be bummed out. When I first started meditating and reading self-growth books, (check out my reviews here) I found that the best time for me to implement the new practices I wanted for my life, was by doing them first thing in the morning. It was a time where I hadn't encounter anyone else yet and was completely free from any outside factors which may discourage or distract me. Like I mentioned earlier, I played around with it for a while, trying to figure out what I wanted when and where. I already had a well established night routine, which pretty much still stands to date; of journalling, reading and no-phone an hour before bed (I now have an additional gratitude practice in there too). I didn't really want to change that up too much, and after experimenting for a while, decided that it was fine as is, and that I would dedicate about an hour each morning to my personal growth. And so here is what my current every-day morning looks like:
6.30am: Wake up with plenty of sunlight streaming through my open windows. It is nearing the end of day-light savings here at the moment, so the last few weeks have been a bit darker than normal, which I am still adjusting too.
6.35am: I usually take a moment to roll over onto my belly and look out my window to see the sun. I also like to think of how lucky I am to be alive this morning, with full physical and mental function.
6.40am: I used to try and get on my mat straight away, but have needed to allow for ten minutes to do all that my body needs to do. After a bathroom break and some water pulling and tongue scraping, I am ready to go.
6.50am: I lay down on my yoga mat and do some spine stretches and general warm up moves to wake myself up a little more. I then go through my pretty set yoga routine where I move from laying to standing and focus on opening my hips, stretching my spine, alignment, flexibility, core work, legs and breathing.
7.00am: I grab my phone and pick a guided meditation to do through the Calm app (which is amazing!). The last one I did was a non-judgement meditation, and before that was just on a timer and I guided myself. I get into legs up the wall pose (see the amazing benefits here) and generally meditate for 10-15 minutes. Focusing on my breath mostly, and sometimes visual imagery, affirmations and growth. I am definitely still a beginner in this regards and my practice is perfectly imperfect. Some days I'm there completely and find the time slips away, and other days I am there itching with impatience and checking my phone every few minutes to see how much longer to go.
7.15am: This next session started because I wanted to give my legs some time to get blood flow back into them. I roll out of legs up the wall pose and roll into the feotal position before a moment, before rolling onto my back on my mat. There are a few downlights in my room and I imagine the sun shooting energy through them and that this golden light then flows down into my body. The form changes each day. Sometimes it is soft and bubble-like, and other days it is a ribbon winding through my body. I like to specifically visualise the light in each element of my body and what it is doing there. For instance, I put a lot of attention towards visualising the light in my abdomen and how it is healing my endometriosis. Once I have gone through my whole body, I then thank the sun and its energy, roll and sit up.
7.20am: Affirmations time! I go and stand in front of my full length mirror and go through a series of positive affirmations. It is pretty similar everyday and I adapt my list as time goes by. I start by giving myself a hug and imagining I am hugging my inner child and inner teen. I then affirm perfect health, nutrition, work environments, finances, travel, love and spiritual growth. I finish by telling myself that "life loves me" and "all is well", before kissing my mirror.
7.30am: Now is generally when I'll turn the wifi on on my phone and check my emails and social media while I make myself some breaky. I get pretty set on my breakfast for at least six months, before I change things up. At this moment I have green smoothies, and put in a tablespoon or so of frozen berries, some fresh zucchini, broccoli stalks, baby spinach and water. I blend it all up and yummy!! It makes my belly feel instantly awesome. Some days I mix it up and have a herbal tea, eggs or bruschetta.
7.45am: By the time I finish my breakfast, and depending on what time I start work, I will normally clean up and have a shower and get dressed and ready for the day. My day is set-up and I feel pretty rad and am ready to make the most of the next 23hours before I do it all again.
And there you have it! My miracle mornings. I try my very hardest to do them each day, as I notice my mood through the day is off if I don't. In saying that though, some days, a day off is exactly what I need, especially if I can replace it with a walk or beach swim. And somedays, that is what I tell myself, and then I get half way through the day and realise my anxiety is harping up or I am getting easily flustered or frustrated with someone, and it makes me appreciate my miracle mornings and practice even more, helping me to stay dedicated to the life I want to have. I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and if you have any questions or would like to tell me about your routine, then leave a comment or shoot me an email. I love hearing from you all!
Loads of love and joy,
Jem xo
6.30am: Wake up with plenty of sunlight streaming through my open windows. It is nearing the end of day-light savings here at the moment, so the last few weeks have been a bit darker than normal, which I am still adjusting too.
6.35am: I usually take a moment to roll over onto my belly and look out my window to see the sun. I also like to think of how lucky I am to be alive this morning, with full physical and mental function.
6.40am: I used to try and get on my mat straight away, but have needed to allow for ten minutes to do all that my body needs to do. After a bathroom break and some water pulling and tongue scraping, I am ready to go.
6.50am: I lay down on my yoga mat and do some spine stretches and general warm up moves to wake myself up a little more. I then go through my pretty set yoga routine where I move from laying to standing and focus on opening my hips, stretching my spine, alignment, flexibility, core work, legs and breathing.
7.00am: I grab my phone and pick a guided meditation to do through the Calm app (which is amazing!). The last one I did was a non-judgement meditation, and before that was just on a timer and I guided myself. I get into legs up the wall pose (see the amazing benefits here) and generally meditate for 10-15 minutes. Focusing on my breath mostly, and sometimes visual imagery, affirmations and growth. I am definitely still a beginner in this regards and my practice is perfectly imperfect. Some days I'm there completely and find the time slips away, and other days I am there itching with impatience and checking my phone every few minutes to see how much longer to go.
7.15am: This next session started because I wanted to give my legs some time to get blood flow back into them. I roll out of legs up the wall pose and roll into the feotal position before a moment, before rolling onto my back on my mat. There are a few downlights in my room and I imagine the sun shooting energy through them and that this golden light then flows down into my body. The form changes each day. Sometimes it is soft and bubble-like, and other days it is a ribbon winding through my body. I like to specifically visualise the light in each element of my body and what it is doing there. For instance, I put a lot of attention towards visualising the light in my abdomen and how it is healing my endometriosis. Once I have gone through my whole body, I then thank the sun and its energy, roll and sit up.
7.20am: Affirmations time! I go and stand in front of my full length mirror and go through a series of positive affirmations. It is pretty similar everyday and I adapt my list as time goes by. I start by giving myself a hug and imagining I am hugging my inner child and inner teen. I then affirm perfect health, nutrition, work environments, finances, travel, love and spiritual growth. I finish by telling myself that "life loves me" and "all is well", before kissing my mirror.
7.30am: Now is generally when I'll turn the wifi on on my phone and check my emails and social media while I make myself some breaky. I get pretty set on my breakfast for at least six months, before I change things up. At this moment I have green smoothies, and put in a tablespoon or so of frozen berries, some fresh zucchini, broccoli stalks, baby spinach and water. I blend it all up and yummy!! It makes my belly feel instantly awesome. Some days I mix it up and have a herbal tea, eggs or bruschetta.
7.45am: By the time I finish my breakfast, and depending on what time I start work, I will normally clean up and have a shower and get dressed and ready for the day. My day is set-up and I feel pretty rad and am ready to make the most of the next 23hours before I do it all again.
And there you have it! My miracle mornings. I try my very hardest to do them each day, as I notice my mood through the day is off if I don't. In saying that though, some days, a day off is exactly what I need, especially if I can replace it with a walk or beach swim. And somedays, that is what I tell myself, and then I get half way through the day and realise my anxiety is harping up or I am getting easily flustered or frustrated with someone, and it makes me appreciate my miracle mornings and practice even more, helping me to stay dedicated to the life I want to have. I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and if you have any questions or would like to tell me about your routine, then leave a comment or shoot me an email. I love hearing from you all!
Loads of love and joy,
Jem xo