Do You Have A Morning Ritual?
I’m not a morning person so much as just a lover of mornings—especially the hours from 6 to 8am.
This is the time when nobody calls; nobody emails; nobody assumes you’re up. Sometimes, I sleep through these magic hours, but most days I pull myself from slumber and cobble together some version of a morning ritual.
On a good day I might manage to sit in meditation as the light is coming up, do some sun salutations or super gentle yoga postures before getting down to business. On a great day though, I’ll enjoy coffee over horoscopes after that practice, and then head to the tub where I throw down a towel for abhyanga, before showering and actually eating breakfast.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m pretty terrible with routine. Silly things like taking vitamins or eating at the same time every day never seem to stick—even though sticking to them is exactly what the doctor would order. At least the ayurvedic one.
While I usually get up at the same time most days—some mornings I can’t restrain myself from jumping right into emails or writing a blog post before catching up on a few other things and then tripping out the door.
I’m jealous of people who are naturally routined, who stick to exercise and eating habits and vitamins. But I’ve accepted that it’s my challenge, and the early morning is what sets the tone for the rest of my day.
Do you have a morning ritual? Do you do it everyday?
As it so happens this week I’m gone off on an ayurvedic yoga retreat where every day I’ll be doing the exact same routine of meditation, yoga, food, lectures—wash, rinse, and repeat. See ya on the other side!
I used to have a routine but I really struggled to stick with it ! I love Ayuveda though (complementary therapist here XD) I would really love to do some sort of morning routine though some yoga and meditation maybe ! Specially now that the mornings are getting darker it leaves you with the feeling the worlds still asleep :) <3
I wouldnt call it a ritual but more of a set routine that really matters for me and sets (or breaks) the mood of my day. I love seeing the day lights coming up and take it as a daily gift.. While I’m not a morning bath/shower person, I stick to the same steps taking care of my skin e.v.e.r.y. d.a.y. before enjoying a breakfast in quiet and peace. I cannot say I wouldn’t be able to leave the house without doing it all because of course I could but honestly, it would bother me so much than I rather not. I’m definitely a creature of habits. Bordering OCD, right?
And btw, enjoy your retreat! So jealous:)
I am a natural routine person (we are also known as control freaks) — but that means I cope really, really badly (hi, migraines!) when I fall off my routine. So in some ways, I think it’s better to be less routine-oriented, even if it means you skip the vitamins!
That being said, as a lover of routine and ritual, I do enjoy my morning routine, which I will share here:
*6:30 AM — husband wakes up, I pretend I’m going to get up with him, then fall back asleep
*7:00 AM — my alarm goes off. Pad around in a daze, check email on my phone but do not answer it, say goodbye to husband going to catch his train, let the cats out to roam the garden.
*7:30 AM — NY Times, coffee, breakfast (always whole grain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana. Have eaten some version of that day every day since I was 8. Told you I like routine!). This truly is my ritual and I do not rush it — sometimes I’ll even read a book or a magazine for a little bit too while I finish my coffee.
*8:00 AM — shower, get dressed, taking my time with the fun parts like moisturizing and hair decisions. (In the summer, this is also when I water the garden and check on everything.)
*8:30 AM — At my desk.
I’ve experimented with different routines over the years (us work-from-home types are always perfecting the routine thing) but this means I’m generally focused and working productively by 9 AM and can get a lot done before lunch, which is good, because after lunch, I’m not so hot. By 5 PM, I’m done for the day and can go to yoga or meet a friend for a drink or whatever. This is a far more lovely way to end the day than when I f*cked around in the morning and ended up working until 8 PM just because.
I definitely am not a natural morning person — I’d sleep until at least 8:30 if left unsupervised — but having a nice, leisurely morning routine definitely helps me get out of bed and get my head around the day.
Perfect timing! Today was the first day of my new morning routine inspired by Claudia Welch’s book Balance your Hormones Balance your life (which I got because of the hormone posts).
I’m going to try to get up at the same time, do some abhyanga, go for a walk and do a few sun salutations, eat, bathe… get to work.
It’s a daunting task– wish me luck!
I do not, but I really wish I did. I’m not a morning person, it’s hard to get up and get going. I used to roll out of bed, wash face, do makeup, get dressed and rush off to work. I’ve been better about actually getting up to eat and then I take my time and end up late to work. oops!
I’d really like to try a yoga routine in the morning, but not sure where to find a quick, easy one to get me energized and in good spirits for the day. Suggestions?
I like to get up early, feed the cats, light a candle and enjoy some aromatherapy and/or elixir (Lotus Wei), do yoga (usually involves moving the big fluffy cat off the mat several times), eat breakfast and have tea. If it’s a work day I get ready for work. If I can work at home or be off work, I do some extra exercise like walk, bike, or run. After that I try to get in some meditation (just added this over the summer) or at least listen to my chants/music while I sit outside in my favorite chair. If I have plenty of time the cats come out with me. Whatever the kind of day I do a quick honey mask while I dry brush and then shower.
I must have routine, and I get VERY upset if something threatens to knock me off my routine. Just one reason I hate to travel. Total OCD, for realz. It’s why I started getting up early, so my husband and son are still in bed and there’s less chance of interruption. Must. Have. Routine.
@Michelle, Tree, Half-moon and the standing-straight-on-one-foot-arms-spread-other-leg-lifted-to-one-hand (I don’t remember the name!) are some of my favorite poses for starting the day.
I would love to say that I get up every morning and do a spot of exercise but since I shouldn’t lie… I used to run in the mornings and am looking to get back some work-life balance to allow for that (without getting up at 3am!) but as it stands I have made some small but important adjustments so each morning I: (a) make sure to drink water / hot water & lemon / coconut water to hydrate and get a kick start of something other than caffeine (I tuck into my coffee when I settle at my desk); (b) hop onto Facebook or my What’sApp to check out some social connections to friends living in other timezones whose days have already gotten underway (HUGE change from going straight to my Blackberry and getting stressed about work before fully opening my eyes – I find this little connection with friends and loved ones puts me in a positive frame of mind as I begin my day); (c) turn on pandora and select some positive music to sing along to as I shower and get ready for work; (d) stretch out my body to get the blood flowing and feel alive. While ideally I will be incorporating some proper exercise into the morning routine in the future, even those simple little things are making a big difference in feeling strong and ready to face the day. I used to wake up already thinking of work and I am able to keep my mind quiet from that for another hour or so which seems to have improved my sleep and my mood as well as my ability to handle the stress that I inevitably face in the course of the day.
Oh, one other super positive thing I do each day is select a spray of something from my Essence of Vali collection, either one of her perfumes or a body oil & spray combination. Lately I’ve been using Fortify and it is divine. So I guess I have some sort of routine. :)
I’m trying to develop the habit of getting up early, since for me too, this sets the tone for the rest of the day. It boggles my mind that I can say that so freely, and yet I find it to be a constant struggle to stick to a routine! One of my girlfriends I work with at DISH recently turned me onto the yoga DVDs that Blockbuster @Home carries. I was surprised how many are available, but I added a few to my queue that have both AM and PM routines. Because they have a large selection, I had a number of them to choose from of various ability levels. I especially like that I can swap out discs whenever I please without due dates so I can try various ones. I’m hoping that adding a workout to my morning will help me to be eager about getting up early.
Michelle, I use yogaglo.com where you can do a search based on the time you have, style you want, intention of your practice or area you want to focus on.
I desperately crave a morning routine but since my fibromyalgia started messing with my sleep again, it’s nearly impossible. Today I woke up real early (6.30am Irish time!) but yesterday it was 1pm before I could even think about getting out of bed. So first I need to revisit my nighttime routine to try to regulate my sleeping, then I can have a morning routine!
Coffee and taking Aleve for my frequent hangovers
I guess I kind of do, but sleep really takes precedence over most things for me in the morning. It is the most important factor for my overall well-being and I defend it fiercely. You will rarely see me up before 8h00, because falling asleep is not easy for me. That’s why I usually peek at my emails first to make sure that nothing needs immediate attention. That rarely happens, because people know better than to email me at 6h00 :). I then simply have a healthy breakfast and read a bit. I used to read the news, but it doesn’t give such a positive outlook on the day. So I now read blogs or chat with my boyfriend. I make sure to drink a couple of glasses of water while I go through my beauty routine. I am lucky enough to walk to work, so I take a few deep breaths as I walk through the park. That alone makes me happy on sunny days.
Yes! Ritual is super important to me. I wake up at 5:30 every morning. I play the harp for half an hour, make a nice breakfast while reading the bible, and then I write until I need to head off to the day job. I use my commute to pray. I do this everyday and it makes all the difference in the world! It totally sets the tone for the day!
My boyfriend and I are just coming off of a roughly two months span of travel and we had NO routine. It was baaaad–lots of sugar, processed foods, we were roadtripping, camping, stressing, etc. Super fun, but also super stress. Last week we finally moved into our new apartment (after 3 weeks of hotels! not as fun as it sounds). And now we are working very hard on setting up routines/systems for ourselves as we job hunt. We are doing our best.
Priorities:
Wake up around 5 or 6 am (the only time my man likes running for some reason! But aside from that he is not a morning person). I drink some kombucha, he guzzles water–off he goes to run, off I go to the yoga studio up the street 1-2x a week (all I can afford). May do a yoga podcast.
Breakfast around 7:30 am
And then we start ticking things off of our to-do list. It’s a long and varied list!
In college I was the only one in my circle of friends who got up before 10 am. They just couldn’t understand why I did it. But I LOVED the productivity I had early in the morning–and I like going to bed earlier. Just trying to get my technology usage under control/not too late in the day!
I love working in the early mornings, because my fear response is sleepy and doesn’t rear its head when I’m writing or developing a new project. Having said that, I have two children to see off to school by 7:15. Ahead of that I need to pack two no-waste lunches, brew coffee and on some mornings get myself into work duds. So maybe one day soon I’ll get all Sylvia Plath (albeit without the crippling depression and untimely end, please) and wake up at 4 a.m. Until that day, I’ll settle for a bit of writing, a glance at Dear Abby (obsessively & daily, I’m afraid), and the opportunity to listen to a favorite album in the kitchen while I pack lunches. Kitchens have great acoustics, and the absolutely silence makes the music sound amazing. I do find myself more attuned to beauty in the day when I listen to music as opposed to NPR. Here’s to mornings!
Since adopting my dog and cat last year, my morning routine has changed somewhat. Here’s a typical day:
5:00-5:30am. Dog and cat start their morning tag team approach to waking me up. This usually involves the cat meowing in my face with his dragon breath and the dog licking my feet if they happen to be above the covers.
6:00-6:30am. After sleepily trying to appease the animals (unfortunately, neither has a snooze button), manage to rouse myself, get dressed, splash some water on my face, brush my teeth and check my email.
6:30-7:45am. Take the dog out for the morning walk. Typically, this involves my taking her to the park nearby and playing fetch for a half hour before a brisk walk for her morning constitutional and then a stop by a park bench to brush her. I sometimes pick up breakfast from the local bakery on the way home.
7:45-8:30. Feed the animals, check email again, eat breakfast while checking the headlines of my favorite news websites and blogs including NMDL. Every other day, shower. Otherwise, finish my grooming (which involves clean products thanks to you, Siobhan and Alexandra), get dressed for work and out the door.
argh! For the past few weeks, every night before falling asleep, I have been promising myself to wake up at 6:00 so that I will go jogging in the morning, but for the life of me I canNOT get up before 7:00!
i am grateful for every morning that I’m here. I struggle with depression and bipolar disorder so I try to put simple things into perspective. The birds singing, a gift from nature. The sun shining, a good source of vitamin d. A cup of coffee is a treasure. I need to acknowledge these things as a ritual each and every day so I don’t take anything for granted and am able to want to work harder fighting my depression. Maybe this seems a little morbid to some people, but I’m still here and I still work at a job I love that I’m good at and help others every day.
@Christie, way to go! Stick to your plan and try adding small little pleasant things to your mourning routine/ritual..
Something that will make you look forward to it everyday.
It is no small feat to battle both disorders but it sure looks like you already found a way out of it. All the best:)
Coffee….newspaper…always!
I love routine, my old routine (sleep as long as possible, leisurely enjoy coffee, rush out to work) wasn’t as rewarding as my current routine. Starting small and working my way into full blown activities was the only way to make it stick. I started with 1-2 mile runs and 5 minutes of meditation.
430am wake up, use inhaler, eat almonds + some fruit.
5am go for a 3-5 mile run, depending on how I feel. I usually stretch, do a little yoga, and/or meditate in the 30 minutes beforehand.
When I get home I cool off and drink water and goof around on the internet. Then, at about 6am (aka 15 minutes later, I’m not a fast runner!) my husband gets up and makes coffee while I take out the dog. I cook a veggie sausage for my real breakfast and make him something, and then I make our lunches. After that’s done I sit around and eat, drink coffee, and read/grade papers until about 7. At that point I need to rush through my shower/getting dressed routine so I can make it to work on time. But it’s worth it to have all that downtime in the morning. I’m the only person I know that gets up at 430am and still barely makes it to work by 8am.
I hated running in the morning, but now I love it–starting small and working my way up helped. I give myself permission to do a short run when I need to, but once I get going I rarely have to cut it short. I only run 4 days a week, the other mornings I still get up at the same time, but instead of running I read or take care of some email.
I wanted to add that I really love the time alone this routine gives me–I’ve got time to think, time when no one wants/needs me, or expects me to be up. It’s also helped me enjoy my husband more in the morning. I used to be so grumpy by the time I woke up that I was unpleasant to be around. Coffee was the only reason to wake up and start the day.
Well, I’m as “bad” as you with strict routines but certain things do tend to come back regularly around the same time about several times a week.
Most of the time, I wake up in between 6 and 7 and have some water, then if it’s not too late (past 7 is too late for me) and if I just don’t forget about it, it’ll be time for some oil pulling (that part of the ritual is rather new, only 2-3 months old, but there’s already some nice visible results!) and I adopted it thanks to NMDL!). Most of the time I’ll go through my emails and some blogs and facebook and stuff. Some time I’ll do some strechings and now, like this morning, some short yoga session (I started yoga last week!). Eventually, I’ll have some herb tea (maybe one I’ll have made right after getting up). A new part of this ritual is juicing, since I got a juicer lately: having a juice before my 100% fruits breakfast is a good option when I get up real early (at about 6) or when I don’t work…
That’s about it at the moment!
Oh girl, I am in the same place with not being able to stick to a routine! I can do it for about 2-3 days, then my body and mind get completely distracted! Its definitely one of my challenges as well and its good to hear I’m not the only one that’s jealous of people who are able to organize their time to an almost military-like schedule. I think part of it is the mindset. For me, I think, “Well, I can get that in later.” or, “I could really use the extra sleep.” Today was another turning point, got up at 5, exercised for an hour and a half, drank a protein shake and cruising the internet for new and updates on the world. Your blog happens to be on my list of necessary channels of news :)
Wishing you the best with learning how to implement a better routine. And here’s to me making it past day 3!