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In this article we will discuss the foundations of a good morning ritual that will start your days with grace and excitement….or whatever you want to feel!

Because we know that our reality is created by our thoughts and our beliefs, it’s so very important to start the day with intention so that we can create the day that we want to have.

I don’t know about you but I am not a morning person. I don’t like waking up, and when I finally do, it takes me a long to actually really be awake. This makes it hard when there’s school drop offs or work or field trips or doctor appointments!

Here’s where we will evaluate our priorities and really figure out what we need from our morning routines.

 

Evaluate your priorities

So if you are like me and are a night owl, you’re probably not going to commit to waking up early to go run 5 miles or meditate for an hour. And why would you? You would probably feel pretty miserable and you most likely need that extra sleep anyway (I know I do!)

Ask yourself a few questions about what is important to you and what do you know about yourself:

• Are you a morning or night person?
• Do you have kids?
• Are your mornings typically rushed or slower paced?
• How much sleep do you need to function well?
• Do you work best at night or in the morning?
• How do you want to feel in the morning?

If you have no kids and are a morning person, your morning ritual may be WAY more elaborate than say a person that does have kids and is not a morning person.

 

The basics

The basics take the least amount of time/energy/commitment to still set up your morning in the best way possible.

What lights you up in the morning

What do you look forward to in the morning? First start with what is non-negotiable for you. For me its coffee. Yours might be a shower or tea or taking a walk or run. If you don’t already have something, make a list of things that sound good and that are easy and take minimal time.

Cut the fluff

Evaluate what you DON’T need in your morning routine. For me it’s my phone. I definitely do not need to scroll social media first thing in the AM. We are working on intention so seeing what other people are doing sets us up for comparison and not only that, but its just too much energetically to consume all of that information before you’ve really even awakened for the day.

Avoiding my phone is my ‘don’t need’ in the morning. What is yours? It could be doing the dishes….maybe you switch that to a night time thing or maybe your partner could take over that duty for you. Whatever is not serving your morning routine, let it go.

Create sacred space

To create a morning routine that lights you up and sets up your day how you like it, it’s important to honor the time. I like to think of it as more of a ritual instead of just a routine. It feels more sacred this way.

I love lighting a candle to begin my morning ritual. I also enjoy lighting palo santo or incense. You can use an essential oil diffuser and add your favorite scent. I have this diffuser and it is lovely. It fills even my large bedroom full of wonderful scent. Aroma has the ability to transport us into our own inner world and take us out of the daily hustle and bustle.

Beginning with lighting a candle or turning on the diffuser signals the start of the morning ritual and creates sacred space for use to recharge and connect.

Consume Inspiration

One of my favorite things to do is to read inspirational material during my morning ritual. It lifts me up and puts me in the right mindset for the day. I read from a book called Simple Abundance almost every morning. It is a daily reader that offers sweet and simple inspiration. I often finish reading the day’s article with a smile on my face or a happy tear in my eye. You can also listen to inspirational podcasts or on youtube you can find works by Wayne Dyer, Abraham-Hicks and Joe Dispenza.

 

The indulgent morning ritual

I hope this title doesn’t scare people away because it’s really not a long drawn out ritual. This is for days that you have extra time and/or need the extra self care. It’s ideal to do this on weekends or holidays. My indulgent morning ritual takes me no more than an hour.

I keep the basic morning ritual of create space, something that lights me up (coffee), take away the unnecessary, and consume inspiration. I also add on meditation, journal and move your body.

Meditation

Meditation is so instrumental in developing your intuition and connecting to your higher self so I try to do it everyday. I tend to do it at night though because my mornings are usually just so hectic, I find that I can’t truly calm down and connect. BUT, on the rare occasion where I have the time (and the quiet), I indulge in a morning meditation and it is delightful! If you have the time and quiet to do this in your morning ritual, I highly recommend it.

Journal

Journaling is another important part of developing the relationship between you and your higher self so whether or not you do it during your morning ritual, I try to make sure I do it at some point during my day.

Move your body

Similarly to what I said above about meditation, I often don’t stretch during my morning ritual because I just tend to run out of time. I do my exercise and yoga at other times throughout the day usually. But again, If you have the time to do a few simple stretches or a short yoga video during your ritual, it can be so wonderful and invigorating!

The mornings that I can do my indulgent ritual I feel like a queen and that I can conquer my day. This is the ultimate self care when we can lavish ourselves in what makes us happy and feel good, especially first thing in the morning!

 

To recap, my daily basic morning ritual is:

• Take away the unnecessary and prepare the night before
• Create space
• What lights me up
• Consume inspiration

Indulgent ritual: The basic ritual plus

• meditation
• journaling
• move your body

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to create your own morning rituals. I would love to hear about your morning rituals in the comments below.

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For more information about mindset, I have a free mindset workbook that you can get here.

Thanks for reading and being here.