Each sunrise is the awakening of a new day. Each new day is a gift. The gift to heal, love, and create yourself.
Who are you creating yourself to be? Are you a Botanical Traveller or a homebody? An energiser bunny or more of a slow-running battery?
Whatever your flow, a conscious morning routine helps you make the most of this precious gift of life.
The morning lifts the veil from the subconscious dreamworld to the material time-space reality.
Powerful! So let’s make mornings a meaningful ‘ritual.’ When we practice the magic of ritual, we not only find more ease and grace in our mornings, but we create them to be sacred. We open up a portal to the magic of the morning.
These practices softly guide you from the moment you open your eyes to full-power mode. Take any or all of them to find what works for your rhythm. Challenge yourself to stick to it for at least 21 days to note the effect.
You might find that you feel more energised, enthusiastic, present, and powerful.
These routines are designed as a sequence, but each one can easily stand alone!
1. Rise and Shine!
The circadian rhythm – your body’s internal clock. It’s wound up naturally by our internal organs’ responses to the motions of the Sun. It tells us when to wake up and is essential for maintaining health, mood regulation, and the life-force energy of natural beauty.
Arise to Sunrise
The time you wake up is the “on” button for your Circadian Clock. In Ayurveda, this is called the Brahmi Muhurta. It occurs 45-90 minutes before sunrise, the ideal time for attaining brahma gyan (supreme knowledge and eternal happiness).
Even as an early riser, waking up at 5:30am feels daunting!
Let’s at least consider this: 2:00-6:00am are the Vata (air+space) hours. This is when the mind is most connected to higher states of consciousness. 6:00-10:00 is the next phase associated with Kapha (earth+water). The longer you sleep into Kapha, the more lethargy you encourage. Too much earth+water creates mud in the mind.
Those who wake up early are proven to have enhanced cognitive function, reduced anxiety, and improved digestion. These folks even live longer!
Even if you have a restless night, wake up early to tune your circadian rhythm. You can always take a nap later (no longer than 15 minutes).
Leave Your Phone Off
During this precious transition, we recommend giving yourself at least 1 hour before exposing yourself to electronics. These have an impact on our circadian cycle!
2. Detoxification
When we rid ourselves of the previous day’s junk, we’re open to receiving the gifts of this day.
According to the Chinese Circadian Clock, 5:00-7:00am corresponds to the large intestine. Traditional Chinese Medicine advises arising at this time to activate the detoxifying movements of the large intestine and of the mind.
So, before putting anything into your body, mind what you take out:
- Bowel movements
- Tongue build-up (with a metal tongue scraper)
- Mucus from the eyes and nose (with water)
Morning Tea-toxification
Follow up by detoxifying the stomach. We suggest staying away from caffeine for now.
Warm lemon + ginger water is especially gentle. It hydrates, detoxifies, and activates your digestive system. Feel free to add:
- Tulsi (holy basil)
- Turmeric
- Rosemary
- Peppermint
3. Intentions
Let the truth of your heart have the first voice of the day.
Meditation
Meditation is not something that you do with your mind. In meditation, the mind relaxes into the heart, ‘doing’ dissolves into ‘being,’ and the body rests in the safety of its home. Even the most intense anxiety finds peace. Here, we linger in the stillness of waking up.
Meditation is a remembrance that Love is the sole reason why you wake up in the first place!
Morning meditation informs your day, every day. We suggest that even just 20 minutes is enough.
For our full guide to breath and meditation, check out Meditations by The OM Collective.
Affirmations
Words create your world. So let your first words of the day be ones of self-love.
Though it may feel awkward at first, say to yourself ~
- Let this day be about Love
- I’m open to receiving the gifts of this day
- Allow me to be a channel for today’s lessons
4. Yoga Asana + Breathe
Sun Salutation
Let these intentions guide you into gentle movement of the body. Though there are many asanas (yogic poses) that suit the magic of the morning, the Sun Salutation practice (Surya Namaskara) is really special. It accesses many body parts, increases circulation, and acts as a greeting to the Sun.
Practicing outside in the morning Sun is ideal. Though if that’s not possible due to weather or space, this practice also brings the Sun’s energy inside to you.
Surya Namaskara is the basis of Vinyasa (which means “to place in a special way”) and can be practiced on its own. To give gratitude to the Sun and receive its golden light, practice an even number of rounds. When practising:
- Follow the breathing pattern
- Alternate your leading leg for each round
Breath of Fire
Continue to cultivate your fire through the ultimate life-giving force: the breath.
Kapalabhati (“illuminating breath”) is a form of pranayama (breathing technique) known to relieve stress, increase concentration, and awaken the senses.
How to do the Breath of Fire:
- Start in a seated cross-legged position. Sit up tall.
- Place your hands on your knees, palms facing upward or on your belly.
- Inhale through your nose, feeling your belly expand.
- Without pausing, exhale forcefully through your nose while contracting your abdominal muscles. Keep your inhalations and exhalations equal in length. Repeat until you’re comfortable with the pattern.
- Continue the rhythm, inhaling passively and exhaling forcefully. Repeat several times to practice.
- Now, speed up the inhales and exhales. Your exhales should be powerful and loud.
- Repeat for 30 seconds or longer.
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All fired up and ready to shine! Now you can enjoy a nourishing breakfast, turn on that phone of yours (finally), and get into “productivity” mode.
When we rise+shine in ritual, we make mornings a moment of joy – for this body, this heart, this life! What kind of message does this send to the universe?
~ Rise and Shine in Ritual ~
If you enjoyed this divine and luxurious ritual that hopefully helped energise yet ground you - make sure you check out Part 2: Your Essential Evening Wind-down.
Let us know your successes and challenges in your morning ritual! Reach out to share your results and inspirations with us!