There are lots of people who talk about waking up super early and joining the ‘5am club’ to be productive, but don’t worry this isn’t going to be one of those blogs! Personally I prefer to ease myself into the day gently with lots of mindfulness and self care.
Luckily I’m at the stage where my children are old enough to get themselves ready for school and as I’m self-employed, it’s up to me when I start my working day. I try to avoid having appointments early in the morning to give me plenty of time to prepare myself mentally and physically for the day. This sets me up to be my best self and have plenty of energy for my clients and whatever life throws at me.
There’s no right way to create a mindful routine – it’s all about bringing in the rituals that most support and energise you. This is the routine I find most works for my lifestyle right now…
7.50am – Time to Wake Up
My alarm goes off and immediately roll out of bed and pull on my yoga gear, which I lay out the night before. I then grab a coffee from the machine. My parter prepares the coffee each night and puts it on timer so it’s ready in the morning – bliss!
8am – Journaling
I usually sit on my sofa to do my journaling where I can look at the clouds from the huge windows in my living room. Connecting with nature in the way helps me feel peaceful and full of gratitude as I write. I do a journaling practice called the Morning Pages – which means I write three pages of freehand stream of consciousness every morning. This is from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This clears my mind for the day and helps me get in touch with creative ideas. I also use this time to write out things I’m grateful for, plan my day and sometimes to work on my creative writing projects – like my forthcoming book, Mindfulness for Love. I also like to choose an affirmation for the day. On the days my younger daughter is staying with me, I make her breakfast during this time and walk her down to the bus stop to travel to school. I still manage to get some journaling done while she’s getting herself washed and dressed.
9am – Move my Body
I use this time to do a few yoga stretches. I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube so I’ll usually choose a short routine from there based on my energy levels and what mood I’m in or sometimes I just freestyle. Then I do fast walking on the running machine for 20 minutes. While I’m doing this I listen to an inspirational podcast or audiobook. At the moment I’m listening to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Full Catastrophe Living – a mindfulness classic! The running machine is right by the window so I love looking out at the sky and the birds as I walk.
9.30am – Meditate
After my workout I take the time to do a few cool down stretches followed by a mindfulness meditation. It could be a body scan, breathing meditation or a guided visualisation – depending on what mood I’m in. I like to put on a scented candle for this (I love Vegan Bunny candles) and sit on my zafu meditation cushion.
10am – Homemade Smoothie
I love making smoothies and my favourite recipes are from the Deliciously Ella cookbooks. Usually I blend a mixture of plant-based milk with banana, spinach, a tablespoon of almond butter and a handful of berries or whatever fruit I have around (this morning it was nectarines – yum!).
Another favourite is mixing avocado, banana, cacao and dates with plant-based milk to make a healthy chocolate milkshake!
10.15am – Get Ready
Now I’m ready to have my shower, get dressed and start work for the day, while I sip my smoothie.
I love my mindful morning routine and look forward to waking up each day to nourish my mind, body and soul! What’s your morning routine? I’d love to hear about it! Email me at [email protected]