Upgrade Your Mornings

Make everyday special as soon as you open your eyes, with theses simple mindfulness rituals.

Be woke to waking

Every morning we experience a major shift in consciousness – it’s called waking up. We’re so used to it, we don’t eve take notice but there’s a big change as we move out of our sleep mode and into full body awareness. It can be magical to try to catch this moment – just be aware and think to yourself: “I’m awake”. Bringing consciousness to your very first moment will transform your day and bring more mindfulness and presence into all your waking moment.

Try a 60-second body scan

Before you get out of bed, let your awareness pass through your body. Start with the feet – how are you feeling? Then work all the way up. If you come to any aches or pains, try not to judge them any way. And try not to let your mind wander off to why that’s there and what you can do about it. Just be aware, nothing else.

Choose your emotions as well as your outfit

Imagine you can walk into an emotion store, browse, pick out the emotion you fancy feeling for the rest of the day, get in, and walk out the door basking in your chosen sentiment. Well you CAN! Most people think that emotions come and go beyond our control, but in fact, they are entirely within our power. Not sure what emotion to go for? Gratitude is a great choice.

Stretch

Have you noticed that sitting is the new smoking? Spending a a good amount of your time sitting may be unavoidable in your work, so ensure you have a good stretch in the morning  – and intermittent stretches during the day. The spine wants and needs to be moved in all the ways it moves – forwards, backwards, to the sides and twisting.Give it a bit of love in the morning. If available, get on a yoga mat and stretch out.

And breath

If you have a meditative practice, doing it in the morning will have a MASSIVE impact on your day, both in how you relate to people and react to situations. If you don’t, just try taking a few minutes to breathe. Don’t try to force yourself to breathe slower or deeper, just breath and watch the breath. You can always apply an essential oil roll-on to your pulse points and inhale the fragrant oils – our sense of smell sends direct messages to our brain, so when we smell calming scents it signals for us to relax.

Set your intentions

If you set goals, you’re only halfway there. In order to truly move the needle forward in achieving those goals, it is essential to attach intentions to them. An intention is simply a guiding “word” or “phrase” that you can set for your month, your week, or your day. An intention’s primary objective is to guide the course of your actions throughout that day. You can fully immerse yourself in the present moment and not become fixated on what you don’t have yet. Doing everything with intent will also help you to become more in tune with your spiritual being. This can help you to approach your life more spiritually, and it will open your heart and mind. When you do this, it paves way to naturally achieve your goals.

Eat a mindful breakfast

Are you actually hungry in the morning? Hunger is the first vital element of good digestion. Be aware and try to only eat if you’re actually hungry. This will set the scene for mindful eating. If you don’t feel particularly hungry, adding a juice or a healthy green smoothie is an option or have ginger tea to help you stimulate hunger. Be aware of your tummy and how ready it is for food and when you do eat, savour every morsel. This awareness (both of hunger and of taste) is an amazing tool in keeping you mindful in your day, reminding you to feel into and truly enjoy the little things, as well as maintaining optimal weight, health and over all wellbeing.

Love & Light

Mariana