meditation, cleansing, exercise

The way you wake up in the morning can really affect how your day goes.

For a long time, I would wake up just long enough before having to go to school or work to get ready and go.

There was no gentleness in it: a cacophonous alarm, rushing through a shower, rushing through breakfast, and barely get to where I was going on time.

That rushed, stressful feeling never really went away throughout the day.

At some point, after I started meditating in my twenties, I realized there was a better way.

I can tell you now that I start mornings with a “power” routine, I feel confident, motivated, and can accomplish many things.

I wake up about 2-3 hours before I have to be anywhere.

This ensures I have plenty of time to wake up, calmly and powerfully start my day, and feel super motivated to move mountains make a difference.

Here’s my power-packed morning routine that sets me up for a fantastic day ahead.

My Morning Routine

In general, I go through the following routine in this order:

  1. meditation
  2. mantras
  3. affirmations
  4. journaling
  5. get active

start your day in a positive way

Meditation

If you’re not a meditator, I have some posts and ideas to help get you started.

When I first started meditating, I would do it for about five or ten minutes at a time. When I could sit comfortably (and yes, the mind always wanders – you needn’t worry about that) for that amount of time, I increased to fifteen or twenty minutes.

Slowly I increased that to sixty minutes and that’s where I’m at now. I often think about continuing for longer.

Even just five minutes, though, can be such a powerful experience. Meditation calms you, helps clear your mind, and leaves you with a feeling of compassion and love over time.

(If you’ve known me for awhile, then you know that this has been the biggest game-changer of my life and has opened doors for me, and has made me less prone to anger and much more open to understanding in my life. <– I should write a book about that or something.)

In any case, I meditate immediately after waking up. I’ll get some water and take care of personal needs, but then I head onto my meditation cushion for sixty minutes.

Mantras

After meditation, I immediately go into whispering 108 mantras to myself.

Over the years, I’ve said different mantras to myself, but for the LIFE Project, I’m currently saying one that is in ancient Sanskrit for success and protection.

I can’t begin to describe the level of wonderful power and love I feel after reciting that. As of this writing, I’ve been doing that since April 1, 2017.

Affirmations

These are one of my favorite parts of my mindfulness morning ritual.

I give thanks for the abundance around me.

I give thanks for what I would like to see in my life.

I affirm my spiritual path and calling as a “spiritpreneur.”

I go over my intentions and dreams – daily.

All three of these activities could take about 20 minutes if you meditate for five minutes, or an hour and twenty minutes if you meditate for sixty minutes.

At this point, I leave my meditation cushion and head to the kitchen to boil some tea water.

Journaling

After making some tea, I head to the computer and intentionally do not check social media. I go over to my favorite journaling site, Penzu, and add an entry of at least 250 words.

Writing things down is cathartic and helps you process events really well.

I can also write about my day ahead and what’s in store.

After I finish that, if I’m out of time, I’ll begin to make breakfast…but….

start your day in a powerful way

Get Active

Up until recently, I needed to head to work after doing the above. But, now I have a little more time in the mornings.

I was listening to a podcast that talked about how people are often primed to be active in the mornings: they’re more rested, many folks drink caffeine, thereby giving them a natural boost for exercising, and the endorphins released can spur happiness and motivation.

And, well…since it takes me three DAYS to wake up in the mornings, a morning exercise routine can help get me moving.

For the past few days, I’ve been splitting my walking workouts. (Yes, always striving to get those 10,000 steps in each day.)

A morning workout, I’m finding, makes me feel accomplished early in the day and I feel much more motivated to tackle other tasks.

If I can get about half my steps in, in the mornings, it becomes much easier to get the rest of my steps in before the evening.

These five things alone can really change the outlook on your day.

What if you have kids?

Or you have to be at work by 7am?

Getting up at 4am to fit all this in might be impractical. So, you can always choose to modify this power routine – however you see fit – and skip them, or wait until later in the day to complete them.

If you only have time to meditate five minutes, and do nothing else, you still are fitting in 35 minutes of meditation per week. That’s a great start.

Don’t worry about having the perfect routine, just make a point of getting up earlier so you can create a calmer morning for yourself and powerfully propel you into a new day.

 

Smoke-Cleansing and Centering

What if, however, you need a little extra confidence, power, love, protection, or luck on a particular day?

You know, there’s a job interview, or you have a new flame, or you just really need a little bit of good luck.

Enter the smoke-cleansing and centering morning routine.

Personally, I don’t do this very often – probably only a handful of times per year, due to the other power-boosting activities that make up my mornings now.

However, yes, when I travel, or when I need a boost, I’ll incorporate a centering into my day.

I will typically do this after meditating, repeating my mantras and affirmations, since I’m already in a calm, centered state.

But, if you’re pressed for time, this can be a stand-alone activity.

What you’ll need:

  • โ€‹Sage stick
  • Amethyst crystalโ€‹ย for its calming, and mind-clearing powers.
  • Candle

What to do:

  1. Light your favorite candle
  2. Get your sage stick and light it in the candle flame.
  3. Now, sit and take three deep breaths. Begin to still the mind and focus on your breath.
  4. Banish negative energy by wafting the sage stick all around your body.
  5. Repeat the following:
Sacred sage, cleanse my spirit and banish any negative energy from my heart. I am calm and ready to begin my day in a powerful way, full of confidence, poise and love. As I go about my activities, I know that I have all the power, and confidence I need. I send out love and gratitudeย to the world for the highest good of all.
ย  ย  ย  ย 6. While the candle is burning, close your eyes and think of a time where you were nervous and you triumphed. Take that same triumphant feeling, and imagine yourself triumphant in today’s activities. If you are with more than one person during this centering, you can share stories of when you might have felt nervous and overcame it brilliantly.
ย  ย  ย  7. When you are ready, send thoughts of gratitude to the sage for helping to banish any negative energy and blow out your candle. Now, you can continue with your day.