“Make everything in your life a magical ritual.” -Lady Gold
Creating rituals in your morning is an awesome way to set the tone for your day. You can easily fall into the habit of just rushing through your wake-up routine to get out the door and to work. Often times, just trying to get to your destination and not fully aware of how you feel or what is going on around you.
I fell into this habit for years, just like a robot: getting up, brushing my teeth, washing up, getting dressed, eating and then out and into the car. Just moving and operating in the same movements every morning. Not really paying attention to much other than I had to get out the door. By the time I got to work, I was still trying to wake up and felt like I was moving through a fog.
All that is different now that I make my own hours but there were a few things that really helped me change that routine and feel better before starting my day. I have done all these at different times and found them all to work really well depending on what I needed. It would probably be hard to start them all at once, but see if any of them resonate with you and try one at a time. Notice if there is a difference in how you feel in the morning or throughout your day when you are more intentional with what you are doing.
Hydrate + Stimulate
When you wake up, you are dehydrated and you need to hydrate that body! My guess is that many of you start 
your day with coffee or maybe even tea. Those are fine but it’s really important to drink water at the beginning of your day.
After trying hot water + lemon, I realized my need for caffeine in the morning lessened dramatically. There are some really major benefits to creating a morning ritual with hot lemon water. One, is it helps kickstart the digestion process for the day. Lemon juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser and contains many substances–notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene–that promote immunity and fight infection. Instead of using coffee to kickstart the system and move your digestion, lemons are a natural diuretic that help flush out unwanted materials in your system and liver.
The scent of lemon is also a mood booster, which I know I need first thing in the morning. I would say this ritual has been one of my favorites and most beneficial!
Awaken the Physical Body
I don’t know about you, but I have NEVER been one of those people that can exercise in the morning. But, I have recognized I feel much much better if I start my day with some sort of movement; and it actually doesn’t take much. After several hours of sleep, your body can be pretty stiff and it will feel much better if you warm it up a bit before you run out the door.
Doing some simple stretches while standing or on the floor are enough to loosen up the muscles and get the body in gear. If you know some yoga poses, doing a short sun salutation would be good or just a few of your favorite postures to open up the sides of your body, get some twists to stretch the back, etc.
Express Yourself
One of the best rituals I’ve done is something called Morning Pages, from the book the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It is a stream-of-consciousness style of writing that can create profound shifts in creativity, personal 
growth and change in your life. It is not something just for artist’s to do. I found it extremely helpful in processing things I may be going through for a period and getting out what is happening below the surface. Also, as soon as I started to do this, within a few days I began to remember more of my dreams which help you see what you are processing during sleep. Here is what you do:
- Soon after you wake up (maybe sitting with your hot water + lemon) break out the notebook and start to write.
- Don’t think about what you are going to write, it is not like journaling about your day. Just let whatever is in your head come out as a stream-of-consciousness.
- Write for 3 pages straight. Don’t stop, just let whatever comes out, come out. Doesn’t matter if it sounds nonsensical, that sometimes leads you to the good stuff.
- If you need some prompting, as yourself “What do I want to accomplish?” or “What do I need to know?” or “What do I really want to happen?” then let it flow.
Breathe in Silence
Take a breath, and then another…and a few more. But pay attention to them. Yes, you breathe without having to think about it. But when you breathe with intention, you come into the present moment. Doing this for a few minutes helps you take pause before you go off to do something. Helps you slow down a little and maybe be more aware of your body, surroundings or what you need to do next. If you want to take it further, you can sit for longer periods of time and turn it into a meditation. I have a number of mini meditations to get you started.
Remember, you don’t need to try these all at once. But I do suggest trying one for a week and then moving on– don’t just try for a day and stop if you don’t feel a difference. You need to give it some time to change the rhythms of your body or day. May you find a magical new morning ritual!
Image sources:
All images by me except for header graphic. Adapted image from https://www.behance.net/gallery/1630679/Arise
