Cultivating a Magical Morning Routine
The magical morning routine. I always had one, and I had created and cultivated a pretty beautiful one in the months before my life drastically changed. I would wake up, make a morning elixir, go back into my room quietly and light a candle, meditate, smudge myself, pop my headphones in so as not to wake my ex-husband, journal, read, and pull some cards from my assortment of decks (I have a little collection). I'd go into my day refreshed, calm and in my feminine. However, this feeling never seemed to last, which I have come to realize was because everything else in my life was not in alignment with what I desired. But the magical morning routine was absolutely KEY to me feeling like a solid human being everyday, and it is even more effective now that the rest of my life feels in alignment.
There is a basic structure to making a magical morning routine and cultivating it to be a natural part of your day. It has to touch on a few key areas: your physical health, your mental health and your spiritual health. Let's break these down a little, okay?
Physical health: this is where you focus on all of the things that keep you healthy. For example: brushing your teeth or oil pulling, basic hydration and nutrition, movement, etc. My morning routine usually consists of my skin care, my oral hygiene, and some deep hydration. I like to start my day with some warm lemon water or detox tea with lemon, some Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen in water with l-glutamine powder (this aids in muscle recovery, and also helps with hair, skin and nail health), and then another big ass glass of water. A big breakfast follows after my mental and spiritual health is taken care of. I also like to stretch it out a little with basic yoga poses such as cat and cow, and foam roll my back. I also like to sit cross legged and circle my hips around to open everything up.
Mental health: this is where you focus on getting your mind right for the day. For example: affirmations, meditations, reading, journaling, etc. I find that the mental health and spiritual health components can sometimes, and often do, overlap. I personally always journal first thing in the morning, and I start by writing down my morning mantra for the day in my journal. I love this once a day email service that sends you an email with a quick mantra for your day. I always write it down and say it allowed to myself with my hand on my heart. Next I write the words "I am..." and finish the sentence. I often write things like I am strong, kind, beautiful, fierce, intelligent, capable, worthy - you get the point. "I am" statements are powerful AF, and make a huge difference. Then I write three things I am grateful for and only three. I have to get crystal clear here on what I am most grateful for in that moment. I have an entire gratitude journal for the overflow (which is usually a bedtime ritual for me, where I write an ENTIRE page of things I'm grateful for). Guess what? Every single one of us can name three things we are grateful for, and it makes a epic impact on your life.
Spiritual health: this is where you focus on your connection to a higher power or source. You could pray, or meditate, or you can focus on your intuitive guidance system through angel cards, tarot cards and other assorted decks. I personally love this practice, and always find the guidance or message I need in that moment (even if its not always the message and guidance I want). I personally love playing music during this time, or listening to guided meditations. Danielle Laporte has some amazing ones, and there is also a free app called Insight Timer that is pretty epic. As for the decks I love, I'm going to write an entire post on this for you, because like I said earlier, I have quite the collection. I also during this time like to pull out my crystals, and smudge my space and my body with either sage or palo santo, or both.
Combining all these components gives me a really beautiful and magical morning routine. It enables me to show up everyday for myself. It doesn't matter whether I take 5 minutes or an hour for this practice, I show up. I typically take some time to read during, and get some personal development in, and then its time for breakfast. As a side note - I workout 5 days a week, but this is not a part of my morning rituals. I usually fit my workout in when I can throughout the day, and as my schedule shifts - so does when I get to the gym. But its a commitment I stick to religiously.
Now, although I no longer share my space with another human being - it is totally doable to do so when you do. You can do your routine in your bedroom, and pop headphones in or find another spot in your home to take the time for yourself. I like to do it all in my bed and my jammies, but that is just me. You may also enjoy doing this outside (I used to love my balcony for this, or sitting out on my front porch when I lived in the country), in your kitchen, your office space, etc. Just commit to it, and cultivate the practice. It's ok to start small, pick one thing for each component - it could be as simple as : glass of water, hygiene, say a little prayer, gratitude journal. OR as elaborate as you want. And it is totally beautiful to let this practice evolve over time - just know that every single one of us is capable of taking 5 minutes for ourselves once a day. Busy is a choice we make. We ALWAYS have time for 5 minutes, remember that.
