Do you have a morning ritual?
I’m not talking a set of expletives F#*!sh#@as*#ho#e that you greet the day with. Or that daily battle with your alarm’s snooze button. Or a s#it scramble, scream and screech to get the kids (and yourself) out the door to school, daycare etc.
Of course I’m talking about a morning ritual that gets you set for the day…..the kinda day you actually want to have.
This doesn’t have to be a long meditation, or a yoga stretch session (a la Salute to the Sun) or even a daily jot in the journal of all your goals and wishes (although it can be these things).
For Mr Yang, it’s a slow morning cuppa, relaxing on the recliner, with no-one bothering him (if that recliner could rock I’d be calling him Grandpa).
Mr Yang just naturally does ritual well, and never seems to get bored (old man, stuck in his ways?).
I’ve always struggled with finding a ritual. I rarely set an alarm (kids having helped out with that over the years). Yet like most people, I treasure any time I get to spend awake before the rest of the household. I rarely hit snooze.
In the spirit of going with the flow, sometimes I write, sometimes I read.
I often try to do at least 5-10 minutes of meditation, and sometimes that will turn into a few yoga stretches also.
Other times I do a Mr Yang, grab a cuppa, and sit outside listening to the birds and the morning wake up, watching the sun’s early rays crystalize the lake and hopefully my thoughts for the day.
Sometimes I’m ‘up and at ‘em’ for a brisk walk and occasionally I’ll go out to a morning yoga class.
I make this admission about being routine-less, when some of you may see me as a ‘mediating mumma’ with my practice sorted.
Sorry to disappoint – but I’m practicing to develop a practice!
And here’s one simple, powerful practice that literally only takes a few minutes that I guarantee will even make you taller! (not to mention calmer, clearer and more centered).
Remember when your Mum (and quite possibly your teacher) used to lecture you about posture – shoulders straight, don’t slouch, get your eyes up off the floor etc.
Well there’s the most basic of yoga asanas (poses in other words) that is designed for good posture, but has other benefits too. It literally sets you up for your whole practice (or day as the case may be).
Simply stand up straight, only its not that simple (well it is, but let me break it down).
Tadasana – Mountain Pose
Stand with your feet together, touching at the ankles and toes. Push your heels into the ground and then lift your toes. Spread them out as you plant them back down, allowing some weight to shift into the balls of your feet.
Your feet should feel firmly planted with your weight even (it’s ok to wobble a little as you get the hang of it).
Now consciously lengthen your legs. Straighten your knees, pull your kneecaps up so they are locked. Roll your thighs in and up as you straighten. Tuck your tailbone under and let your hips relax outwards.
Lift your back up from the base of your spine. Feel the curve in your lower back and then pull your stomach backwards towards your spine as you straighten, pushing your chest (and heart) up and out.
Lift and then square your shoulders, relaxing so you arms hang comfortably down by your side. Fan your fingers out, as your arms lengthen towards the ground.
Feel your shoulder blades move towards the middle of your back and lengthen your neck, so that your head is upright and your chin straight but your muscles are not strained.
Gaze straight ahead and then feel a final lift upwards, as though you are being pulled towards heaven by the crown of your head.
See how you’ve grown a few centimetres, and see how you feel centered, grounded in the earth, yet at the same time reaching into the universe.
Close your eyes if you can (it’s OK to wobble). Imagine yourself as a mountain – you can ‘move mountains’ today. Oh an don’t forget to breathe fully!
Say a simple mantra about how awesome you are, how strong like a mountain you feel, or whatever it is that gets you motivated for the day (it’s OK if you just want to think your mantra, but it works extra well when you talk to yourself)!
And now go away and be grounded, reach for the heavens (and your goals) like a soaring mountain peak. And do it all again tomorrow.
Linking up with Essentially Jess because it’s IBOT and My Little Sunshine House on the theme ‘rituals’.
Do you have a morning ritual?
How do you get grounded and ready for the day?
Cheers
29 Comments on “A morning ritual”
My morning ritual is to grab my coffee and get back in bed to read until 730ish. As long as I get everyone up and eating then we will make it to school on time lol.
Love this pose as a start to the day. Thanks for sharing – deb xx
That’s a pretty impressive morning Deb. No way I can stay in bed until then, even most weekends.
Don’t worry, I don’t have a morning ritual either but I would love to get back into my early morning walks again!
They really are the best start to the day aren’t they – I make excuses though about the weather, cold etc
In the last 6months I have started a different ritual which involves going to bed earlier and getting up earler and spending 15minutes drinking my coffee in peace before the kids wake up. It helps me be centred for the day. I love the idea of doing the yoga pose though.
The yoga pose is great and really less than 5 mins, so you can combine with your morning coffee Eleise.
I dream about a nice morning ritual… my day starts with the rush around as soon as the baby wakes… Still, there’s more time for me than there used to be, so maybe one day soon
I know it’s impossible to have a real morning ritual with a baby, but as you say, it gets easier, bit by bit.
I need a morning ritual that doesn’t involve crawling to the first cup of coffee! I suspect with winter starting to slowly settle in down here, morning rituals are not even going to be on the agenda till Spring! too hard when it is so cold – but I do like your morning routine xx
No morning ritual but I’d love to have one. When I worked and lived in the city my mornings were rushed. I made a seachange a while ago and only work 3 days a week so time is quite different for me now. But… I’d love to exercise OR meditate for a bit in the mornings.
No routine here, I’m usually woken before 5am by one of three children and then yelled, cried and screamed at them until they are fed, nappies changed and the like. There is no such thing as a nice routine for me ATM. One thing I do do is COFFEE outside, listening to the birds, well if I can keep the kids inside so they don’t wake the neighbours!
Most mornings I hope to grab a cuppa and have my breakfast before anyone else gets up. I like to take some time to check personal emails and think through my tasks for the day so that I can walk out the door mentally prepared.
I reckon the number one thing is to find something that gets us mentally ready for the day, rather than feeling frazzled before we even really get into it. Thanks for visiting Nathan.
my morning “routine” is sh$% and all technology-focused. I want to change this. My favourite thing about pilates is feeling 8feet tall when I leave. I need to go back, but I’ll start with your stretch first. x Aroha
Hope the stretch works for you – I really like pilates too, but at the moment my focus is on yoga – feeling ten foot tall is a great way to start the day.
I need to start something. I would probably be more beneficial to do this pose rather than lie around waiting for my son to crawl in bed with me.
But your son crawling into bed sounds like a nice ritual too! Starting something just for yourself though is really important.
I don’t really have a morning ritual outside doing the email and social media checks. I do enjoy doing them on my own though when I can really stretch out and enjoy the tv that I want to watch or listen to music.
I reckon space on our own, however we get to spend it, is a ritual in itself.
Mine is coffee and writing….
I love this morning pose Kathy, must make an effort to do it. My first thing to do in the morning is feed 2 dogs and a cat, then I can have a quiet coffee before my day starts, and I get Bell up and into the school routine. x
It really is a fairly quick and simple thing to do, that you fit in with the rest of your routine Lisa.
Hi Kathy,
I can’t wait until my children are a bit older, and a ritual like this would be possible. At the moment I am instantly climbed all over the second I sit down. So I like to hit the ground running and prepare breakfast instead – it’s my way to ease into the day. Thank you so much for linking up this post for Sunshine Sundays! xx
It is hard to sneak awake with babies/toddlers. I was up for a bit this morning with Little Yang and then went back to bed with him so we could have a cuddle (hubby on nightshift) – I don’t mind that being part of my routine either!
My morning ritual really centres around the kids and getting them ready for school, breakfast, dressed, pack bags, hair done, out the door.
There really is a lot to do – I just find if I can grab that headspace early on, I get through the other stuff easier.
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