4 Tips To Cultivate A Morning Routine

When you first open your eyes, do you think, “Oh shoot, time to go!” or do you savor the stillness of morning? I get it, mornings can be hectic. But cultivating a morning routine can be a saving grace for your health and well-being.

Growing up, I was always running late. Rushing and procrastinating was my forte. During my yoga teacher training years ago, we were challenged to start a morning routine. I thought, “Wake up even earlier?! No way.” I soon experienced the power of tuning in and connecting first thing in the morning before we start the day. From that point on, it’s become a staple and I’ve experienced positive benefits in my mental, emotional and physical health.

Here’s my current morning routine and 4 tips to help you cultivate yours.

Lemon water first thing upon waking (and on an empty stomach) energizes the senses and supports the liver! Our liver cleanses our blood and detoxes our body from various toxins in our environment. Lemon water aids in producing healthy stomach bile, also adding to proper digestion, and detoxification. Lemons, even though they seem acidic, are actually alkaline when ingested! As a collective, we tend to be too acidic. Bringing down acidic pH minimizes inflammation, clears skin, reduces joint pain and so much more! Lemons are also a great source of Vitamin C, Potassium and Magnesium. It’s best to allow 30 minutes for the lemon water to process throughout your system.

While the lemon water is waking up the body, I take this time to write. Grab a journal, open to a random page, don’t even worry about the date, and write away! This can be about your dreams the night before, thoughts about the coming day, prayer, song lyrics, a realization, goals – just write. Writing freely without parameters provides space for connection, clearing the mind + honest self-reflection.

Celery has loads of health benefits! One of the most crucial is proper hydration, healthy minerals, and salts. Celery juice aids in gut health, lowering inflammation, increasing digestion, nurturing the liver, boosting the thyroid, awakening the brain, lowering blood pressure, removing toxic build up, calming the nervous system, and gives energy. Allow celery juice to process throughout the body for 30 minutes as well before eating, drinking coffee, tea, etc..

Meditate! This can be simply sitting and tuning into the breath or a moving meditation like yoga (or dance!) for as little as 5 minutes. While celery juice is rejuvenating the body, I love to sit and meditate, soaking in the nutrients. Tuning into this energy will naturally cause your spirits to rise. Offer a couple deep breaths of gratitude for making YOU the most important part of your day!

Practicing positive rituals first thing can change your outlook on mornings, and possibly yourself! I challenge you to start a morning routine with what feeds your mind + body + soul. When dedicating time to fill your cup, even for one hour each morning (only 5% of your entire day!) you will definitely notice the benefits – we can always use a little more self-love + connection.

Have a great morning!