Morning Movement

Our morning routine helps us set the tone for the day.  What kind of energy do I want to invite in? And am I channeling this energy into things that make me feel more fulfilled, happier & less anxious, stressed out, blue or overwhelmed?

Successful business owners/leaders, motivational speakers, spiritual gurus & creatives have sworn by their morning routines and how they translate into their daily successes. Taking this time before your day begins to tune in your mind & your body, creating intention behind your tasks & setting goals that will guide you towards your highest self.

“Own your morning. Elevate your life.”  – Robin Sharma

 

I love this quote because it is such a simple but huge takeaway that we get to decide how our days play out.  We get to decide on what foot and with what attitude we are starting our day with. It is all a choice, and by beginning to own our mornings taking that time for us – fuelling our brains & bodies – there is so much more possibility throughout the rest of the day to become empowered.

I will be the first to admit my morning routines is not always consistent.  I’ve never naturally been a morning person and I gravitate to being more of a night owl – and although I might find myself doing late night creative tasks (or binging my fav netflix series from time to time) I know that I ALWAYS feel better when I stick to my morning routine. Now, life happens.  Relationships, fun nights, babies etc. There are lots of reasons that can keep us snuggled in bed during those early mornings instead of getting up.  And I do believe there are times to allow yourself grace to get through a period where mornings may just not consist of a specific routine (hello to my first 3 years of motherhood!). BUT, once you are able to transition out of that grace period, hold yourself accountable enough to do so.

Now, let’s reframe our minds to what a ‘routine’ means.  Mason Currey, who wrote a highly acclaimed book ‘Daily Rituals: How Artists Work’, explains the difference between Habits, Routines & Rituals beautifully.

HABITS:

• Habits are things that we do automatically. They are small decisions you make and acts you perform every day. What you repeatedly do (what you spend time thinking about doing each day), ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality you portray. Your life today is essentially a sum of your habits.

ROUTINES:

• Routines are predominantly a collection of habits that you have or actions that you take on a regular basis to bring order to your day or evening. In comparison to a habit which usually manifests itself as an automatic urge to do something, a routine requires deliberate practice.

RITUALS:

• Rituals are like routines, though the difference is the attitude behind the actions. As the renowned motivational speaker Tony Robbins teaches, most routines could be turned into rituals with a change of perspective. Rituals are viewed as more meaningful practices which have a real sense of purpose.

Which one of these resonates the most with how you work? Do you gravitate more towards one way of integrating your morning routine versus the others?

Only YOU can establish practices that resonate the best to start your day, but here are a few common ones:

• Drinking a full glass of water as soon as you get up (yes, before coffee!)
• Staying away from technology (phones, emails, tv etc.). TIP HERE: For your online yoga practice, have this setup the night before so all you have to do is click play!
• Morning Movement – exactly what we are here for!
• Meditation and or breath-work
• Journaling – Affirmation / Intention Setting
• Gratitude list (We have a previous month on Gratitude Rituals, check it out)
• Cold Showers
• Reading for 10-30 Mins
• Creating your daily tasks / goals list

The intention with this months theme is to not only develop an uplifting morning routine to help us prepare the mind & open the body for the rest of the day.  This will not only help with your asana (physical) yoga practice, but also, as always, the practice of yoga is so much about how this translates off of the mat and into real life. I love the energy shift I have when I invite meditation & movement in first thing – the majority of my days play out with calmer reactions, less triggers and more ease.  I feel inspired and energized to create, laugh & live a life that I love. It’s always noticeable if I have just rushed out of bed, downed a cup of coffee & dove into work.

This is a perfect opportunity to expand your morning mindset, tap into you energy systems & experiment with what morning rituals or routines you would like to introduce with The Soul Practice’s Guidance.

Each practice in this month’s theme will bring a different energy to your morning.  Just need a good stretch? Want a hit of energy & power? Need to sit in stillness with a gentle meditation? Want a quick, go-to morning flow? Check out our Monthly Calendar below & let’s dive in.

I HIGHLY suggest that you incorporate our monthly playlists into your home practice! They make such a difference – check out this months playlist HERE

JOIN US ON YOUR MAT HERE