Welcome to my morning ritual!
I have found that the best way for me to ensure that I make self-care a daily priority is to make it a habit, or even better…a ritual.
The difference between a routine and a ritual is intention. My intention as I complete my morning ritual is infused with self-love and nurturing my body, mind, and spirit.
Here’s a peek at my current morning ritual.
I begin with a short yoga in bed routine. I have a hard time doing a “real” yoga practice in the mornings. It takes me a bit to wake up and get out of bed, and I’m pretty stiff in the mornings, so this short routine that I can do WHILE STILL IN BED is perfect to get me moving.
I do a couple minutes of Abdominal Thoracic Breathing. Listen to the audio below to learn more about abdominal breathing and abdominal thoracic breathing.
I repeat my sankalpa silently a few times to remind myself of what is important to me. A sankalpa is a deep-seated intention, in other words, what your heart truly desires and needs to hear. It is the foundation on which to build your life.
During this whole time, I have gotten lots of love from my cat, Opal. Nothing like furry therapy. 🙂
(She’s adorable, but she drools like a mastiff.)
I’m finally ready to get out of bed. I head right to a nice, warm shower, which helps to ease any soreness in my body.
I follow my shower with an oil massage, or abhyanga, in the Ayurvedic tradition (though truth be told, I don’t usually warm the oil before applying, unless I have extra time). You can learn more about the benefits of Abhyanga here.
(Nothing I seem to do will correct this image orientation. Sorry.)
There are of course some other things I do to get ready for my day, but I try to make at least this first part of my routine more of a ritual, with the intention of nourishing myself on the physical, mental, and emotional levels. I find it makes the rest of the day go much better when I begin on the right note.
What does your morning ritual look like? Is there anything you can do to raise your routine to the level of ritual? Try to include things that address the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.