What We Do In The Morning Matters
– Guest blog post by Marianna –
The alarm clock starts ringing, you hit the snooze button, you get out of bed, and walking like a zombie, you are looking for only your cup of coffee.
Or maybe you were waiting for the alarm clock to ring with open eyes for like forever, and you get up more tired than the night before.
Does this sound familiar to you?
What we do in the morning matters and can have an impact on our lives.
Hal Elrod, the author of the international bestseller “The Miracle Morning”, says: “How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life. Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days — which inevitably create a successful life. In the same way, unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, mediocre days and ultimately a mediocre quality of life. By simply changing the way you wake up in the morning, you can transform any area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible”.
Hal’s morning equation consists of six variables: Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing — together forming the acronym: SAVERS.
There is no unique recipe valid for everyone, but each of us needs to find our equation. This equation is also a process that requests trying different things, experimenting before finding what works for us.
I’ve found a few things that help me start my day off right, and I noticed improvements in my daily productivity and mood.
Top 5 Things I Do In The Morning To Improve My Productivity
Movement
Primarily for me is my yoga practice, some days for more than 1 hour, some days just for 20 min. It can perfectly work some stretching, a run, or a walk.
Breathing And Meditation
Some easy Pranayama like Nadi Shodhana or Ujjayi breath helps me to stay focused, increase energy, and prevent episodes of anxiety. When I go to the office and have less time at home, I meditate for 20-minute commuting time sitting on the train.
Oil Pulling
It’s the first thing I do as soon as I get up. For 15/20 minutes, I swish a tablespoon of coconut oil around my mouth in a similar way to mouthwash. It’s a technique that origins in Ayurvedic medicine dating back 3,000 years. As the oil hits your teeth and gums, microbes are picked up as though they are being drawn to a powerful magnet. Oil pulling can reduce bad breath, inflammation, and plaque.
Although some studies proved the benefits of oil pulling, it doesn’t mean that it can replace routine dental visits and traditional at-home oral care. Oil pulling does not reverse the effects of tooth decay.
Self-massage
Taking the time for ourselves is an act of love. Self-massage brings us back in balance by increasing circulation and stimulation of organs’ functions, helping our body detox. It’s a supportive way of seeing ourselves with all our senses rather than through the often critical way we look at ourselves in the mirror or through photos. I usually do it after my morning shower using a few drops of argan, jojoba, or almond oil.
Reading
This works best when I sit on the train on my way to the office. I try to disconnect from social media and read a paper book. I love the smell of the paper, and leafing through it page after page has a grounding effect on me.
Some days I do most of them; some days, I just lay in bed 10 minutes longer. If I feel I need to rest, I permit myself to relax.
It’s not about perfection; it’s about finding your method, building your routine with failure, and step back. So don’t punish yourselves if you cannot stick to your routine every day; celebrate every little step and start small, one habit at a time. It’s more about being consistent than make it right or more.
Oh, and even when you found the best routine that works for yourselves, try to add one or two new things from now and then.
It helps to not take for granted what you do and be open to new things.
Marianna has been practicing Yoga for more than eight years, and in 2020
she completed the 200h Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa at YogaMoves in Utrecht.
She is passionate about sharing Yoga with others, living more sustainably,
and traveling. Her INSTAGRAM page: https://www.instagram.com/greenyogawithme/
