Each morning is a new beginning. It’s a gift as well as a chance for us to start anew, which is really cool if you think about it. How we show up for ourselves in those first hours of the day matters. It sets the tone for what’s to come.
From my understanding, a lot of people wake up to an alarm clock ringing and decides to either a) snooze it or, b) stay in bed scrolling thru the endless media outlets in their phone, before realizing that there’s now only 5 minutes left before you are supposed to be out the door.
This is no way to greet the miracle that is a brand new day. Personally I’m fortunate enough to (almost) never have to put an alarm clock, I wake up with the sun. Or don’t, if I choose to sleep with my blinds closed 🤪 . But here’s the thing, there’s no right time to do your morning ritual.
It can be five a.m, eight a.m, one p.m…. It’s up to you! But whenever you wake up, it may take an effort to make space for your morning ritual. You may have to wake up a little earlier. You may have to lay out some boundaries for the people you live with (hello to all the parents!).
Whatever it takes, I encourage you to carve out this time and honor it. It’s so important to practice self-care and direct our attention inwards and towards ourselves and our wellbeing. Especially in this day and age when our attention constantly is being fought over. You need to fill your own cup and nourish yourself.
Make yourself a priority.
This is essential for you to be able to show up in this world as your authentic self. Trust me, you and your light are much needed right now.
My morning ritual is straightforward and simple. I adjust it to fit my schedule if i’m short on time, and might add some yoga and breathing exercises if I feel really into it.
First, wakey wakeeey!
I start the morning off with washing my face with ice cold water. It wakes me up in a nice and immediate kinda way.
I continue with applying my skincare. I save most of my creams for my evening routine, so it’s basically just face water, exo’s bomb CBD eye roller and Mary Gold Cream + a few sunscreens. I’m using a mix of Exodeus, Ilia Beauty and Biossance since i’m in Mexico and the sun is really strong.
Say aaaaaah!
Time to pick up my copper tongue scraper! According to the ancient Indian philosophy of Ayurveda, this simple practice is a direct way of removing toxicity from your physical body. Scraping the tongue daily removes any build-up which, if left untreated, can lead to bad breath and may house a significant number of bacteria. This coating is a result from improper eating, poor digestion, or a reflection of an imbalance somewhere in the gastrointestinal system.
The detox continues!
After this I start yet another ayurvedic practice: oil pulling. The most effective oil pulling is done by placing around a tablespoon of cold pressed organic sesame oil into the mouth and swishing the oil around the mouth for approximately 10-15 minutes and then spitting it out.
You wanna know how it works? Alright! First, the oils mix with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid. Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva. As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white. Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed.
Smooth and soft sailing..
While i’m swooshing this around my mouth, I commence with my long time favorite selfcare practice; dry brushing!
I love dry brushing for it’s exfoliating and skin smoothing effects, as well as its benefits for our lymphatic and circulatory system. It’s also said to help with cellulite, and since I have almost to none, maybe it’s true? 🐾
How to:
Pick your brush. It should be one with pretty firm bristles. Start at the feet and work your way up with long strokes. Pay extra attention to the back of your knees, waist and under your armpits where you have lymfeknudes. Here’s a more explicit guide on how to.
Drink up to get down!
Now it’s time to head into my kitchen! After feeding a (always) very hungry Mr. Tiny, I start heating water for the first drink of the day: my hot lemon or lime water! Water supplies many benefits on its own, but by adding lemon, you will get the added flavor and nutrients, including antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
By starting your day with lemon water you’ll rehydrate your body, start a gentle detox process, kickstart your digestive system and boost your immunity due to the high vitamin C content. Not bad for a cup, right?
A moment of clear connection to source.
After spitting out the oil from my pulling session in the toilet (it WILL clog your sink with time so just do yourself this favour from the beginning), I’ll sit down for a few minutes and enjoy my cup of lemon health. During this pause, i’ll write some stuff down in my gratitude journal. I’m using this one, and I love the fact that it has both a section for the morning and a review part before going to bed.
The star of the show:
It’s now time for a big love of mine: CELERY JUICE! Medical Medium is the man who starting this trend, and it’s for good reasons that it’s here to stay. I might be able to tempt you to give it a try by mentioning the following;
It’s super rich in nutrients such as A and C, folate, beta-carotene, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. It is said to aid in digestion, relax the nerves, and clear up skin problems.
Personally I have noticed a big difference in my digestion (less bloating), my skin is more clear and glowy plus I have more energy. Annnnd, it’s honestly tasty.
Here’s the thing tho, you need it fresh and most preferably organic. I make mine each morning with my Hurum juicer. It takes no more than 5 minutes from cutting the celery to cleaning the machine.
A walk without the talk..
To Mr. Tiny’s joy, now it’s time for the movement part of my ritual. After grabbing the leash and my jug of celery (you need to wait at least 15 min after the lemon water to drink it), I head out for a morning walk. I try to make this into a walking meditation, paying full attention to the present moment. I stop to smell the flowers, touch the leaves, hug the trees, look at the rays of sun shining thru the foliage. Each breath in fills me with life-force, and I let go of resistance as I exhale.
Let it go and let it flow. It’s all about being flexible.
This is the case most of my mornings. Then there are some where Mr. Tiny is acting like an asshole, i’m for some reason pressed on time or the rain is freezing cold and I just don’t want to adult. At all. Those are different mornings, sure.
But those are also the mornings where the benefits of my daily morning rituals shine thru even the darkest clouds. Because somehow I manage to find the messy bliss of being human even then. And honestly, I think my daily morning commitment to myself is a big part of what is facilitating this shift of awareness.
Life is not perfect, and it will never be. One of my favourite pilates teachers once told me; you are only as strong as you are flexible. And that’s just it, with my various little morning rituals i’m becoming more fully me. Strong and flexible at the same time, ready to take on any day.
If you want help with setting up your morning routine or with anything regarding your health and soul, go to this site and take me up on the opportunity to work together. To your health, honey bees!