If your day usually starts with the loud wailing of your alarm clock, arguing with your spouse or your kids, rushing to make it out the door on time, it’s no wonder you’re not a ‘morning person’. In reality, most people aren’t morning people simply because they don’t know how to start off their day. Adopting a meaningful morning practice allows you the opportunity to ease into your day in a calm and mindful way.
Here are 6 spiritual morning rituals that will change your life:
Practice Gratitude
Each morning when you wake up go through a list of the things that you are thankful for. Whether your list is long or short, is always the same or changes doesn’t matter. What matters is nurturing those feelings of gratitude and an appreciation for all the positive things in your life.
Practice Yoga
Engaging in a gentle yoga practice to start your day not only wakes up the body, but also wakes up the soul. When we breathe with intention we create a stronger connection to the universe. Starting your day in asana means that you are cultivating breath awareness first thing in the morning, which means you are much more likely to keep your breath on your mind for the rest of the day.
Read a Motivational Book
It may seem simple, but spending just a few minutes each morning to read an insightful and uplifting passage from a motivational or spiritual book can help set a positive tone to your mindset for the day. Reading and reflecting on motivational words or passages not only puts you in a good mood, it also helps you increase your awareness of how you respond to negative or difficult situations that you encounter during the day.
Exercise
Whether it be running, yoga, or hitting the gym, any type of exercise will get your blood flowing and provide you with a rush of endorphins. The burst of energy and vitality that you get from exercising first thing in the morning will keep you energized for the rest of your day.
Meditation
The daily practice of sitting in meditation is one of the most powerful daily practices there is, with the primary side effects being increased happiness, better sleep, and more creativity. In the morning your mind is completely at rest since it has been in an overnight retreat from internal and external stimuli, which makes it a very conducive time to practice meditation.
Journaling
Keeping a mindful journal in which you jot down feelings of gratitude, intentions, or goals helps you transform thoughts and ideas into something concrete. Writing things down can be therapeutic and a method of meditation for many. Writing a daily journal can help to increase your confidence, make you happier, and give you a better perspective on life, even during seemingly tough or unproductive days.
Thanks Lisa, for inspiring and teaching me through your writing.
Thank you so much!
The mornings are always the hardest for me, especially if I don’t get proper rest the night before! I will definitely try implementing a few of these ideas to see if it can improve my morning routine!
Hey Lisa,
You share what my mornings would be like if I didn’t feel like I had to literally roll out of bed and get to work. I know it’s still but I really need to stop feeling this way and just take time to breath, stretch and be motivated as soon as I wake. I am off to do some morning yoga and maybe listen to a bit of a motivational podcast.
Thanks for the inspiration to create a beautiful morning for myself!
I wish that I could get into the routine of yoga in the morning. I know several people who have been helped with it, and I think that it would be helpful for me, as well. I have been journaling this year, and it has been beneficial.
I started doing Ashtanga in the morning…it took a while to get used and the first few mornings were so difficult, but before I even knew it I thrived on it and couldn’t imagine not getting up early in the morning and doing it!
Yoga and blogging (aka journaling) are my spiritual rituals. They allow me to open up and become attune with my body. I would love to get into meditation but I can never settle my brain enough!
Meditation is harder than people think. When I first started I couldn’t even last for 5 minutes, and now 45min to and hour seems short!
Great list of things to do to get your day off to a good start. I make a list of 5 things I’m grateful for every morning, walk outside because being in nature instantly makes me happy and write down one thing I have to do that day. It really helps.
You already seem to have this all down pat! Kudos to you! 😉
These are some great ideas to getting your day started off right. I do a lot of writing and reading first thing in the morning. Helps me wake up and get ready for the day. I am not a big yoga lover but do love going on early morning walks.
Any activity in the morning is beneficial for the mind and body, especially if you’re doing it outside in nature!
I’m a fan of all of them, although I’m not so good at following through on all!
My sister’s life has been transformed by Yoga. For me, meditation and exercise are perfect ways to start the day. There’s something about the light and the breathing and cool temps that time of day. It sets the stage for the whole day.
It really does! It seems like such a task to get up in the morning and practice a ritual, but the benefits are undeniable!