7 steps to my morning routine
Here’s my morning routine, and let me tell you, it works best in the mornings when I have a bit more time before I begin teaching. And… sometimes I may miss a few, but coffee never seems to be one of them🤪
Circle, point, and flex my ankles before my feet hit the floor.
Use my tongue scraper to get my nightly stuff off my tongue.
Brush my teeth and do my calf raises.
Dry brush to give my body some simulation
Head to the coffee machine
Write in my journal
Play my wordle
Now, before you say 🥹🥹Mary, that’s a lot of stuff to get done. It takes me about 30 minutes, and it has taken me years to get here. Remember last week when I talked about adding one new thing a year? This is how it started, one thing each year.
After my ankle surgery, my feet were just more inflamed and felt tight. My purpose in doing this is not to get plantar fasciitis; it only takes me a minute.
I started scraping my tongue after I took my first Ayurveda class (Yoga’s sister science) and was told about the benefits of scraping our tongues, like removing odor-causing bacteria, stimulating our internal organs, and promoting oral and digestive health.
Three is self-explanatory, and you know how I tell you to do something while brushing your teeth since you have to brush for 2 minutes 2x a day anyway!
I’ve been dry brushing on and off for years. The tongue scraper stuck more, but I’m always asked if I dry brush whenever I work on my Ayurveda practice. So, I got back into it this past November. This has been a game-changer for me. I love how it feels, especially on my legs. I feel completely stimulated and ready to take on the day.
Head to the coffee machine is the one that gets me out of bed! I’m sticking with the benefits of drinking coffee for you, but I also realize caffeine is a drug, and it is addictive, and there are some cons to drinking coffee.
About midway through December, I started reading “The Artists Way” by Julia Cameron, a 12-week program on re-discovering our creativity. Julia explains morning pages as a 3-page brain dump each morning to help with our creativity and clarity. For me, some days, it's three; some days, it’s one, and my journal is small. But it has been an excellent way to get some repetitive thoughts on paper and helps me begin my day with a great mindset. If I can’t sleep at night, this is also a great way to keep my thoughts from taking over.
Playing my wordle is a fun way to challenge my brain, and I’m always amazed that there are so many 5-letter words!
After spending a few days with my daughter and grandson, it reminded me how your time is not your own when you have a baby or young kids. It was also a reminder that brushing your teeth is a significant accomplishment. I am blessed to be in a great place at my age where I can take a bit more time in the morning for my mental and physical health.
