News

10 Secrets to a Healthy and Joyful Morning Routine

Are you ready to kick off this day? With all the new possibilities and challenges in front of you?

Whatever your routine, the following secrets might inspire you to get even more out of your morning and day. Enjoy!

1: Wake up early…

For a Yogi it is better to wake up early, so you can do some good stretches and settle for the day. Plus do some real Sun Salutations! Yes!

Put a gentle smile on your face if the waking up is hard. It will give you some happy flows of energy (just try it, you’ll feel it works!).

2: Stop! Don’t start by brushing your teeth

After getting up I suggest you do not start with brushing your teeth. Your body is totally dehydrated and everything you absorb now will come into your body with a much bigger hit. Especially if your toothpaste is not organic or has fluoride in it, it can have toxins directly released in your system.

3: Start with some breathing exercises

Find your own calm, relaxing place in your house. You can start off your day with a breathing exercise; for example alternate nostril breathing (Anulom Vilom) to balance the energy in both sides of your body. Especially in the morning you will notice that the sides are quite out of balance.

4: Set an Intention for your day to come

Take a moment to relax your mind, meditate if you like. And very important, set an intention for your day. What is it what you want to do today? How would you like to feel today? Or what would you like to convey to others? Just give yourself some time to really feel this intention. What is your loving intention? Be sure to set a good intention or feeling as a basis. To attract the right things and people throughout the day.

5: Go greet the Sun

If you want to do Yoga, you can do it now. I would suggest to start off with some gentle stretches (neck stretch, head circle, shoulder circle, wrist stretching, seated twist, cat-cow, downward dog) and do rounds of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) until you feel warm and stretched. Sun salutations can warm up almost every muscle in your body and will activate you. It is a round of movements that really stimulate the active energy (Yang) in our bodies, good if you want a vibrant start. Whatever poses you want to add, they are of your own choosing (but not necessary).

I used to do the 5 Tibetans for quite a while in the morning. It is a nice practice. I’ll tell you about that in a later post. It is supposed to slow down the aging process…

6: Lime water

Food wise I would start the day with drinking lukewarm water or warm water with either lime or lemon. Some people also add some ginger, that’s up to you. Not only will it cleanse your system, it will as well start up your metabolism and hydrate you. In the night we all lose quite an amount of fluids as we don’t drink for an hour or eight.

If you can, wait for at least 20-40 minutes before eating something. In this way your body is nicely hydrated and the limewater made its way down.

7: Get yourself ready and positive for a new day

In the meantime you can shower, do some cleansing routines, sing some mantra’s or read yourself a nice affirmation for the day. Maybe one that affirms the intention that you just set. It is even nice to have some affirmations spread throughout your house. Just hang some post-it’s with inspiring texts or qualities of yourself on your walls or on your bathroom mirror. It will help you to start your day in a positive manner.

8: Breakfast

For breakfast I like to eat warm oats with fruits (of the season) and nuts through it. Especially in winter it is nice to have something warm up in your stomach. And it is even better to stimulate some warmth in your body, especially when you are an Air or Water kind of person (based on the Ayurvedic dosha’s). These people tend to feel cold quickly or cold all the time.

You can either use water or some milk (replacement). Heat it up and stir it until a nice porridge. You can even add some seeds, raisins and cinnamon if you want to make it into a real party.

People that are naturally warm or during warmer seasons, can use yoghurt or milk(replacement), so it is not too warm for them. I also like to stack up my amount of fruits in summer and just sprinkle some dry nuts and oats on top. Either way, it is of your own choosing and what suits you best.

9: Chew as much as you can, with attention

If you have the time, do not make a shake for breakfast (so making the food into a fluid substance). Especially when you are trying to lose weight. The chewing movement of your jaws will stimulate a part in your brain knowing that it is eating food. This will help you to feel fuller quicker, plus you will stay feeling fuller for longer. A shake you drink very fast, with the brain sometimes unaware of the food inside. Resulting in unnecessary cravings. The same goes for eating while watching something on your phone, tv, whatever. You are not focused on your food, with a possible result of wanting more food after a short period of time.

10: The metabolism only starts around 10/ 11 AM according Chinese medicine

I usually try not to eat until 10 am. According to Chinese medicine it is around 10-11am that the metabolic system wakes up. What I do is drink plenty of lukewarm or hot water until that time. In this way I am sure that I am hydrated enough and not eating because I am thirsty. This is something that is a kind of normal thing to happen.

If you can’t wait that long, then feel free to eat your breakfast in the early morning. Every body is different and has its own special way to work well.

 

Like the Facebook page or subscribe to the newsletter below to never miss any post!

Om Shanti

Nagabandhu Yoga

© 2018 Nagabandhu Yoga and Living Practice – All Rights Reserved
No portion of this site can be reprinted without express permission

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *