4 Tips For A Morning Routine You’ll Actually Stick With

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Today, I had a moment of forcibly holding the bathroom door shut, little hands violently shaking the handle outside, while I took a few breaths to reset. Mornings can be a mess in my house; and I don’t always have the luxury of waking up to my own routine.

I’ve learned to look for slower moments of my day to resettle. My routine doesn’t always happen first thing. That’s okay. Make your morning routine work for your life, and you’ll find a system you can actually honor daily. In fact, it will become the best part of your day. Or, in my case, these are the best times of my day throughout my day, knowing that I can’t typically get this all into one program.

Here are four simple Ayurvedic practices to include in your morning routine, whenever you make the space for them.

Drink water first

Before putting anything else into your body, drink 16 ounces of pure water, ideally at room temperature or warmer. Sure, you can add lemon or adaptogens or make it bulletproof or any of that jazz. But, at the end of the day, if you do nothing except start your day with water, you’re doing yourself a great service.

Make daily hygiene sacred

Chances are, you’re already making time to wash your face and brush your teeth. But, does it feel sacred? In Ayurveda, these practices are part of ritualistic self care. As you brush your teeth, make sure your phone is down, and you may even take this time to repeat a mantra. You can add in oil pulling or tongue scraping, but a simple teeth brushing can be all you need when done with intention. Wash your face with an oil-based cleanser, taking time to massage the area around your orbital bone.

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Establish a movement practice

Often, we focus on taking a fitness class rather than establishing a movement practice. You don’t have to do anything fancy. A 20-minute morning walk will do the trick to down regulate your stress response and release synovial fluid into your joints. Ten rounds of sun salutations are also a beautiful way to honor your body’s needs. Add in a fitness class on days you have the space. But, this movement practice should be non-negotiable.

Include restorative self care

Get more out of your daily shower. About 10 minutes prior, rub sesame oil onto your major joints – primarily your shoulders and hips – and long bones – such as your upper arms and thighs. Don’t worry about the thirty steps you may have read for self-massage. Instead, hit those primary places that get fatigued, and end by massaging your hands extensively. This serves a double purpose of also keeping the kin on your hands from breaking, which can protect you from illness and infection.

In the shower, take at least 3 minutes with the water on as cold as you can manage. You’ll be ready to take on your day with renewed vigor.