After years of flip-flopping and experimenting, I've finally mastered my morning routine!

 

The importance of 'owning the day' was never lost on me, but I couldn't find the right fit. There's a slew of content out there promoting 'optimal', routines with rather humble-braggy undertones. On the flip side, there's no shortage of science-backed recommendations for an 'optimal' start to the day. This influx of information left me baffled and lost...

 

The main culprit for my crappy mornings was a lack of structure. When left to my own devices, I would fill my time with work and neglect the health of my mind and body. This caused a midday crash followed by a hellish afternoon of fatigue. Energy levels usually saw an uplift in the evenings, which was actually my body preparing itself to perform its overnight cleansing functions. After a depleted day, it's common to mistake this as a new lease of life. By using this energy for productivity into the night, my sleep schedules were left in disarray.

After years of spinning my wheels, I decided to follow my deep-seated curiosity of age-old rituals. I've always been drawn to ancient wisdom in relation to food, routines, movement, and general lifestyle design. I'm a simple human, really. I like to eat well, move well, and feel peaceful, so extravagant modern gadgets and hacks have never appealed to me. This translates into my morning routine - the simpler the better.

 

My hunger for a more grounded, earthy routine led me to Ayurveda. I had a copy of the Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook kicking around the house so I threw myself into it.

Ayurveda is a healing system that works to holistically prevent illness. Maintaining harmony between the mind, body, and spirit is a thread that runs through all Ayurvedic practices in order to achieve good health and longevity.

Ayurveda recognises that each human is different. These differences are illustrated through doshas. Your dosha encompasses everything about you; how you react to stress, your tendencies, characteristics, physicality, interests and skills, communication style, common illnesses and more. Doshas are made up of natural elements (fire, water, air, earth) and can be identified in both your physical stature and personality.

Here's a very top-level breakdown of each dosha. I'll dive into the intricacies in a later letter!

Have a go at identifying the dosha you resonate with most. Much like horoscopes, it's common to embody aspects of more than one tribe.

Within a few days of following an Ayurvedic morning ritual, my acne went from angry to 'cool as a cucumber'…

The results I've seen with over-the-counter medication and specialist creams don't even come close! The image on the left is how my skin has looked for years and the image on the right is how it looks just a few days into my Ayurvedic journey...

Since implementing Ayurvedic rituals into my mornings, I have experienced the following benefits:

Here is the Ayurvedic morning ritual I have been following. I have tweaked it to fit my preferences and lifestyle - this is recommended, as the ritual was developed in a time where humans weren't so damn busy! Steps 1-11 take about 10-15 minutes.

1/ RISE BEFORE OR WITH THE SUN (before 8am)

Syncing with nature's cycles lets your body know the difference between active and resting hours, which allows its internal functions to tick over smoothly.

Benefits: Gently waking from slumber without sending your central nervous system into fight-or-flight - this happens when we use loud alarms!

 

 

2/ MEDITATE

Since learning about box-breathing and physiological sighing (I'll expand on these in future letters), I've been focusing on these techniques each morning as well as drawing - it sends me into a flow state!

Benefits: Clearing the mind at the top of the day is far easier because you have not yet been exposed to stimuli. Establishing mental clarity in the morning prevents overwhelm and anxiety.

 

 

3/ SCRAPE TONGUE

At first, this feels gross. But checking the coating on your tongue after a night's sleep helps you identify any imbalances and digestive issues. The colour, thickness, and location can help you with this (I'll break these down in an upcoming letter!)

Benefits: Clearing off this coating with a tongue scraper allows for enhanced taste, which improves digestion. When you eat, your tongue picks up flavours and prepares your digestive system for the incoming type of food.

 

 

4/ RINSE FACE

Pretty self explanatory: splash cool water on your face to wake yourself up! Gently rinse your eyes too.

 

 

*5/ RINSE NOSE

I personally don’t do this as I am yet to invest in a Neti pot! Blowing your nose will do the trick.

Benefits: Clearing your nasal pathways allows for more efficient breathing. A nose full of junk is a sure-fire way to become a mouth-breather, which is certainly not ideal!

 

 

6/ DRINK WATER

Drink 500ml of luke warm water. Avoid cold water as it messes up digestive processes. Cold water extinguishes your 'digestive fire'. A balanced 'digestive fire' allows you to effectively break down and pass fuel. If overheated, it can cause diarrhoea and cramps.

 

 

7/ OIL PULLING

Hold and swish a teaspoon of oil in your mouth for 5-20 minutes (20 mins has a pleasant grounding effect.) Choose the oil that is best for your dosha. I use coconut oil. This practice helps to cleanse your mouth after scraping.

 

 

*8/ BRUSH TEETH

I choose to do this after my breakfast to avoid a minty-tasting pancake! Ayurveda recommends powdered toothpaste - I'm planning on making my own in the near future!

 

 

9/ LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

Gently press the following areas with your fingertips to the beat of your heart to open up the drainage pathways: collar bone, armpits, chest, inner thighs, back of knees, ankles. If you have time, tickle them lightly with your fingertips first to wake up the nerves.

 

 

10/ DRY BRUSH

Brush your skin using a dry brush towards your heart, starting with your extremities: hands up to shoulders, feet up to hips, circle around your chest.

Benefits: Improves the tone of your skin and keeps it smooth. Rids your body of old energy from the previous day.

 

 

11/ BODY OILING

Massage oil (I use the same coconut oil) all over your body and face. Aim to keep it on for up to 20 minutes to penetrate all seven layers of skin - I usually do my morning stretch at this time.

 

 

12/ EXERCISE

Ideally, keep the oil on for your workout. Your pores open up during exercise, which allows the oil to work deeper into your seven layers of skin!

 

 

13/ BATHE

For showering, use luke-warm/cool water. Hot water is too drying for the morning - it can overheat your digestive fire and cause fatigue.

 

 

14/ BREAKFAST

Before you start eating, look at your meal. Think about its different elements and where they came from. Either internally or externally, express gratitude for the meal you are about to eat. Sit down whilst eating and remove distractions to aid digestion and feel fuller for longer!

I will follow this up with more in-depth letters about each aspect of this ritual, as well as any new learnings I gather along the way! Overall, I'm pretty damn pleased with the results I've seen in such a short time and am excited to dig deeper into this ancient philosophy...

 

Until next time, take care of yourself and give some (or all) of these steps a try - you'll be amazed!

 

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