As adults, we’ve learned how to sleep; but most of us forget that just like babies (and children), we also benefit from intentional TRANSITIONS from sleep to wake & wake to sleep. We’ve abandoned any practices or rituals that plug us IN to how we want to feel – to begin & end our days, and instead think we can go go go, until we drop (or hit the pillow). While your body might be exhausted enough to fall asleep quickly, it doesn’t mean that your MIND shuts off (hence middle of the night wakings with a racing mind & the inability to go back to sleep) and it also doesn’t equate to the most restful sleep, either (even if we don’t wake).
Here’s the truth: how you begin your day will determine how it feels all day long and how you end your day plays a huge role in how rested + recharged you feel the next day. And they snowball on one another. Good sleep and a focused, energized day takes some intention; it doesn’t just happen. Enter: the practice (or reintroduction) of morning rituals and an evening wind-down routine in order to dock back into your body (your powerhouse) – to recharge, refuel and restore. Because another unavoidable truth? If you don’t put steps into place to feel how you want to feel, day in & day out, you’ll be at the whim of your external world – and your body, sleep, mood, energy, immunity, metabolism, brain function, hormones – literally everything, will pay for it.
In other words, having an energizing morning routine is the difference between rushing through your day feeling overwhelmed, chaotic and unorganized as compared to feeling centered, mentally clear and equipped to tackle your day with ease & flow – because, like I said, how you begin your day sets the tone for the entire day. Starting your day with space and mindfulness also increases productivity and puts you in a better position to feel in control, adaptable and be non-reactive.
{photo: Heather Brincko}
Likewise, how you close your day impacts your ability to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system – your “rest and digest” mode – that’s responsible for restful (quality) sleep, optimal digestion and increased metabolism (to name a small few). Contrary to popular belief, being so exhausted that you fall right to sleep does not mean that you’re getting the rest and recharge you need to maximize your health & energy.
- A body ritual: doing myofascial release to relieve tension spots or yin yoga to free up stuck energy – both help me physically decompress and move from a state of “doing” to “resting” and letting go of the day. This also include a face // skincare ritual to refresh and nourish my skin and to end the night feeling a little pampered!
- A water ritual: a shower, bath or foot soak (either with Epsom salts + essential oils) or my personal fave – a hot wash cloth face steam. All serve to fulfill the intention of “washing the day away”.
- A stillness ritual: this could be a couple deep breaths (using different breathing techniques), meditating, laying down or relaxing in a comfortable seat and listening to relaxing music or a post-reading moment to feel my body sinking into my cozy bed.
- A gratitude practice: usually noted in my head, though in the past written down, it’s important – regardless of how the day went, to take stock of what went WELL versus ending the day in a negative headspace that fuels stress, anxiety, guilt or shame.
– Two energizing morning mobility flows {with follow-along videos to support you post-workshop}
– Simple and doable morning meditation ideas to increase mental space & clarity while boosting oxygen flow, intuition and feel-good vibes all day long
– A how-to on integrating a written daily devotions practice that inspires your mind + soul to expand
– 3 sets of evening wind-down stretches (heart & hip openers with counter pose) to help release tension and create easefulness in the body
– 3 sets of myofasical release pairs using the Yoga TuneUp balls to increase muscle function and release blocks
– My four favorite tools for creating instant calm that take under 5 minutes
If you are MOtivated to accomplish a goal, you will do whatever it takes to get there. Once you determine your goal, you must set that goal in MOtion. If you were given all the resources along with a step-by-step roadmap to those goals, what is to stop your MOmentum toward that goal?
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