5 Enriching Additions to Your Morning Routine

The early morning hours are a precious time, made for soft slippers, slow blinks, candles and tea — all the tea. Truly, is there anything better than waking up to a glowing sunrise? Waking up in this relaxed manner has lots of benefits, too.

A carefully crafted morning routine provides us with the space we need to meditate and reflect, set intentions for our day, and calm any stresses that might sidetrack us along the way. If this time is left unprotected, it gets filled with snoozed alarms, a rushed blow dry and toast in the car on the way to work. That’s a lot less enriching, isn’t it?

Ready to reclaim your mornings? Here are 15 creative additions you can add to your morning routine to make it a little sweeter, a little calmer and a little more healthful. Who knows, maybe this is where things turn around for you. 

1. HEAD STRAIGHT FOR YOUR MEDITATION SPOT.

Meditating first thing might sound a little ambitious, but it doesn’t have to be! Simply create a quiet, comfortable space and make it your first stop along your morning journey. You can even keep your eyes closed.

2. LIGHT A CANDLE AND ONLY A CANDLE.

Waking up with the sun is such a treat. Don’t pollute your space with artificial light in the morning. Instead, light a candle to take with you to meditation or to the kitchen until the sun starts flooding the room on its own. 

3. START TONGUE SCRAPING.

This is a weird one, but those who do it swear by it. Tongue scraping helps manage the coating of bacteria that lives on the tongue and leads to better breath in the long run. Plus, it’s actually kind of a nice massage!

4. WAKE UP YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, TOO.

Drinking hot lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach is a lovely, gentle way to wake up your digestive system while also getting a number of health benefits. Lemon water is a rich source of vitamin C, helps maintain the pH balance of the body and can even help fight infections.

5. GO FOR A WALK.

Fresh air, dew on the grass, sunlight glinting off the greenery…a walk early in the morning will certainly set your day off right. Plus, if you have a dog, this is a wonderful opportunity for quality time together. Don’t worry about getting yourself dressed up before you head out. Sweats and a messy bun are entirely appropriate.