What Is Your Morning Routine? Do You Have One?

[Abeo Maria]

@Psychonaut thanks for sharing. Do you do that as the very first thing in the morning? I usually work out first. Do you find doing the meditation most beneficial to first waking up?

[Psychonaut]

@Abeo Maria I do my morning as the first thing. I do meditate as the last thing in the morning. Basically before I go and do other tasks. This gives my mind enough time to wake up. Meditating while still feeling a bit drowsy is not as effective for me because I sometimes doze off. Meditating in the morning is good because the effects can persist through a substantial amount of the day.

If you exercise in the morning that is a good start already. As exercise is mostly just repetitive tasks you can also get s similiar effect to meditation. I got into meditation because of swimming. I usually swim a hour of freestyle while fully concentrating on swimming and not thinking about anything. Not even about counting my lanes. After a while you can feel the water flowing past your body. It's beautiful. I wanted the calmness I got from swimming every day, that is why I started meditating.

[Marina]

@Abeo Maria The main benefit for me was the gradual decrease of neurosis. I've been thinking about giving social media up for quite a while, trying to figure out what my issues are with it. I've been getting more and more frustrated and bored with it, my desire for posting pictures or whatever else has been decreasing every day. Then one day, I just logged out and never logged back in  I don't think you should delete the account right away, if that makes you worry. The main idea is to get your mind free of constantly checking "what's going on out there"; it doesn't matter if your account still exists or not. Well that's how it was for me.

My main reasons/benefits were these:

1) Realization that social media is absolutely useless, since it "robs" you of your ability of being fully present in the moment, robs you of your focus on whatever is actually going on around you and within you. The moment you've posted something its moment is already gone, so to say. Hence, what is the reason of posting it in the first place? To dwell on it now or later? To discuss with friends something that is already gone? I kind of realized that if I wanted to go really deep into enlightenment work, I had to learn how to be fully present in the here-now.

2) Constant comparison with others of course. Where are others and where am I? Is what others do important and what I do unimportant? I feel like social media really intensifies this whole right/wrong dogmatic black and white thinking. When you focus on your own path and stop comparing, your mind starts to open up more, I think. You kind of move from this pixelated world of picture/concept/phrase/idea into the real world. Which is still full of concepts but it is closer to your senses and is the one you actually physically live in. So it made more sense to me to focus on that one

I hope it all makes sense, if you have any other questions, ask away!

[Baby]

Fresh filtered water, coffee, meditation, tea, music, protein, carbs, chaos.... it's wonderful! 

[abrakamowse]

I'm trying to do a morning routine, normally I just take a shower first time in the morning. Then I go into breakfast, I am also in the process of switching to a healthier breakfast, as Leo said, more veggies, etc. Not so much bread and sugar.

My idea is to make at least 15 minutes of exercise, first thing in the morning, then shower and after that meditate at least 20 minutes.

Then breakfast and getting ready to work. 

I'm working on creating that morning routine. And then before going to bed I try to meditate again.

:-)

[Abeo Maria]

@Psychonaut i can definitely relate to swimming being that meditative state. That's how I feel when I play the guitar. I'm so enveloped in the art of creating that my thoughts are more repetitious from an action stand point then about emotions etc;
Thanks for sharing that with me.  

[Abeo Maria]

@Marina makes perfect sense. I've always felt that way internally, but wasn't able to articulate it the way that you have. I think my toughest thing is doing things differently then how they are done now. Because think about it, it's so common to spend 95% of our time with a cell phone in our hands, commenting, tweeting, liking photos etc; it's almost "weird" to NOT do that this day and age. We are a society of comparison and judgement and it gets overwhelming to play "keep up". 
Thanks for taking the time to explain the benefits. 
Would definitely love to continue hearing more from you throughout this forum about various topics

[Nick]

3 hours ago, shouldnt said:

@Nick Yeah, I've tried skipping breakfast or eating it late and not eating after a certain time at night. I didn't know there was a name for it. BUT I've found that when I eat less I am more clear headed and have more energy. Digestion is very hard on the body. Have you read anything by Professor Arnold Ehret? I started reading the Mucusless Diet Healing System and its been really eye opening.

Yes true. It is hard on the body. We give our bodies nutrients it needs for energy to grow us physically. But when we eat everytime as soon as theres a small empty gap in our stomachs, that energy from nutrients is used on digestion. So we don't grow as much as we could be.

Also, you didn't know it's name because it's not mainstream, and probably will never be. It's because Many food and diet companies do want you to eat as much of their stuff as possible. So the majority of the people think that iS not Ok to stay hungry for some time.

But actually, it won't hurt you to go hungry for a while, but it will surely hurt you if you eat when you don't have an earned hunger.

[Argue]

Hey everyone! 

I love the topic. I do have a daily morning routine. 

My Daily Morning Routine

1. Wake up at 5:30 AM. 

2. Say out loud my chief statement and mission statement. 

3. Pray. 

4. Meditate for 10 minutes. 

5. Excericise. (I work on my abs and arms)

6. Smile in the mirror for 1 minute.

7. Spend 5 minutes visualizing who I will become. 

8. Spend 5-7 minutes reflecting on how grateful I am.

9. Eat breakfast. (I'm going to take Leo's advice and replace cereal with smoothies.) 

10. Suggest to myself how excellent, creative, committed I am. 

11. I read books, work on improving my IQ, and study to become a master communicator. 

Edited February 8, 2016 by Argue

[Marina]

@Abeo Maria  Anytime  And in terms of it being hard from the social perspective, I completely understand. I kinda feel that there's also a huge "fed up with this" component.. Meaning, you would log out at the right time. You know how with spiritual work we realize that we have no control at all? Well, it applies to this too.. That's why I think willpower on its own may not work here. Doesn't mean you should stop reflecting on the drawbacks of social media or say something like, "Well, I have no control, so I may as well just keep using it without thinking about the consequences" lol Use it, but do it consciously. When you feel an urge to check instagram or Facebook, stop for a little bit and just observe your thoughts and feelings. Even if you end up checking the network, those 3-5-10 minutes you've spent in full awareness of your urge are very important. They exercise your awareness muscle and build up the momentum, I feel like. So one day, maybe you will not even get an urge at all.

And thanks, it's been a pleasure

[NariusV]

My current routine as of this post:  I start by dream journaling. Then I drink a liter of water, and do some exercise. Then I eat breakfast a fruit/protien smoothie along with some supplements.

[Truth]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Don't forget to start the day off with a super-clean, preferably raw veggie or fruit meal. No wheat or corn or refined sugar crap.

I do a healthy smoothie.

 this is something I really want to get into, I've been looking into health more and more, today I've actually been really motivated to get more into eating healthy, been diving deep into it this morning, a lot to learn, but I've started a strategy for a healthy eating routine, "start building a case" like you said in your "How To Eat Healthy" video, I love the talk about valuing your health, gonna watch this video again for more motivation

8 hours ago, Abeo Maria said:

@Truth what kind of meditations do you do in the morning? I've been taking baby steps (as it's been difficult for me to sit down and meditate). I usually do a walking meditation as the sun is rising. But I'd also like to do some sitting down mediations. Do you have any personal advice or tips for those that are struggling with meditation and how you meditate?

 

 Well I think you really should have a vision for what you want to get out of meditation, for me at first it was getting more peace of mind, clearing thoughts, the basics of Leo's meditation video, after doing that for a 30 day challenge, Leo posted his do nothing technique, and that was very very relaxing meditation for me, It felt really good to just let my mind think whatever it wanted and just wander, I got deep insights and ideas from doing that.

So what I'm trying to say is, have a vision for what you want, there are many techniques for what you want to get out of it, for me it's enlightenment, all the insights, ideas, plans are all secondary and really just a bonus.

In fact I’m gonna most likely be adding the determined sit + do nothing for an extra 20 minutes because I remember how beneficial it was purging thoughts and thinking about things.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Truth

[Elijah]

I've just started meditating every morning (due to one of Leo's videos) for 20 minutes every morning.  It's only been a week so no real results yet.  I've also started doing this free YouTube daily yoga session called yoga camp.  I need to expand my routines to include healthy eating,. But will get to that.  SOON!

[Olafur Thorsteinsson]

I wake up, go strait and get my self a cup of water (I always feel more awake after drinking a little bit of water). Go to the bathroom, put on my clothes, make my bed, let the dogs out, give the food to the dogs, and then eat. Always that same routine day, after day, after day. 

I stopped meditation 1 month ago, There have been so many things happening right now and I have been procrastinating a lot these days. I am not proud of it, but I am now getting on track again and going to start 20 min meditation tomorrow.

Quote

If you're going to take action, take it now.

 

[Boss]

1. drink water and eat if hungry
2. look at work I planned last night
3. start pomodoro and work
4. after pomodoro long break starts I walk/run for 30 min
5. Start pomodoro and work again

This is my typical morning routine on days I work.

[Marina]

@Boss Oh goodness, pomodoro technique is so amazing. I used it a ton in college, absolutely loved the results.

[Natura Sonoris]

I am currently researching this topic since i want to put some ''positive'' and less ''negative'' habits in my life for which i consider that your day goes smoother. What i came across are next things :

- Having Good Sleep

This is a must do if you want a good morning routine. If you wake up feeling tired, it is less likely that you will do your morning routine.

- Drinking Water When You Wake Up

You should drink at least half liter of water because when you wake up, your body is dehydrated. You can warm it up and even add some lemon to it.  Trust me, your body will thank you.

- Eating Good Meal

I did not do much research on nutrition, but for what i know, you need energy in the morning and good balanced meal. The breakfast is most important meal of the day since it mostly dictates what is your next meal going to be. If you do not eat good in the morning, you next meal will not probably be good. First thing i eat is 3-4 quail eggs with little honey and mix it with small amount of almond milk. Then i wait around 30 minutes and eat my salad with raw fresh veggies ( there is always aprx. at least 6,7 different veggies inside it) with tuna and little olive oil.

-Some Other Stuff

Between 30 min break from meals, i pour hot water in the bowl in front of me and sip few drops of peppermint oil and i take deep breaths. After that i take other bowl and more hot water mixed with sea salt  and pour it in my noise to clear the sinuses ( i don't have any problem with them but it is really good habit ). During sleep your nose gets filled up with some nasty stuff so you want that out in order to breath better. Soon i will implant some morning exercises and probably move my meditation habit in the morning.

During the rest of the day, i take good shower (plus it is good thing to do in order to clear your thoughts a bit) and more healthy meals during the day. I mostly eat fish and veggies but i am working on eating more different stuff. Unfortunately i still don't have a good reading habit because i am not really organized when it comes in doing some other stuff like my projects etc. but i am working on it.

My advice is also cut next things: Any strong addictions (cigarettes/alcohol/drugs) , don't eat junk food and find some better alternatives. Cut social media as much as you can and internet. I calculated that i usually spend 3,4 hours on FB and it feels like it passed only 1 hour.The content on FB is getting shorter and shorter in length. For example we can take Vine videos that last for 7 seconds and when you watch them few times a day, it piles up a lot without having a clue about time.

I am currently working now to limit myself on FB. I just need FB to check few pages that i need for my projects so i will probably just put mobile notifications of those pages and read them if i find them important (so in the end, i will not open FB myself just to scroll homepage). If someone needs me, there will be messenger app. Anyway i think this is good way to limit yourself from FB and slowly cutting it off permanently. Just think about what you can do with those 3,4 hours. Just reading a book for example is sufficient benefit in your life.

[Pamela Zamora]

1. Water with Lemon.
2. Breakfast.
3. 20-30 minute meditation.
4. Work-Out (6 days per week)
5. Cold Shower.

 

(That's a good day, I fall off track a lot, but I have these intervals of time when I am really consistent, and I know I have to work on that)

[Leo Gura]

14 hours ago, Marina said:

Oh Leo, I tried that multiple times when I was vegan for about 6-8 months.. Yet I don't know what the issue is, but raw veggies/fruit in their regular or even liquid form in large quantities used to make me SO bloated. I would have a veggie + fruit smoothie in the morning and it would make me bloated for hours. It's is something I've had since I was like 12.

Sounds like you have leaky gut syndrome, or candida, or parasites.

Get that fixed before it does more damage and robs you of all your energy.

[Marina]

@Leo Gura Will check on that, thanks.